interesting observation: it's easier for governors without trifecta to win reelection

[David Hume]

1, the last governor without trifecta to lost is 2016 IL. It never happens again since then.

2, for swing states, 3/5 governors with trifecta lost reelection, all without trifecta won.

NC: 2016 lost w, 2020 won w/o.

WI, 2018 lost w, 2022 won w/o

NV, 2022 lost w

PA, 2022 win w/o

MI, 2022 win w/o

AZ, 2018 win w

GA, 2022 win w

[oldtimer]

The public think the Governor and the President is their actual representative, not a gerrymandered State Legislature/Congress.

Practically they are right, overtime the Executive is becoming the one who legislates and the Legislature the one who executes, the Judiciary ends up doing both.

[Burke Bro]

I think it’s true that most, if not all, of the Democrat governors elected or re-elected in swing states recently owe their victories to a pushback against overreach by heavily gerrymandered Republican legislatures during the Obama era (with the opposite being true in Nevada).

[Progressive Pessimist]

Only in battleground states possibly.

In many other safe states Governors get re-elected easily and can be popular while in control of state legislatures.

Just look at Jared Polis for one thing.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Voters like the idea of a “balanced” government and dislike when the government Does Stuff. Makes sense.

[politicallefty]

The public think the Governor and the President is their actual representative, not a gerrymandered State Legislature/Congress.

Practically they are right, overtime the Executive is becoming the one who legislates and the Legislature the one who executes, the Judiciary ends up doing both.

Your first thought is definitely the way people think, but I don't think the rest is entirely accurate. It may be true at the federal level when it comes to the dysfunctional Congress, but state legislatures exercise extraordinary power. Many states have legislative supermajorities that can easily override a veto and most do so without hesitation. A Governor of the other party can act as a moderating influence on state policy, but they aren't going to change the nature of the state (such as keeping a state centre-right instead of right-wing). They win by appearing pragmatic and as a stabilizing force in the eyes of voters, not by using executive action contrary the nature of the state.

[Samof94]

Like Phil Scott or Andy Beshear?

[LabourJersey]

Voters like the idea of a “balanced” government and dislike when the government Does Stuff. Makes sense.

I would amend that too: an awful lot of Americans think that their state government is fine and that their state government doesn't need to do that much. Even when they strongly dislike a Governor they don't get "worked up" about them to the degree they get worked up about Congress and the President, or even their school board.

They attribute whatever is wrong in our political/policy world primarily to the federal government, and secondarily to the local government.

I think that attitude is misguided, but anecdotally this is what I've seen having worked in local and state politics.