Posted December 10, 2018 | by KimS | in DemDaily, Democratic Party, Gubernatorial, Resource

The Governors: Red to Blue

The midterms were a boon for Democrats in their quest for gubernatorial control and, ultimately, their level of impact on the outcome of the 2021 redistricting process.

Out of 36 Governors races in November, Democrats won 16 seats, flipping seven -- their greatest gains since 1982. Democratic governors now represent a majority of Americans - more than 175 million people.

As a state's highest-ranking elected official, Governors are administrators of their state, responsible for dictating policy, overseeing the budget, agencies, national guard and its executive branch.

The power of each Governor varies with each state constitution, depending on his or her veto power over legislation and the official body that draws the state's electoral map in redistricting.

As chief executive of his or her state, a Governor is more similar to a US President, but on a smaller scale. This is why serving as Governor is considered the best training ground for the White House.

Democrats now hold 23 Governors' seats to Republicans 27. There are three Governors races up in 2019 (Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi), and eleven states and two territories up in 2020.

Red To Blue
Democrats triumphed in Republican-held seats in Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin. Republicans picked up only one independently-held seat, Alaska.