Election Watch 2008
Governors - Current Republican Seats
Below are the Governors' seats currently held by Republican incumbents (whose names are in bold).
Indiana (Daniels) —Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) is facing former Democratic Rep. and Clinton Administration USDA Under-Secretary, Jill Long Thompson (D). According to finance reports filed 10/15; Daniels "spent about $13 million...nearly 3 and a half times as much as" ex-Rep Thompson. Daniels also has about $1.1M "left to spend," which is four times the amount Thompson has. Thompson's primary victory came at a high price; she was forced to spend nearly her entire campaign war chest, leaving her with less than $500,000 for the general election, and higher unfavorable ratings. Daniels however is still polling over 50 percent and has a double-digit advantage. This race is in the Lean Republican column.
Missouri - OPEN (Blunt) —In this open seat, Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R) is facing state Attorney General Jay Nixon (D). According to poll results published several weeks ago by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hulshof was down 7 points to Nixon. This is quite a startling snapshot considering Hulshof's commanding wins in his own district since he was first elected to Congress in 1996. Again this race will be dominated by Presidential politics. Historically, the governor's race tends to trend with the presidential. If John McCain carries the state, it will be good news for Hulshof. In August of this year, the legislature passed a new law that allows candidates to raise unlimited contributions. Currently, Hulshof currently has not caught up to Nixon, who has raised about $7 million for the race.
ND (Hoeven) —This is a solid Republican race from beginning to end. The former Democrat turned Republican, Governor John Hoeven (R), is the longest serving sitting Governor in the nation. He will retain that distinction if he wins a third term in November. Hoeven's Democratic opponent is state Sen. Tim Mathern (D). Mathern gets good reviews as a candidate, but this is an uphill battle for Democrats, particularly in a presidential year. Hoeven should have no trouble winning a third term.
UT (Huntsman) —This is another race that is solidly in the Republican column. Incumbent Governor Jon Huntsman (R) has a dream resume. In 1992 and 1993, Huntsman was Ambassador to Singapore, one of the youngest Ambassadors in U.S. history. He also served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. The Senate unanimously confirmed him to that post in August of 2001 and he left in 2003 to return to Utah to run for Governor. Democrats have recruited a good candidate, businessman Bob Springmeyer (D) as their candidate. But in this heavily Republican state, Springmeyer doesn't have a fighting chance. Huntsman is the man to watch for future Presidential aspirations.
Vermont (Douglas) —This is an interesting three way race between incumbent Gov. Jim Douglas (R), state house speaker Gaye Symington (D) and former gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina (P). In a recent poll, Douglas was pulling 48% to Symington's 33% and Pollina's 7%. Douglas's reputation for compromise has served him well with voters. He has also proved that he can win re-election in a difficult political climate for his party as seen in his 2006 election. A two-way contest might have proved to be extremely competitive, however as this poll demonstrates, Pollina's presence on the ballot will make it much more difficult for Democrats to unseat the incumbent. This race is worth watching and is in the Likely Republican column.
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