Seven governor races to watch as voters weigh Trump, economy
NEW YORK, Oct 30 - Three dozen governors' races will be decided in the November 3 elections, with President Donald Trump's unpopularity and the cost of living at the top of voters' minds, alongside local concerns ranging from water rights and data centers to cancer rates.
asserted
unpopularity → watch → rates
Some races have turned ugly, including an Ohio contest between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton that features the Democrat's estranged mother in an attack ad.
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that → turn → ad
Others could be history-making, such as Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms' bid to become the country's first Black woman elected governor.
uncertain
Others → make → bid
Democrats now hold 24 governorships and Republicans 26.
asserted
Republicans → hold → governorships
If Democrats can manage a net gain of at least two seats they will lead a majority of states for the first time since 2010.
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they → manage → 2010
Here are seven key governor races to watch:
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races → watch → ?
Water has become a key campaign issue in drought-hit Arizona, where Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs is seeking reelection against Republican US Representative Andy Biggs.
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Hobbs → become → Biggs
Other top issues are cost of living and immigration, with Hobbs seeking to position herself as tougher on border security than many national Democrats.
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Hobbs → seek → Democrats
Biggs is a former head of the right-wing US House Freedom Caucus, which has pushed for deep cuts in federal spending.
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which → push → spending
Abortion rights have featured prominently in the race, with Hobbs a supporter while Biggs has a long record as an opponent.
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Biggs → feature → opponent
Arizona voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in 2024.
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voters → approve → 2024
Michigan's race is one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests, pitting Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the state's top election official, against Republican US Representative John James.
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race → pit → James
The candidates are battling to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, making it one of 19 open-seat races this cycle.
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it → battle → races
Michigan is a closely divided swing state that Trump won in 2016 and 2024, while Democrat Joe Biden carried it in 2020.
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Biden → divide → 2020
Neither party has elected back-to-back governors in the state since the 1960s.
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party → elect → 1960s
Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, is running against Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, to succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp.
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Jackson → run → Kemp
A Bottoms win would make her the first Black woman elected governor in the US and the first Democrat elected governor of Georgia in more than a quarter century.
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her → make → century
Because Georgia will likely be a key presidential battleground in 2028, both parties view the gubernatorial race as an early test of voter sentiment.
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parties → view → sentiment
Jackson, who has spent more than $100 million of his own money on the race, has generally aligned himself with Trump's agenda, while Bottoms has sought to mobilize the diverse Democratic coalition that helped Biden win the state in 2020.
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Biden → spend → 2020
Bottoms rose to national prominence in 2020 as she guided Georgia's largest city through protests, civil unrest and the COVID pandemic.
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she → rise → protests
Her base is in the Atlanta metro area, whose rapid growth has reshaped Georgia politics.
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growth → reshape → politics
The race between Republican entrepreneur Ramaswamy and Democrat Acton, a physician, drew national attention over an explosive attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother.
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race → draw → mother
In a video run by the Ramaswamy campaign, Donna Arthur disputes Acton's account of a childhood marked by homelessness and sexual abuse and urges Ohioans not to vote for her.
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Arthur → run → her
Acton, a former director of the Ohio Department of Health who led the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather.
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she → lead → stepfather
The stepfather, who died in 2004, fled the state after he was charged with raping his stepdaughter and never stood trial.
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he → die → trial
The state's reputation as a perennial swing state faded after 2016 when Trump won it with strong support from working-class voters, who helped to turn it into a reliably Republican state.
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who → fade → state
The race is being watched as a test of whether Democrats can turn economic dissatisfaction into votes.
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Democrats → watch → votes
Democrats have won just one of the state’s last nine gubernatorial elections.
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Democrats → win → elections
IOWA
Iowa is holding its first open governor's race since 2006, after Republican Governor Kim Reynolds said she would not seek reelection.
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she → hold → reelection
State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Iowa Democrat currently holding statewide elected office, faces Republican businessman Zach Lahn.
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Sand → hold → Lahn
The state's incidence of cancer, at the second-highest rate in the country behind Kentucky, has emerged as a major campaign topic alongside kitchen-table issues such as the cost of living.
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incidence → emerge → living
Interest has been fueled by worries that exposure to nitrates, pesticides and other environmental contaminants may be contributing to the high cancer rate.
uncertain
exposure → fuel → rate
The race has also focused on education and government accountability.
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race → focus → education
Sand has campaigned as an independent watchdog critical of Republican fiscal management and the state's private-school voucher program.
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Sand → campaign → management
Lahn has embraced lower taxes, school choice and a more conservative approach to social issues.
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Lahn → embrace → issues
In a contest centered on affordability, Republican Governor Joe Lombardo is in a neck-and-neck race with Democratic challenger Aaron Ford, the state’s attorney general.
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Lombardo → center → Ford
Nevada residents have voiced concerns over tariffs, a tourism slowdown and high gas prices, giving Ford an opening to defeat Lombardo despite the incumbent's 2-1 fundraising advantage.
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residents → voice → advantage
Data centers have also emerged as a central campaign issue.
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centers → emerge → issue
Ford has proposed a halt to new data-center tax abatements and wants to require that developers shield residents from higher energy costs.
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developers → propose → costs
He has also called for strong regulations to protect jobs from AI.
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He → call → AI
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
