- This cycle, the United States is in control of most states
- After the demise of Roe v. Wade These are very high stakes.
In 2022 there will be 36 gubernatorial contests. There are 20 governor’s posts held by Republicans and 16 that are held jointly by Democrats. Despite the fact that there are more Republican seats available to defend, governorships held in Democratic hands are most vulnerable to being overturned come November 8.
The 2018 blue-wave election saw Democrats make significant gains, winning seven governorships. Now, four years later — the length of most gubernatorial terms — those same governors are on the defensive. Governors across the nation were put to the ultimate test by the COVID-19 epidemic, which caused lockdowns in some communities.
The Supreme Court in June ended federal abortion protections previously granted by Roe v. Wade. In turn, state legislatures across the country responded by drafting bills severely limiting access to abortion — many governors signed the bills into law, while others such as Kentucky Gov. Andy BeshearMaryland Governor. Larry Hogan, exercised his veto rights.
Gubernatorial seats can also often be leveraged for future presidential runs — recently-elected governors such as Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis (Virginia’s Governor) Glenn Youngkin, Ron DeSantis and Virginia’s Governor have both made the GOP household names by leveraging their executive positions.
Similar to Michigan Governor. Gretchen Whitmer has been able to gain enough Democratic support since her 2018 elections to be a possible vice presidential running mate for President Joe Biden in 2020.
