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 Hot-button issues from gun control to abortion restrictions and
healthcare figure in some races.
For many voters, however, the economy has remained the central
issue. An uneven recovery could prove the undoing of several
incumbents, including the governors of Kansas and Pennsylvania, who
are being held accountable for their states' fiscal woes.
"We've had a very difficult economy for years, and anyone in office
is going to be held partly accountable, especially governors," said
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for
Politics. "They're not called 'little presidents' for nothing."
Fiscal issues in Kansas, for example, have pushed Republican
Governor Sam Brownback into a tough struggle against Democrat Paul
Davis.
Brownback slashed taxes in an effort to boost the economy, prompting
a downgrading of the state's credit rating, and his policies
coincided with a sharp decline in state revenue and mounting fears
about funding shortfalls for schools.
Davis, a state representative, has promised to end Brownback's
"experiment," while tailoring a campaign to lure Republicans in a
state normally reliable for that party, while not losing Democrats.
Fourteen governors' races are seen as toss-ups, according to the
Cook Political Report, a non-partisan newsletter that analyzes
campaigns and elections. At least 10 incumbent governors are
battling to save their jobs, experts project.
"There's a strong anti-incumbent mode," said John Green, professor
of political science at the University of Akron and director of the
Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
"Governors are generally easy targets for anti-incumbent feelings,
so you see some Republican governors in trouble like the governor in
Pennsylvania," he said.
GOVERNORS IN A 'REAL HOT SPOT'
Pennsylvania Republican Governor Tom Corbett has trailed badly in
polls against Democrat Tom Wolf, a businessman who has poured his
personal fortune into the race.
If Corbett, who has been criticized for cuts in education funding
and escalating pension liabilities during his tenure, fails to win
his second term, he would become the first incumbent governor to do
so in the state's history.
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"Although the economy is definitely better than it was a year ago,
it's not up to anybody's expectations, and governors are in a real
hot spot," Green said. "They're the ones who have to cut programs or
raise taxes."
Among governors looking to keep their jobs are potential 2016
presidential hopeful Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Republican who
became a champion of conservatives when the state cut back the
powers of public-sector unions.
Recent polls have him running neck and neck with Democrat Mary
Burke, a former business executive.
Party control of governorships is considered important in the 2016
White House contest, when candidates use governors to help build
state-by-state support toward a possible nomination. Going into
Tuesday, Republicans hold 29 governorships compared with the
Democrats' 21.
In Florida, Republican Governor Rick Scott has received campaign
help from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Louisiana Governor
Bobby Jindal and Texas Governor Rick Perry, who are all seen as
possible presidential candidates, in his fight against former
Governor Charlie Crist.
Nathan Gonzalez, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report,
said having so many competitive governors' races was
"extraordinary."
"Many of them are extremely close in the final hours," he said.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
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