The top 15 Governor's offices likely to change party [View All]

[DeepModem Mom]

Washington Post political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
The Friday Governors Line: And Then There were 15

With 36 governor's races on the ballot this November, we've struggled with limiting ourselves to naming just the top 10....

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4. Massachusetts: This open seat race has yo-yoed around the Line for much of the last year as we try and get a handle on who the Democratic nominee might be and just how strong Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R) is as a candidate. Democrats have reason to smile this month as self-funder Chris Gabrieli moved into the lead over former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Deval Patrick and State Attorney General Tom Reilly in a poll conducted by Suffolk University. Republicans acknowledge that Gabrieli is the strongest potential Democratic nominee and would be difficult to beat in the general election. (Previous ranking: 6)

3. Arkansas: What once looked like a premier matchup between two rising stars has turned into a one-sided affair. In an independent survey released earlier this week, state Attorney General Mike Beebe (D) has a 52 percent to 31 percent lead over former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R). Beebe is using his fundraising advantage over Hutchinson to hit the television airwaves uncontested with ads that tout his humble upbringing and his support for the Second Amendment. (Previous ranking: 3)

2. Ohio: Everything we hear out of Ohio says that the political environment is as bad as it gets for Republicans. And, if there is one race where voters will punish Republicans for the ethical transgressions of outgoing Gov. Bob Taft (R), it's this one. National Republicans continue to stop in the state to raise money for Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell (R), but in June and July Rep. Ted Strickland outraised Blackwell $2.5 million to $2 million. The last independent poll done in the race showed Strickland up 20 points. (Previous ranking: 2)

1.New York: With state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) all-but-assured of becoming governor this fall, do yourself a favor and read Brooke A. Masters' "Spoiling for a Fight: The Rise of Eliot Spitzer." Once in office, Spitzer will almost immediately begin to be mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick or presidential candidate in his own right down the line. (Previous ranking: 1)

(NOTE: The remainder of the 15: 5, Iowa; 6, Colorado; 7, Maryland; 8, Alaska; 9, Wisconsin; 10, Michigan; 11, Rhode Island; 12, Maine; 13, Florida: 14, California; 15, Illinois.)

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