From governors’ races, a mixed message emerges as Trump-backed candidates falter
Democrats were successful in governors’ races, winning in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — battlegrounds critical to Biden’s 2020 win over Donald Trump
Washington: Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia, had a problem. Donald Trump did not like him because in 2020 Kemp had refused to follow the former president’s diktats in challenging Joe Biden’s victory in the president elections. In the Republican primaries, Trump actively backed Kemp’s challenge. But, not only did Kemp become the Republican candidate despite Trump’s opposition, on Tuesday, he also won a comfortable victory over Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in the race for state governor.
In Michigan, on the other hand, Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor who campaigned hard on the agenda of safeguarding abortion rights, won 54% of the votes in the race against Tudor Dixon, a Trump-backed anti-abortion Republican figure, who denied the legitimacy of the 2020 elections.
As a part of the US midterms on Tuesday, elections were held for 36 governor positions, of which 20 were held by Republicans and 16 by Democrats. The final results were still trickling out late on Wednesday (India time).
Given the contrasting political landscape in US states, it is hard to discern a national message from the various gubernatorial races. From the results, it was evident incumbent governors as well as candidates who were able to secure their base in regions where their party is dominant, and expand among moderates, returned to office. To some extent, it also signalled a rejection of the denialism around the 2020 elections.
For instance, in Pennsylvania, Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro comfortably beat Doug Mastriano, a Trump-backed candidate, who denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and even participated in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
In Arizona, Democratic governor Kate Hobbs, who took a strong position against Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 results from her state, was leading against Kari Lake, a television anchor turned Trump supporter, who has taken an extremist position on policy issues. The race however was close and had yet to be called.
Maryland elected its first African-American governor, Democratic Wes Moore after a moderate Republican Larry Hogan was pushed out in the Republican primaries by a far-right candidate. In Wisconsin, Democratic governor Tony Evers beat Tim Michels, another Trump-backed Republican challenger.
In New York, Democratic governor Kathy Hochul became the first elected woman governor of the state staving off a tough Republican challenge, while in Massachusetts, Maura Hailey became the state’s first woman and first openly lesbian governor on the Democratic ticket.
At the same time, Republicans held on to their own and expanded in their bastions.
The biggest star for the evening for the party was Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who beat his Democratic challenger by 20 percentage points and won close to 60% of the vote in the state. But DeSantis, a possible Republican presidential nominee, fought on his own steam, and had a hostile relationship with Trump.
In Texas, Greg Abott comfortably beat his Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke and in Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former White House press secretary, became the first woman governor of the state.