Much of the energy this election season has gone to the congressional midterms, but 36 states will also elect governors, and those races matter a great deal. States serve as policy laboratories that often inspire federal laws. Governors also approve congressional maps, influence election procedures and fill Senate vacancies, making them key players in the coming presidential contest.
Georgia is a presidential battleground that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1998. The race to replace the term-limited incumbent is a nail-biter. Republican nominee Rick Jackson, a billionaire health care executive, won the primary without Trump's endorsement after spending more than $80 million in self-funded ads. He now holds a financial advantage and a slight polling lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor. Both candidates promise to lower living costs by cutting taxes. The outcome could also shape 2028, as Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock may run for president.
Ohio's contest between Republican billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton has become one of the cycle's ugliest, with each candidate portraying the other as a con artist or a drunk. Ramaswamy has bankrolled much of his campaign, but he has lost ground among likely voters, and Acton recently took a small lead in a Times/Siena poll. Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor in two decades, and Trump won the state by its widest presidential margin since Ronald Reagan in 2024.
In Texas, Democrats have not won a statewide election since 1994, but they feel bullish this year. Gov. Greg Abbott now narrowly trails Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa, an Austin-based lawyer, according to a Times poll. Hinojosa has struggled to raise big money, but Democrats are now investing in her race, and Abbott's once-vast financial advantage appears to have faded.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing