The Governor's Map, however, is formidable in a different way. The 2010 Red Wave swept in Republican governor's into otherwise Democratic states. Maine and New Mexico, for example, had Republicans with a strong penchant for conservative reforms across the board. Today, there are Republican governors in at least 34 states.
What will happen going into 2018, however?
Illinois is a lost cause. Even though GOP incumbent Bruce Rauner unseated a terrible incumbent, Pat Quinn, who had replaced the corrupted and disgraced Rod Balgojevich, Rauner squandered what political capital he had earned and built upon. He signed off on terrible legislation, from taxpayer funded abortions to tax increases. His only saving grace has been to stand up to the public sector unions and issue executive orders to free non-union public employees from paying fees.
Rauner also signed off on transgender bathrooms and sanctuary state laws. He faced a conservative primary challenge who had much less money than Rauner the hedge-fund manager. The incumbent squeaked out of the primary by 52% against a relatively unknown state legislator.
This is bad, really bad for Illinois. The state is hemhorraging taxpayers like crazy. The infrastructure is collapsing, and the unsustainable pension debt is so bad, that there is now way for the legislature or any kind of creative or hard budgeting that will get the state on firm footing. Illinois is going bankrupt, and both parties contributed to this epic, unprecedented failure.
Rauner will lose to a union-bought Democrat, and then the state will collapse under its corrupt, wasteful largesse.
New Mexico and Maine are looking like they may tilt Democratic, too, although Congressman Steve Pearce has a degree of popularity which may help him overcome his slowly but steadily compromised Democratic challenger. Maine is another problem due to its newly-implemented rank choice voting program, which the current governor still has refused to certify.
Other historically blue states will have incumbent Republicans more likely than not win re-election: Vermont and New Hampshire. Phil Scott has find the right equilibrium on center-left cultural issues, while signing off on fiscally prudent budgets to help Vermonters save money. The state is steadily losing population as more young people struggle to find work and succeed at building any kind of lasting life for themselves.
Now, one blue state looks like a promise pick-up for Republicans: New York State.
The Republican is a the chief executive for Duchess County, Macus Molinaro. He served in the State Assembly years back. He voted against same-sex marriage and gun control. However, he did not vote for Donald Trump. This year, though, the President might not hold this lack of loyalty against statewide candidates.
The more Republicans that Trump can work with in statehouses, the better. Besides, Trump already endorsed John Cox for governor of California, and Cox admitted that he had voted for Gary Johnson in 2016.
As for Molinaro, does he have a chance? Incumbent Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo won re-election in 2014 by 54% during a very low Democratic turnout year.
This year, Cuomo is facing hefty, partisan, ideological primary challenges. Actress Cynthia Nixon has earned a socialist worker's party endorsement, for example, and she insists that she will stay in the race all the way to general election day.
Another candidate, former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner, is launching a bid as a liberal-leaning Independent. Progressives pushed her to run, and she already has a demonstrable political record as the chief executive for the fifth-largest city in the state.
She will give Cuomo another run for his money.
President Trump does not have high approval ratings in his home state, which is understandable since the state is pretty liberal, and the New York State GOP have worked has hard distancing themselves from Trump as they have looking for strong statewide candidates.
Also, because the previous state attorney general resigned because of sexual misconduct, the current appointed attorney general will face a real challenge this year. One Townhall.com article suggested that a Republican might be able to top this appointed official and ensure at least one Republican in statewide office in New York State.
Anything can happen, that's for sure, and with so many left-leaning gubernatorial candidates, Cuomo may find that his bid for a third term as governor will end his career.
