Democrats took back the governor’s offices in Illinois and Michigan on Tuesday, major steps in their nationwide strategy to reverse years of Republican gains in state capitols.
In Michigan, a perennial presidential battleground state, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer defeated Republican Bill Schuette, upending years of Republican control in the state. The former legislative leader will become the second female governor in a state where Democrats heavily targeted other statewide and legislative offices.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in Illinois lost his bid for a second term to Democrat J.B. Pritzker. The billionaire appears to have capitalized not only on Rauner’s lack of popularity but broader dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump.
Democrats Andrew Cuomo in New York and Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania easily won re-election.
Elsewhere, there was better news for Republicans.
They celebrated the re-election of Gov. Larry Hogan in Maryland and Charlie Baker in Massachusetts, two moderates who remain popular in deeply Democratic states.
Republicans are in control more often than not in state capitols across the country, but Democrats were trying to pull a little closer in elections Tuesday for governor and state legislature.
There were no quick victories in the closely contested open governor’s races in Florida and Georgia, two Deep South states where black candidates would break barriers if they win but faced Republicans who were drawing energy from their close alignment with Trump.
Democrats were hoping enthusiasm among their voters also could flip governor’s seats in Iowa and Kansas, as well as in the traditional battleground states of Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin.
In all, voters were choosing 36 governors and 6,089 state legislators in general and special elections that have attracted record amounts of spending from national Democratic and Republican groups.
