United States gubernatorial elections, 2006

The U.S. 2006 gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006 in 36 states, with 22 of the seats held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats.

The elections coincided with the mid-term elections of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.

Democrats won open Republican-held governorships in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio and defeated one Republican incumbent — Robert Ehrlich of Maryland — while retaining all of their then-held seats.

Voters in the United States territories of Guam (then-Republican held) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (then-Democratic, but term limited) also chose their governors and voters elected a new mayor for the District of Columbia, the District's chief executive.

Major parties

The results of the 2006 elections gave Republicans 22 governors to the 28 Democratic governors, a reversal of the numbers held by the respective parties prior to the elections. There were 22 races in states that were previously held by Republicans, and 14 in states previously held by Democrats. Republicans held the majority of governorships from 1995 until 2007.

Election summaries

In 2006, ten governorships were open due to retirement, term limits, or primary loss.

Retired Democratic governors

Tom Vilsack (Iowa)

Congressman Jim Nussle was the Republican nominee, while Democrats nominated Secretary of State Chet Culver, a progressive whose father was a U.S. Senator. Polls showed a close race. An October 11 poll by Rasmussen Reports showed the candidates tied at 42% each [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/IowaGovernor.htm] . An October 19th Rasmussen Reports poll had Culver leading Nussle 47% to 44% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/IowaGovernor1019.htm] . A November 3rd Selzer & Co Inc. poll had Culver leading Nussle 52% to 43% [http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061105/NEWS09/611050346&lead=1] .

Democratic nominee, Iowa's Secretary of State Chet Culver, was elected.

Retired Republican governors

Frank Murkowski (Alaska)

Murkowski was one of the least popular governors. When he announced that he would run again his fellow Republicans were mortified. An August 8 poll by Rasmussen Reports showed that going into the primary election his approval rating was at 27%, while his disapproval rating stood at 72%. On the Republican side, former Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and former state Railroad Commissioner John Binkley were running against Murkowski in the Republican primary. Former governor Tony Knowles was the Democratic front runner heading into the primary and caught a break when state Representative Ethan Berkowitz dropped out of the race to be his running mate for Lieutenant Governor. In the primary held on August 22, Sarah Palin won the Republican nomination for governor with 51.1% of the vote, Binkley received 29.6% and Murkowski received just 18.9% of the vote. [http://elect.alaska.net/data/results.htm STATE OF ALASKA - 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION] ] The Democratic primary was won by Tony Knowles with 68.6% of the vote, with his nearest competitor being Eric Croft with 23.1%. Because of Palin's larger-than-expected victory and Knowles losing a U.S. Senate race he was expected to win in 2004, Republicans were more confident about holding the Governorship, although the race was still competitive.

An October 15th CRG Research poll had the candidates tied at 43%. [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2006/governor/ak/alaska_governor_race-68.html] An October 28th Rasmussen Reports poll showed Palin leading Knowles by a single percentage point. [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2006/governor/ak/alaska_governor_race-68.html] Republican nominee Sarah Palin was elected.

Mike Huckabee (Arkansas)

With Huckabee term-limited and soon running for president in 2008, the race for Governor had no incumbent. Republican former Congressman and former Undersecretary of Homeland Security Asa Hutchinson and Democratic state Attorney General Mike Beebe were in a race to succeed him. Beebe led in most statewide polls, despite a poll by Zogby/WSJ showing Hutchinson leading by only 48.2 to 45.3. [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/arkansasGovernor.htm] . In the end, Democratic nominee Mike Beebe was elected.

Bill Owens (Colorado)

Owens's retirement revealed divisions among the state's Republicans. Congressman Bob Beauprez and former University of Denver President Marc Holtzman battered each other in a very nasty primary. Beauprez became the nominee when Holtzman didn't submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, but the negative attacks they exchanged didn't helped Beauprez. Democrats ran former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter, a pro-life Catholic who couldn't easily be portrayed as a liberal. Ritter was helped when a group of Larimer County Republicans endorsed him, including a former Congressman. During the period of January through August, Ritter raised almost twice as much as Beauprez. [http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_4986347,00.html]

According to an October 16th Zogby poll, Ritter led Beauprez 47% to 45% [http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1184] . According to an October 22nd SurveyUSA poll, Ritter led Beauprez by a larger margin, 56% to 38% [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=630c4b2b-b148-433e-b026-d6aaab91af71] . According to an October 22nd Rasmussen Reports poll, Ritter led Beauprez 51% to 39% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/ColoradoGovernor.htm] . Democratic nominee Bill Ritter was elected.

Jeb Bush (Florida)

The contest to succeed term-limited Governor Jeb Bush on the Republican side was won by state Attorney General Charlie Crist with 64%. The runner-up was state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher having 34%. Among Democrats, Congressman Jim Davis of Tampa won 47% of his primary against state Senator Rod Smith of Alachua, who had a close 41% in a near all night count with the last two reports coming from Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

There was one third party candidate on the November 7 ballot, Max Linn of the Reform Party. There were three write-in candidates, Omari Musa, Piotr Blass, C.C. Reed, who had also qualified for the ballot. Several Non-Partisan Association candidates were also listed: Karl Behm, Richard Paul Dembinsky and John Wayne Smith.

Crist came out of the September 12 primary with momentum, but as the election drew closer, polls began to show a more competitive race. An October 23 Quinnipac poll October 23rd showed Crist's lead down to 2%. [http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x11385.xml?ReleaseID=975] An October 26th Rasmussen Reports poll had Crist leading Davis 52% to 41% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/FloridaGovernor1026.htm] . Republican nominee Charlie Crist was elected.

Jim Risch (Idaho)

Jim Risch had a short tenure as governor. Risch, who had been the state's Lieutenant Governor, succeeded to the office when his predecessor, Dirk Kempthorne, resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior. Before Kempthorne's appointment, Risch, a former Ada County District Attorney and state Senator, had already committed to a reelection campaign for Lieutenant Governor, which meant the seat remained open.

That being said, Republican Congressman Butch Otter, a former Lieutenant Governor himself, was the strong favorite to succeed Risch. On May 23 he easily defeated health care administrator Dan Adamson and two other candidates in the Republican primary, winning 70%. In the general election he faced Democratic newspaper publisher Jerry Brady, who was also the Democratic nominee in 2002. Although Brady won in Ada County in 2002, he was decisively defeated by Kempthorne statewide. Most expected a similar race against Otter; however, it surprisingly became competitive. An October 28 Mason-Dixon poll showed Otter leading Brady by just one percentage point. [http://www.idahostatesman.com/273/story/57847.html] Republican nominee Butch Otter was elected 53-44, a narrower margin than most statewide contests in Idaho.

Mitt Romney (Massachusetts)

With the approval ratings of Republican Governor Mitt Romney down and President George W. Bush's sagging poll numbers, the Massachusetts executive was expected to be a prime pick-up opportunity for Democrats. On September 19, 2006, Deval Patrick won the gubernatorial Democratic primary with 50% of the vote [http://www.boston.com/news/special/politics/2006_elections/primary_results/] against Thomas Reilly and Chris Gabrieli. His main opponent was Republican nominee, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey. Third party candidates included Grace Ross of the Green-Rainbow Party, and independent Christy Mihos, a former Republican and Board member on the state Turnpike Authority.

On November 7th 2006, Deval Patrick became the first African American governor ever elected in the history of the state, and just second in the nation's history (behind Douglas Wilder, a Democrat from Virginia, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994.

Despite the longstanding Bay State's reputation as a bastion of liberalism and the Democratic Party, Patrick was the first Democratic governor of Massachusetts since Michael Dukakis left office in 1991.

Kenny Guinn (Nevada)

The retirement of moderate Republican Kenny Guinn created competitive primaries in both parties. The Democratic nominee was State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus and the Republicans nominee was Congressman Jim Gibbons. Gibbons had a strong base in northern Nevada due to his Congressional experience and Titus had a strong base in the Las Vegas metropolitan area due to her legislative and educational career. An October 17th Rasmussen Reports poll put Gibbons ahead of Titus with a 51% to 43% lead [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/NevadaGovernor.htm] . According to an October 23rd independent poll, Gibbons leads Titus 47% to 41% [http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061027/NEWS19/610270382/1002] . Republican nominee Jim Gibbons was elected.

George Pataki (New York)

Throughout 2006 this race seemed the most likely to change hands and Democrats were very confident of victory. State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer garnered overwhelming support in the general election, as high as 70% in a few polls. He defeated Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi in the September 12 primary. The Republican nominee was former Assemblyman John Faso. Political observers debated how much Republican candidates in downballot races would be affected. Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer was elected by a landslide, winning 58 out of the state's 62 counties, and taking 69.5% of the vote.

Bob Taft (Ohio)

Governor Bob Taft was viewed as one of the most unpopular Governors in the history of Ohio. Polls showed his approval rating in the vicinity of 10% to 25%, and his unpopularity cut across every statistical category. In the race to succeed Taft, polls show Congressman Ted Strickland leading Secretary of State Ken Blackwell with Libertarian Bill Peirce and Green Bob Fitrakis falling under the media's radar. Blackwell was not a close ally of disgraced Governor Taft, even distancing himself from him during the primary, but Taft's unpopularity still damaged him and other Republican candidates. Also helping Strickland was the fact that Blackwell had to survive a nasty primary against state Attorney General Jim Petro. Voters were in a more anti-Republican mood than in previous election cycles canceling out any support Blackwell may have had with his fellow African-Americans. An October 6 poll by Rasmussen Reports showed that Strickland led by 52% to 40%, a decline from September [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/OhioGovernor.htm] . By contrast, a October 12 SurveyUSA poll had Strickland leading Blackwell 60% to 32% [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=b6981613-3f0e-466d-811c-cfa9a6c1111b] . Democratic nominee Ted Strickland was elected. He is the first Democratic Governor of Ohio since Dick Celeste (1983-1991).

Notable Democratic incumbents

Rod Blagojevich (Illinois)

Incumbent Rod Blagojevich proven to be an incredible fundraiser, and governed a relatively strong blue state. But recent opinion polling showed that his approval rating at a rather dismal 44% [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollTrack.aspx?g=4b7a9e06-3d07-4716-96a4-40a1bc93b5c2] . Blagojevich initially had the advantage in the general election, leading his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka by eight percentage points in polls, although not reaching the fifty percent "safe zone" for incumbents. In March, Topinka won the GOP primary by 38% to 32% over dairy magnate Jim Oberweis. Meanwhile, a former Chicago Alderman named Edwin Eisendrath won a surprising 30% in the Democratic primary. During the election United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was looking into the hiring practices of Governor Blagojevich [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/01/ap/politics/mainD8IISTH00.shtml] .

An October 15th Rasmussen Reports poll showed Blagojevich dropping 4 points, to end with 44% and Topinka staying at 36% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/IllinoisGovernor.htm] . An October 22nd SurveyUSA poll had Blagojevich leading Topinka 44% to 34% with 8% undecided [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=40acf414-2c7d-4e40-bf16-d249fb9a090d] . However, an October 31st Mason-Dixon poll showed Blagojevich leading Topinka only 44% to 40% with 9% undecided [http://www.sj-r.com/extras/breaking/index.asp#1814] . Democratic incumbent Rod Blagojevich was re-elected. Green Party Candidate Rich Whitney showed one of the best showings of a third party candidate in all the 2006 election and it place the Green Party on the ballot as one of the major parties he got 10% 361,336 votes.

John Baldacci (Maine)

In February 2006, Baldacci was given a mere 41% approval rating by the voters of Maine in one poll [http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateGovernor060214Net.htm] . But when the GOP unexpectedly choosing conservative state Senator Chandler Woodcock over the more moderate state Senator Peter Mills and former Congressman Dave Emery, Baldacci was handed a huge boost.

Polls consistently showed Baldacci with a small lead. An October 17th Rasmussen Reports poll had Baldacci with 44% and Woodcock at 34% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/MaineGovernor.htm] . Meanwhile, a [http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=44615 Voice of the Voter poll] announced by WCSH on November 6, one day before the election, gave John Baldacci his smallest lead yet with only 36%, with Senator Chandler Woodcock 30% and the now leading independent Barbara Merrill 22%, more than doubling her share. Green Independent candidate Pat LaMarche polled at 11%.

Baldacci was reelected with 38% of the vote compared to Woodcock's 30%, with 21.55% going to independent Barbara Merrill.

Jennifer Granholm (Michigan)

Michigan, like many other Midwestern states, had been unable to take advantage of reported national economic and job growth. A string of plant and factory closings by big name companies such as General Motors in Granholm's state led to growing disapproval of her among voters. Opposing her was wealthy Republican businessman Dick DeVos. Throughout the race polls showed the election to be close, but in the last days Granholm pulled ahead. According to a November 1st EPIC-MRA poll, Granholm leads DeVos 52% to 43% with 5% undecided [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061103/POLITICS01/611030343] . A November 4th SurveyUSA poll has Granholm leading DeVos 51% to 45% [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=3ae2e73e-ae22-401f-bf26-fc7955bc9d4f] . Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm was re-elected.

Ted Kulongoski (Oregon)

Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski was elected in 2002 barely defeating former State Representative Kevin Mannix. Kulongoski leads his challenger, former Portland Public School Board member Ron Saxton 51% to 44% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/OregonGovernor.htm] . Oregon hasn't elected a Republican as Governor since 1982, when Kulongoski lost to then-Governor Victor Atiyeh. Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski was re-elected.

Jim Doyle (Wisconsin)

In 2002, Doyle was elected with only 45 percent of the vote because of an unusually strong challenge from the Libertarian party. Although his early 2006 approval rating was a mildly unfavorable 45 percent, he led both Republican challengers, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Congressman Mark Green by six to nine points in polls; he has not been able to poll greater than fifty percent. Green got a big break when Walker dropped out of the race. And more recent polls show that Green has pulled even. Wisconsin is a swing state in the strongest sense, with George W. Bush losing the state by some 5,700 votes in 2000 and around 12,400 votes in 2004, although they haven't voted for a Republican for president since 1984, and they haven't had a Republican senator since 1993. An October 18th Rasmussen Reports poll has Doyle leading Green 48% to 44% [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/wisconsinGovernor.htm] and an October 31st Research 2000 poll has Doyle leading Green 50% to 44% [http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5627826] . Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle was re-elected.

Notable Republican incumbents

Arnold Schwarzenegger (California)

Arnold Schwarzenegger won the 2003 recall election and replaced Gray Davis. Despite his failed special election and budget cuts, Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed to be ahead in the polls against Phil Angelides. Schwarzenegger's aggressive push for environment-friendly legislation, his support for stem cell research, gay rights and opposition to sending the National Guard to the border has made him very popular among the voters. Republican incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected.

Robert Ehrlich (Maryland)

Bob Ehrlich's approval rating is 48%, which suggests a close election. Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore City, who was expected to run for governor this year almost as soon as the 2002 election was over, was initially expected to be a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination, but he was challenged by Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, who then unexpectedly dropped out of the race, citing a recent diagnosis of clinical depression, saving Democrats from a costly and potentially divisive primary.

A November 2nd SurveyUSA poll has O'Malley leading Ehrlich 48% to 47% with 2% undecided [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=270b37a5-9804-4f4d-87c6-e61e82103063] . A November 3rd Mason-Dixon poll has O'Malley and Ehrlich tied at 45% with 9% undecided [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15547440/] . Democratic nominee Martin O'Malley was elected.

When Ehrlich unexceptedly beat his Democratic challenger, Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy four years ago, and became first Republican Governor of Maryland since Spiro T. Agnew, he was regarded by many as potential presidential candidate for 2008. However, after his defeat to O'Malley, all speculation will probably have died down.

Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota)

Pawlenty's approval rating was measured at 56% [http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateGovernor060921State.htm] on September 21, 2006. In 2002, Pawlenty won the governor's mansion with only 44% of the vote, facing a strong challenge from DFL Party candidate Roger Moe and Independence Party candidate Tim Penny, a former DFLer himself. Pawlenty has been criticized by some Minnesotans for budget cuts to programs such as MinnesotaCare to balance the budget (and controversial moves such as deferring required payments to the state's education and health care funds to later budget biennia to make the budget appear balanced when it was actually not). Pawlenty faces another strong DFL challenge this year in state Attorney General Mike Hatch, who fended off a liberal primary challenge from State Senator Becky Lourey. Pawlenty and Hatch were virtually neck and neck, with between 40-45% support for both candidates as recently as September, until the Mark Foley scandal hit the papers late that month, and 5-6% for Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson.

An October 23rd SurveyUSA poll has Hatch leading Pawlenty 45% to 44% and Hutchinson with 7% . A November 1st Saint Cloud Times poll has Hatch at 46% and Pawlenty at 36%. [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=09a1ddb1-ea7b-471f-9c9a-0d45cc74022d] . Republican incumbent Tim Pawlenty was re-elected

Donald Carcieri (Rhode Island)

Recent polls have shown Carcieri running even with his Democratic challenger, Lieutenant Governor Charles J. Fogarty [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/April%202006/Rhode%20Island%20April.htm] , and Carcieri is a Republican governor in one of the most liberal states in the country. Carcieri's approval rating is currently 52%. Judging from recent polling, many voters may be willing to punish Carcieri for their displeasure with President George W. Bush. A November 2nd Mason-Dixon poll has Carcieri leading Fogarty 50% to 42% with 8% undecided [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15547031/] . Republican incumbent Donald Carcieri was re-elected.

Rick Perry (Texas)

Before January, this race would not have been considered competitive; Texas is a solidly Republican state. But challenges from two popular independents, coupled with Perry's mediocre approval ratings, have made the race interesting. Populist state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has decided to defect from the GOP and run against Perry, her bitter political foe, as an independent. Six weeks after the announcement of her candidacy, she moved to within single digits of Perry in polls. In addition to Perry and Strayhorn, former Congressman Chris Bell will run as the Democratic candidate, as will country singer and Texas icon Kinky Friedman as another independent. This sets up a peculiar four-way race (technically, a six-way race including the Libertarian candidate and a write-in candidate) in which only a plurality is needed to win. Three and especially four-way races tend to be very unpredictable, but pundits generally agree that no matter what the circumstances, Democrats probably do not benefit from a vote split. Perry remains the favorite, but his uninspiring approval ratings and the complicated political currents makes the race unpredictable.

Polling has consistently put Perry at the front of the four-way race, but with only 30-40% of the vote. Bell, Strayhorn and Friedman have polled about evenly as well, exchanging positions in polls and consistently around 20%. Republican incumbent Rick Perry was re-elected.

Felix Camacho (Guam)

In the U.S. territory of Guam, in the western Pacific Ocean, Republican Governor Felix P. Camacho was challenged by Democrat Robert Underwood. A former Guam Delegate-at-Large in the U.S. House of Representatives, Underwood had previously represented Guam from 1993 to 2003. The race was a rematch of the 2002 gubernatorial election in which Camacho handily defeated Underwood and won his first term in office by 10 points (see Politics of Guam). However, the race was significantly more close and competitive in 2006, with Camacho narrowly winning reelection by a 2-point margin over Underwood.

List of elections

This is a complete list of states with a gubernatorial election in 2006. Key: "(D/DFL) Democratic/Democratic-Farmer-Labor, (R) Republican, (AIP) American Independent, (Con) Conservative (NY), (C) Constitution, (G) Green, (GRP) Green-Rainbow, (IPM) Independence Party of Minnesota, (L) Libertarian, (PF) Peace and Freedom, (Ne) Nebraska Party, (Pop) Populist Party of Maryland, (Ref) Reform, (S) Socialist, (V) Veterans, (I) Independent, (CC) Concerned Citizens Party, (AI) Alaskan Independence Party, (LU) Liberty Union Party, (SW) Socialist Workers Party"

(The winning candidates are listed below in bold.)

References

CNN

See also

*United States general elections, 2006
*United States Senate elections, 2006
*United States House elections, 2006

External links

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600885.html Major Problems At Polls Feared] , Dan Balz and Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post, Sep 17, 2006