Governor

Tuesday

Laura Powell

Swalwell’s fall was electoral math not morality

Eric Swalwell’s fall from viable gubernatorial contender to political casualty was swift and surgical. He was among the frontrunners to replace Governor Gavin Newsom until allegations of sexual misconduct from years ago were published in the San Francisco Chronicle. The response from major Democratic operatives was immediate, with labor unions and party figures quickly withdrawing endorsements. Swalwell formally announced the suspension of his campaign two days later, followed by his resignation from Congress the following day. Some of the allegations are serious. In addition to claims of inappropriate and predatory sexual relationships with staffers, Swalwell has been accused of sexual assault. In a video statement, he denied any criminal wrongdoing.

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republicans Steve Hilton
James Johnson

Will Republicans blow the California governor’s race?

Eric Swalwell has dropped out of the race for California governor after a series of sexual misconduct allegations. Republicans may be celebrating the demise of the prominent Democrat, but they should hold off on the champagne for now. Swalwell’s exit only increases the chance of two Democrats moving through to the run-off, depriving the GOP of a place on the ticket.However some Republicans still believe that the two GOP candidates in the race – Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco – can make it through California's jungle primary and face each other in November. While it sounds exciting and makes a good social media meme, such wishful thinking could cause Republicans to blow a historic opportunity to defeat a deeply unpopular and chaotic Democratic party in California.

Sunday

Gage Klipper

Will a Republican be the next New Jersey governor?

The national spotlight is on New Jersey as the long-blue state’s gubernatorial race narrows, but it wouldn’t be Juh-zey without a little last minute drama. Lying, suing and a last minute showing from Donald Trump – this race has just about everything.  And the Republican may actually win.  Democrat Mikie Sherrill has been the conventional favorite throughout the race. She’s a relatively fresh face, despite being a four-term U.S. Congresswoman, and she checks all the boxes: Navy veteran, Georgetown Law, and a respectable patina of moderation to go with the Girl Boss pantsuit. Still, the VoteView database shows her holding the party lines 95 percent of the time in Congress.

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Wednesday

The Spectator

Racial politics infect Kentucky governor’s race

On Tuesday, Kentuckians will vote in the state’s highly publicized — and very expensive — governor’s race. Democrat incumbent Andy Beshear is facing off against current Republican attorney general Daniel Cameron. Polls throughout the race have shown Beshear leading by double digits, but GOP consultants I’ve spoken to are cautiously optimistic about Cameron’s chances, noting that his numbers have been rising over the past couple of weeks and that many Kentucky voters remain undecided, which is usually bad news for the incumbent. Trump also reupped his endorsement of Cameron this week in an attempt to disrupt Beshear’s relatively high approval rating among Trump supporters.  Cameron’s recent rise has inspired some late-stage nastiness.

Wednesday

John Pietro

Massachusetts Republicans pay the price for Trumpism

Massachusetts voters are known to be pragmatic. Despite being one of the most liberal states in the country, Massachusetts has had only one Democratic governor between 1991 and 2022. Yet the state’s Republican Party is anything but pragmatic. Hence the inevitable defeat of Republican Geoff Diehl in the gubernatorial race against Democrat Maura Healey. For those not from Massachusetts, there are a few things about the state’s political dynamics that need to be understood. First, it is overwhelmingly Democratic — the GOP holds three out of 40 seats in the state senate and 29 of the 160 seats in the state house. Before the midterms, Democrats controlled every statewide office except for the governorship, and now they control that too.

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Kristin Davison

An inside account of how Glenn Youngkin won

In January, just a few days after Glenn Youngkin had launched his first ever campaign, and as parents were struggling with the possibility that their children might not be able to return to school full-time, one father stood up and told the Loudoun County School Board to do their jobs and “figure it out.” Within 24 hours, Brandon Michon’s earnest cry was heard around the country, and Youngkin was asking for Brandon’s phone number. He called Brandon and let him know that if he was elected Virginia governor, there would be someone fighting for him, and for parents across Virginia. In a moment when some would have let a simple tweet suffice, Youngkin took action. I witnessed much of this first-hand.