Governor Races 2013-14 from Democracy in Action

Governor Races 2014

   Overview  |  Governors  |  U.S. Senate  |  U.S. House  |  State                                                                                   this page updated Nov. 15, 2014

Balance before Nov. 4: 29 Republicans, 21 Democrats.
36 seats at stake: 22 held by Republicans, 14 by Democrats.

8 open seats on Nov. 4:
 - 3 retirements: 1 Republican, 2 Democrats. 
Perry (R-TX), Patrick (D-MA), Chafee (D-RI)
 - 4 term-limited: 2 Republicans, 2 Democrats.
  Brewer (R-AZ), Heineman (R-NE), Beebe (D-AR), O'Malley (D-MD)
 - 1 Democrat defeated in primaryNeil Abercrombie (D-HI)
28 Governors seeking re-election on Nov. 4: 19 Republicans, 9 Democrats.
3 incumbent Governors defeated on Nov. 4: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrats.
Republicans: Sean Parnell (AK), Tom Corbett (PA); Democrat: Pat Quinn (IL)
11 new Governors elected: 7 Republicans, 3 Democrats, 1 Independent. 
Republicans: Doug Ducey (AZ), Asa Hutchison (AR), Bruce Rauner (IL), Larry Hogan (MD), Charlie Baker (MA), Pete Ricketts (NE), Greg Abbott (TX); Democrats: David Ige (HI), Tom Wolf (PA), Gina Raimondo (RI); Independent: Bill Walker (AK)
Of the 36 seats at stake: Republicans won 24, Democrats won 11, Independents won 1.
Balance after Nov. 4: 31 Republicans, 18 Democrats and 1 Independent/Other.
*This table does not include USVI, Guam or NMI, nor mayor of DC.  Also note that there were gubernatorial elections in NJ and VA in 2013, not included above, in which Democrats gained Virginia.
See also: Campaign Websites  |  Organization: RGA, DGA  ||  Links:  NGA  |  DGA  |  RGA  Center on the American Governor.


2014
This looked to be a challenging year for Republicans who were defending 22 seats to 14 held by Democrats.  Only Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) was defeated in the primaries.  The 28 governors seeking re-election on Nov. 4, 2014 was the highest number in more than 60 years (>). 

When the votes were counted, Republicans acheived a gain of two governorships (+). 
Three incumbents lost their re-election bids on November 4: Govs. Sean Parnell (R-AK), Tom Corbett (R-PA) and Pat Quinn (D-IL).  The outcome was a rather astounding setback for Democrats.  Not only did Democrats fail to defeat a number of high-profile targets (Rick Scott, Sam Brownback, Paul LePage, and Scott Walker), but they managed to lose in "blue" states such as Illinois, Massachusetts and most surprisingly Maryland, where businessman Larry Hogan surprised Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.  Democrats fielded weak candidates in a number of states.  In Ohio, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald's campaign never gelled.  Worse were Tennessee, where the Democratic nominee was an unknown 72-year old retired engineer with no political experience, and Nevada, where their nominee finished behind "None of the Above" in the June primary.  There was also the curious case of Alaska where the Democratic nominee, Byron Mallott, ended up as the (successful) candidate for lieutenant governor on the Alaska First Unity ticket.

Tennessee and Vermont led with the most gubernatorial candidates on the ballot at seven; five states had just two choices on the ballot.  Besides, Alaska, the strongest showings by independent candidates were in Rhode Island (Robert J. Healey 21.4%), Hawaii (Mufi Hannemann 11.7%) and Maine (Eliot Cutler 8.4%).  Libertarians fielded 22 candidates, and in four states those candidates obtained more votes than the winner's margin of victory: Alaska (Carolyn "Care" Clift 3.1%), Florida (Adrian Wyllie 3.8%), Kansas (Keen Umbehr 4.0%), and Maine (Dan Feliciano 4.4%).

The 72 major party nominees included nine women (6D, of whom one was an incumbent and 3R, all incumbents).  The four incumbents seeking re-election all won, as did Gina Raimondo in Rhode Island.  Susan Wismer (SD), Wendy Davis (TX), Mary Burke (WI) and Martha Coakley (MA) fell short.  There were five women governors before November 4 (4R, 1D) and five after (3R, 2D).

Note:
The Alaska outcome was not immediately known AP declared Walker the winner in Alaska on Nov. 14. 
In Vermont, where no candidate achieved 50-percent, the state Constitution dictates that race goes to the Vermont Legislature which is all but certain to back Gov. Shumlin as he achieved a plurality of the votes
(Shumlin 46.4% to Milne 45.1%).



Primary
DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS
REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS [22]
THIRD PARTY/INDEP.
AL
June 3
Parker Griffith
Robert Bentley    
none
AK
Aug. 19
Byron Mallott won primary but State Central Comm. voted Sept. 1 to support "Alaska First Unity ticket" of Walker/Mallott
Sean Parnell

Bill Walker (I)
J.R. Myers (C)
Carolyn Clift (L)
AZ
Aug. 26
Fred DuVal
Jan Brewer ...term limited/annc'd March 12, 2014
Doug Ducey
Barry Hess (L)
J.L. Mealer (Am.El.)
FL
Aug. 26
Charlie Crist
Rick Scott
Adrian Wyllie (L)
Farid Khavari (N.P.A.)
Glenn Burkett (N.P.A.)
GA
May 20
Jason Carter
Nathan Deal
Andrew Hunt (L)
ID
May 20
A.J. Balukoff
Butch Otter
Steve Pankey (C)
John Bujak (L)
Jill Humble (I), Pro-Life (I)
IA
June 3
Jack Hatch
Terry Branstad
Lee Hieb (L)
Jonathan Narcisse (IA)
Jim Hennager (NIPI)
KS
Aug. 5
Paul Davis
Sam Brownback
Keen Umbehr (L)
ME
June 10
Mike Michaud
Paul LePage
Eliot Cutler (I)
MI
Aug. 5
Mark Schauer
Rick Snyder
Paul Homeniuk (G)
Mary Buzuma (L)
Mark McFarlin (USTP)
NE
May 13
Chuck Hassebrook
Dave Heineman ...term limited
Pete Ricketts
Mark Elworth, Jr. (L)
NV
June 10
Robert E. (Bob) Goodman
Brian Sandoval
David Lory VanDerBeek (IAP)
NM
June 3
Gary King
Susana Martinez
none
OH
May 6
Ed FitzGerald
John Kasich
Anita Rios (G)
OK June 24
Joe Dorman
Mary Fallin
Richard Prawdzienski (I) [L]
Kimberly Willis (I)
PA
May 20
Tom Wolf
Tom Corbett
none
SC June 10
Vincent Sheheen
Nikki Haley
Tom Ervin (IR) [susp. 10/28]
Steve French (L)
Morgan Bruce Reeves (UC)
SD
June 3
Susan Wismer
Dennis Daugaard
Mike Myers (I)
TN
Aug. 7
Charles V. "Charlie" Brown
Bill Haslam



Shaun Crowell (C)
Isa Infante (G)
Daniel Lewis (I) [L]
Steve Damon Coburn (I)
John Jay Hooker (I)
TX
March 4
Wendy Davis
Rick Perry ...annc'd July 8, 2013 retiring 
Greg Abbott
Brandon Parmer (G)
Kathie Glass (L)
WI
Aug. 12
Mary Burke
Scott Walker
Robert Burke (L)
Dennis Fehr (Peoples)
WY
Aug. 19
Pete Gosar
Matt Mead
Don Wills (I)
Dee Cozzens (L)


Primary
DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS [14]
REPUBLICAN CHALLENGERS THIRD PARTY/INDEP.
AR May 20
Mike Beebe ...term limited  
Mike Ross

Asa Hutchinson
Frank Gilbert (L)
Josh Drake (G)
CA
June 3
Jerry Brown
Neel Kashkari
none (top two primary)
CO
June 24
John Hickenlooper
Bob Beauprez
Harry Hempy (G)
Matthew Hess (L)
Mike Dunafon (I)
Paul Noel Fiorino
CT
Aug. 12
Dan Malloy
Tom Foley
Joe Visconti (I)
HI
Aug. 9
Neil Abercrombie ...defeated in primary
David Ige
Duke Aiona
Mufi Hannemann (I)
Jeff Davis (L)
IL
March 18
Pat Quinn Bruce Rauner
Chad Grimm (L)
MD
June 24
Martin O'Malley ...term limited
Anthony Brown
Larry Hogan
Shawn Quinn (L)
MA
Sept. 9
Deval Patrick ...retiring
Martha Coakley
Charlie Baker
Evan Falchuk (UIP)
Scott Lively (I)
Jeff McCormick (I)
MN
Aug. 12
Mark Dayton Jeff Johnson
Chris Holbrook (L)
Hannah Nicollet (Indep.)
Chris Wright (Grassr.)
NH
Sept. 9
Maggie Hassan
Walt Havenstein
none
NY
Sept. 9
Andrew Cuomo
Rob Astorino
Howie Hawkins (G)
Michael McDermott (L)
Steven Cohn (SAP)
OR
May 20
John Kitzhaber
Dennis Richardson
Paul Grad (L)
Aaron Auer (C)
Jason Levin (PGP)
Chris Henry (Prog.)
RI
Sept. 9
Lincoln Chafee ...annc'd Sept. 4, 2013 retiring
Gina Raimondo
Allan Fung
Kate L. Fletcher (I)
Robert J. Healey Jr. (Mod.)
Leon M. Kayarian (I)
VT
Aug. 26
Peter Shumlin.  ..tbd by state legislature
Scott Milne
Peter Diamondstone (LU)
Dan Feliciano (L)
Chris Ericson (I)
Bernard Peters (I)
Emily Peyton (I)
Note. Gov. Chafee (RI), elected as an Independent, changed his affiliation to Democratic on May 30, 2013.

2013

Primary
DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLICAN

NJ
June 4
Barbara Buono
*Chris Christie
Steven Welzer (G)
Ken Kaplan (L)
VA
n/a...
(June 11)
Terry McAuliffe
[Bob McDonnell (term limited)]
Ken Cuccinelli
Robert Sarvis (L)


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