LAT: Democrats likely to gain majority of Governors' Mansions

[DeepModem Mom]

Control of the Governors' Mansions in Play
Democrats need to gain four seats to achieve a national majority. Fewer than a dozen appear truly up for grabs in November, experts say.
By Mark Z. Barabak, Times Staff Writer
October 8, 2006

For the first time since the 1994 Republican landslide, Democrats are poised to attain a majority of the nation's governorships, an important political toehold regardless of who wins the battle to control Congress.

Election handicappers forecast Democratic gains of four to eight seats out of the 36 on the Nov. 7 ballot, with the Republican-held governor's chairs in New York and Ohio considered most likely to switch parties. The Democrats need to gain four governorships for a national majority.

Massachusetts, Arkansas, Colorado and Maryland also look promising for Democratic candidates, according to campaign analysts. In Massachusetts — the land of Kennedys — a win would put a Democratic governor under the gold Capitol dome for the first time in more than a dozen years.

Four seats appear to be tossups: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan, all states that could prove vital in the 2008 presidential campaign. All but Minnesota have Democratic governors now.

Overall, "I think the Democrats have to be more optimistic about their chances," said elections analyst Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "The way polls show it, Democrats are definitely going to make gains."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-govs8oct08,0,3530146,full.story?coll=la-headlines-nation