25 out of 28 incumbent governors on the ballot this week won reelection

Before the midterms, the polls indicated that many incumbents of both parties were in danger of losing. The races of Democrats Dan Malloy (CT) and John Hickenlooper (CO) looked quite tight, as did those of Republicans Rick Scott (FL), Sam Brownback (KS), Scott Walker (WI), and others.

But all of them ended up winning — as did most other incumbent governors on the ballot (most of whom were Republicans). So far, just one incumbent of each party has lost — Pat Quinn (D-IL) and Tom Corbett (R-PA). The race of Governor Sean Parnell (R-AK) remains uncalled, though he currently trails. That means 25 out of 28 incumbents were reelected:

An analysis by Louis Jacobson of Governing found an 82 percent win rate for US governors who sought a second term between 1998 and 2010, so this success isn't anything unusual.

But since the crop of incumbents up this year was overwhelmingly Republican, this is great news for the GOP. It indicates nearly every winner brought to power during the Tea Party wave of 2010 managed to govern his or her state effectively enough to win another term. And it ensures that the party will have a deep bench of two-term governors who could be future presidential and vice presidential prospects.

Democrats had more painful losses in open seat governor's races — their candidates couldn't hold on to governorships in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Arkansas. Another Democratic incumbent, Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, lost his primary, but the party held on to the seat.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via