(NewsNation) — As the 2024 general election comes into view, there are three gubernatorial races Americans should keep their eyes on: New Hampshire, North Carolina and Washington State.
The incumbent governors in all three states have decided not to seek reelection this fall, leaving their seats wide open for a new name and potential party upset. In each of the three states, the close governor races could determine which way the state leans politically.
When does early voting begin in my state?
New Hampshire: Kelly Ayotte vs. Joyce Craig
On the left, former Senator Kelly Ayotte speaking at the Center for a New American Security’s annual conference in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images). On the right, Manchester, New Hampshire Mayor Joyce Craig speaks about the Manchester fire station’s Safe Station program March 29, 2018 at her office in Manchester, New Hampshire. (DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has chosen not to seek a fifth term as governor, with the state being one of two where a governor is elected every two years. As a result, the seat is now up for grabs and has morphed into one of the few competitive governor races this year.
The state has historically voted blue, with Democrats making up all four members of its Congressional delegation. But Republican Sununu also scored four terms as governor and Republicans hold the edge in the state legislature.
The outgoing governor backed former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who lost her Senate seat in 2016 to Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan. Ayotte will face Democrat Joyce Craig, who served as mayor of Manchester and was backed by Hassan and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.
Removing male pronouns, sports betting: Intriguing 2024 ballot measures
North Carolina: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson vs. AG Josh Stein
On the left, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Mark Robinson speaks during a campaign rally with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, August 14, 2024. (Photo by Peter Zay / AFP) (Photo by PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images). On the right, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein speaks in support of Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris at the Hendrick Center For Automotive Excellence on August 16, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)
A potentially historic governor’s race pits North Carolina’s centrist tendencies against the rise of populist conservatism in the era of former President Donald Trump’s Republican party.
The Republican nominee is Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a 55-year-old who, if he wins, would be the state’s first Black governor. Democrats have chosen Attorney General Josh Stein, a 57-year-old who is trying to keep the office in his party’s control after two terms under outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Most polls in recent months have shown Stein leading Robinson, an ally of Trump who has drawn criticism for his past rhetoric on everything from abortion to the civil rights movement.
Some Republicans fear Robinson’s controversial persona could cost them the governor’s mansion — and the challenge will be even tougher for him as Vice President Harris has seemingly made inroads in the state as well. Meanwhile, the state is also a must-win for Trump if he is to make it back to the White House in January.
On Thursday, Robinson continued to come under fire after CNN published an article claiming he made disturbing racial and sexual comments on a pornography forum. Amid calls for him to step out of the race, Robinson defiantly announced in a video on X that he planned on staying in the race and denied the claims made in the article.
How to register to vote ahead of Election Day
Washington: AG Bob Ferguson vs. Dave Reichert
On the left, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks as supporters of Washington State Initiative 1639 at the Edgewater Hotel, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Photo by GENNA MARTIN/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images). On the right, Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., during the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade hearing with Demetrios Marantis, deputy U.S. trade representative, on pending bi-lateral trade agreements. (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)
Washington has voted Democrats into the governor’s mansion since the mid-1980s, but this year, the race for Washington state’s governor has emerged as unexpectedly competitive.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision to retire attracted a crowded field of candidates for the state’s nonpartisan primary, from which Washington’s Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson and former Republican Rep. Dave Reichert advanced to the November ballot.
Ferguson, who’s been the state’s top attorney for more than a decade, has Inslee’s endorsement to succeed him. Reichert, a former sheriff, snagged recognition among constituents for helping catch Washington State’s “Green River Killer.”
Cook Political Report shifted the seat from “solid” to “likely” Democrat in February, and then again to “lean” Democrat in June. After the primary, and after Harris launched her campaign, the race shifted back to “likely” blue. But the election handicapper noted Reichert “still has a path” to flipping the state. One Cygnal poll from late August found Ferguson up just three points.
The Hill contributed to this report.
