Governor Beshear says races in Republican states are competitive — The Hill
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Democrats expect to compete for governorships in several U.S. states currently controlled by Republicans. The head of the Democratic Governors Association named Florida, Texas, Alaska and Nebraska as states where, he said, the races are within the margin of error.
Beshear said this on CNN’s State of the Union program in an interview with host Jake Tapper, The Hill reports. He linked Democrats’ prospects to American families’ dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s policies. Beshear also said that the victories of Democrats Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia last year gave the party confidence.
Races in Florida and Texas
The election analysis outlet Cook Political Report has in recent months revised its ratings of several gubernatorial races in a direction more favorable to Democrats. In Florida, former Republican congressman David Jolly, who became a Democrat, is competing against Republican congressman Byron Donalds. As of Friday, The Hill’s polling partner Decision Desk HQ assessed Donalds’ chances of winning at 67%, 8 percentage points higher than a day earlier.
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In Texas, Democrat and state House member Gina Hinojosa is running against incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Recent polls indicate the race is competitive, but Decision Desk HQ gave Abbott about a 70% chance of winning a record fourth term.
Expectations for congressional elections
Beshear also mentioned Democrat James Talarico, who is taking part in Texas’s Senate race against the state’s Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton. According to Decision Desk HQ, Democrats have a 51% chance of gaining control of both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for the final two years of Trump’s presidential term.
In Beshear’s view, if successful in the elections, the party should offer voters its own agenda rather than merely oppose Trump. He said many people consider the economic system unfair and not working for them, adding that Democrats need not only to win in November but also to govern effectively.
