Democrats Target GOP-Held Governorships Ahead of 2024 Elections

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told CNN’s “State of the Union” that Democratic strategists are aiming to flip multiple Republican-controlled governorships in the upcoming November elections.

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Beshear noted that victories by Democratic governors in New Jersey and Virginia last cycle gave the party “some winds behind our sails,” a point echoed by the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. The discussion follows a broader trend identified by the Cook Political Report, which has moved several gubernatorial races toward the Democratic column in recent months.

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• Decision Desk HQ assigned former GOP Rep. David Jolly (now a Democrat) a 67 percent chance of defeating Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) in the Florida governor’s race, an eight-point increase from the previous day.

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• In Texas, the same pollster gave incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott a roughly 70 percent probability of securing a fourth term, while also indicating a 51 percent chance that Democrats could flip both the U.S. House and Senate.

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Beshear emphasized that Democrats must present a positive agenda rather than merely opposing former President Donald Trump, stating that many Americans feel “the economy is rigged” and not working for them. He highlighted the competitiveness of Southern races, citing the campaigns of state Rep. Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico as evidence that a traditionally Republican state can become contested again.

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• “If we went back a year ago, Democrats were trying to pick themselves off the floor,” — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

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• “We’re talking every day with that campaign, and it’s just so exciting to see [Hinojosa] and James Talarico, me being a Southern Democrat, making a Southern state competitive again,” — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

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