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The U.S. gubernatorial elections of 2006 will be held on Tuesday, November 7 , 2006 . Currently, 22 of the seats up for election are held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats . The U.S. gubernatorial elections of 2006 will coincide with the mid-term elections of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. RACES TO WATCH Voters usually retain incumbent elected officials in elections. In 2006, nine governorships will be open due to either retirement or term limits. Retiring Democratic Governors Tom Vilsack ( Iowa ) See Also: Iowa gubernatorial election, 2006 Retiring Republican Governors Mike Huckabee ( Arkansas ) See Also: Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2006 Bill Owens ( Colorado ) See Also: Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006 Jeb Bush ( Florida ) See Also: Florida gubernatorial election, 2006 Dirk Kempthorne ( Idaho ) See Also: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2006 Mitt Romney ( Massachusetts ) See Also: Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006 Kenny Guinn ( Nevada ) See Also: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2006 George Pataki ( New York ) See Also: New York gubernatorial election, 2006 Bob Taft ( Ohio ) See Also: Ohio gubernatorial election, 2006 Notable Democratic Incumbents Rod Blagojevich ( Illinois ) See Also: Illinois gubernatorial election, 2006 Rod Blagojevich has proven to be an incredible fundraiser, and governs a relatively strong by eight percentage points in polls, although not reaching the fifty percent "safe zone" for incumbents. In March, Topinka won the GOP primary by 38% to 32% over dairy magnate Jim Oberweis . Meanwhile, a former Chicago Alderman named Edwin Eisendrath won a surprising 30% in the Democratic primary. The ensuing publicity gave Topinka a boost and Blagojevich's lead has disappeared. The race is now too close to call. Kathleen Sebelius ( Kansas ) See Also: Kansas gubernatorial election, 2006 Sebelius, although relatively popular in Kansas, can be considered somewhat vulnerable because she leads a state that went to George Bush 62-37 in 2004 and has a five out of six Republican congressional delegation. Owing to her relative popularity, a February poll showed her eight points ahead of her strongest challenger, state senator Jim Barnett , but she herself polled at only 45%. John Baldacci ( Maine ) See Also: Maine gubernatorial election, 2006 In February 2006, Baldacci was given a mere 41% and State Senator Peter Mills , leading only State Senator Chandler Woodcock {Link without Title} . Still, Baldacci's state leans Democratic, and a high number of voters are still undecided. Jennifer Granholm ( Michigan ) See Also: Michigan gubernatorial election, 2006 Michigan, like many other midwestern states, has been unable to take advantage of reported national economic and job growth. A string of plant and factory closings by big name companies such as General Motors in Granholm's state have led to disapproval among voters (she has only 41 percent approval). A February poll showed her essentially even with challenger Dick DeVos . Still, Michigan has a Democratic tilt and trusts Democrats more on economic affairs. Ed Rendell ( Pennsylvania ) See Also: Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2006 Going into 2006, Rendell's approval rating stuck at a not-so-special even 50 percent. Republicans have found a strong candidate in Lynn Swann , a former Pittsburgh Steeler, and former Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton recently became the last contender to drop out of the Republican nomination race, eliminating the need for a costly primary. In recent years, Pennsylvania has become a hotly contested Swing State , and in 2004, the state went to Democrat John Kerry by a thin 51-49 margin. This has been reflected in polling showing the two in a dead heat, with only single digit percentages undecided. A few months back, Rendell was embarrassed by remarks made by Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll . Jim Doyle ( Wisconsin ) See Also: Wisconsin gubernatorial election, 2006 In 2002, Doyle was elected with only 45 percent of the vote because of an unusually strong challenge from the Libertarian party. Although his early 2006 approval rating was a mildly unfavorable 45 percent, he lead both Republican challengers, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Congressman Mark Green by six to nine points in polls; he has not been able to poll greater than fifty percent. Green got a big break when Walker dropped out of the race. And more recent polls show that Green has pulled even. Wisconsin is a swing state in the strongest sense, with Kerry winning the state in 2004 by a razor-thin margin of 12,400 votes. Notable Republican Incumbents Bob Riley ( Alabama ) See Also: Alabama gubernatorial election, 2006 In 2002, Riley beat the incumbent governor Don Siegelman by a bare margin of only 3,000 votes. After the election, he upset much of his base by pushing a state referendum to raise taxes, which was soundly defeated. However, he recovered when his response to the Hurricane Katrina (which also affected the Mobile area) drew widespread approval. His approval rating currently hovers at 52%. Against his Democratic opponent, Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley , Riley has a double-digit lead and has the support of a majority of voters. But this race is significant because Riley faces opposition from within his own party by former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in the primary. If Moore is chosen as the Republican candidate, Baxley fares much better, eeking out a slight lead. Even so, pundits consider the nomination of Moore a longshot. Frank Murkowski ( Alaska ) See Also: Alaska gubernatorial election, 2006 Murkowski has not specifically announced that he would run again, and his approval rating is the second lowest in the country, at 26 percent. It is assumed that if he does indeed run for a second term, a Democrat would have a higher chance than usual to win the governor's mansion in this strongly Republican state. Currently, state House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz and state Representative Eric Croft have announced their intentions to runs on the Democrats' side. On the Republican side, former Walissa Mayor Sarah Pallin is running. Arnold Schwarzenegger ( California ) See Also: California gubernatorial election, 2006 The movie-star turned "governator" has in recent months fallen from grace in the eyes of Californians. Schwarzenegger won a special recall election held in 2003 to replace governor Gray Davis and ran as a reformer. In November 2005, voters soundly defeated all four of Schwarzenegger's proposed government reforms. His moderate positions on abortion and stem cell research have alienated conservatives and his veto of California's gay marriage bill alienated liberals. However, in recent months he was recovered some of his early popularity. Early 2006 polls have showed Schwarzenegger exchanging leads with both state Treasurer Phil Angelides and state Comptroller Steve Westly . Schwarzeneger remains politically vulnerable, but neither of his Democratic challengers has drawn much enthusiasm. Robert Ehrlich ( Maryland ) See Also: Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006 Bob Ehrlich's approval rating is 48%, high for a Republican in a Democratic-leaning state, but suggests a close election. Against his strongest opponent, Baltimore mayor Martin O'Malley, Ehrlich trails by 9 points, 42-51. He trails Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan by 2 points {Link without Title} . Tim Pawlenty ( Minnesota ) See Also: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2006 Pawlenty's approval rating is currently a somewhat lackluster 54%. Polls have showed him slightly behind state Attorney General Mike Hatch and in a dead heat with state Senator Steve Kelley . In 2002, Pawlenty won the governor's mansion with only 44 percent of the vote, facing a strong challenge from Independence Party Of Minnesota candidate Tim Penny . Donald Carcieri ( Rhode Island ) See Also: Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2006 Even though polls have showed Carcieri beating his Democratic challenger lieutenant governor Charles Fogarty by 10%, Carcieri is a Republican governor in one of the most liberal states in the country. Also, even though quite high considering the political leanings of his state, Carcieri's approval rating is not great- 52%. Mark Sanford ( South Carolina ) See Also: South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2006 At the moment, Sanford does not seem particularly vulnerable, leading all of his potential opponents by double digits in polls. His approval rating is 50%, and he is a Republican in a state that went to Bush in 2004 by a seventeen percent margin. On the other hand, poll trends have shown the race becoming more competitive, with Sanford's lead on his strongest challenger, state Senator Tommy Moore , slowly shrinking. Rick Perry ( Texas ) See Also: Texas gubernatorial election, 2006 Before January, this race would not have been considered competitive; Texas is a very strongly Republican state. But challenges from two popular independents, coupled with Perry's 47% approval, have made the race interesting. Popular state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has decided to defect from the GOP and run against Perry, her bitter political foe, as an independent. Six weeks after the announcement of her candidacy, she moved to within single digits of Perry in polls. In addition to Perry and Strayhorn, former Congressman Chris Bell will run as the Democratic candidate, as will country singer and Texas icon Kinky Friedman as another independent. This sets up a potential four-way race (dependent on Strayhorn and Kinky obtaining enough qualified signatures) in which only a plurality is needed to win. Three and especially four-way races tend to be very unpredictable, but pundits generally agree that no matter what the circumstances, Democrats probably do not benefit from a vote split. LIST OF ELECTIONS This is a complete list of states with a gubernatorial election in 2006. SEE ALSO
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