by Samuel Dale
The Republican party currently controls 31 of the 50 governorships in the United States compared to just 18 for the Democrats.
The one independent governor Bill Walker of Alaska only left the party in 2014 so he could take on the incumbent so, really, it’s 32 Republican governors.
In addition, Republicans control the state assemblies and senate in 23 of those states giving them supreme control over law-making.
By contrast, Democrats only have total control in seven states. Seven Democrat governors are also grappling with Republican-controlled state legislative chambers while only four Republican governors deal with Democrat controlled state legislatures.
Four Republican governors and four Democrat governors deal with split legislatures.
Put Simply: when it comes to local governments the Republican party is completely and utterly dominant while the national party is in meltdown.
The reason for the mismatch is multi-faceted. Firstly, most governor elections take place during mid-terms where turnout is low and presidential incumbents are unpopular. Opposition parties pick up local wins.
This problem is compounded by the fact that all US governors have two-term limits meaning they have to give up the power of incumbency. Only two governors – both Democrat – were elected before Obama became president.
