Here are the governors' races to watch in 2023

[RandySF]

Kentucky

Beshear is running for a second term in the Bluegrass State after winning his first term by less than a percentage point in 2019 against former Gov. Matt Bevin (R).

Serving as governor in a state that former President Trump won by more than 25 points in 2020, the Kentucky Democrat enjoys relatively high support. Polling from Morning Consult released in October found that Beshear ranked as one of the 10 most popular governors in the country, sitting at an approval rating of 59 percent and up from the previous quarter, when it was 55 percent. The news outlet noted it was “driven largely by increasingly positive reviews from Kentucky’s Republican voters.”


Louisiana

With Edwards unable to run again due to term limits, the gubernatorial race is already attracting Republican challengers, including state Attorney General Jeff Landry. Though Landry is so far the only GOP candidate to announce a run, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has confirmed he’s seriously considering a gubernatorial bid himself.

It’s not clear yet which Democrats may field a challenge, but whoever the candidate is will likely face an uphill battle. The last time Democrats won the governor’s mansion before Edwards was back in 2003. Edwards was also among eight governors whose approval ratings sat under 50 percent, according to an October Morning Consult poll, which may offer additional headwinds for a Democratic candidate there.


Mississippi

Over in the Magnolia State, Reeves is vying for another run at the governor’s mansion after winning his first term in 2019 against Democrat Jim Hood, then the state’s attorney general. Though no Republicans have officially announced intentions yet to run against Reeves, there’s still plenty of time ahead of the Aug. 8 primary for Reeves to draw a primary challenge.

Reeves has struggled with low approval ratings during his time as governor. A survey from several universities — including Northeastern University, Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, Rutgers University, and Northwestern University — released in September 2020 found that respondents’ approval of how Reeves handled COVID-19 in his state had declined throughout the year. “While his approval rating for tackling COVID-19 sat at 56 percent in late April in 2020, according to the survey, it later fell to 34 percent by late August of that year.”




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3791114-here-are-the-governors-races-to-watch-in-2023/