The Democratic Governors Association is trumpeting its fund-raising efforts during 2009 in preparation for 39 separate battles in 2010. But as strongly as it performed, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the even stronger efforts of the Republican Governors Association.
The DGA reported receipts of $23.1M, which it says is a new record for an election cycle. It has $17.5M in cash on hand.
However, it wasn’t enough to match RGA’s $30M in receipts, also a record. RGA is reporting $25M cash on hand.
Democrats hold 21 of the 39 offices on the ballot.
CQ Politics rates 10 of the governor races as toss-ups and 16 as contests with one or the other party holding a small edge. The Cook Political Report says 14 are toss-ups and 9 are leaners.
In either case, more races are in play than not.
RBR-TVBR observation: 2010 is a census year, and it leads directly into congressional redistricting, and in many if not most states, the party affiliation of the governor has a lot to do with where the lines are drawn. Look for some very hot contests in this arena, with intense interest from the national party structures.
