Roundup: Here’s What’s Happening in Key Governor Matchups

Early results in several gubernatorial races do not reflect the landslide Republican victories several polling agencies projected. New York and Michigan governor seats will likely remain blue, and as of Wednesday morning, several states remain too close to call.

A brief review of gubernatorial races follows:

In Arizona, Katie Hobbs (D) maintains a slim lead over Kari Lake (R) amid reports of election site irregularities and voting machine malfunctions. As of early Wednesday afternoon, Hobbs has less than a one-point lead with approximately 74 percent of votes counted.

Citing ballot printing and processing issues, Republican Party officials sought an emergency ruling to extend voting hours Tuesday evening. A Maricopa County judge rejected the motion.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted:

“The widespread issues – in an election administered by Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs – are completely unacceptable, especially as Republicans flock to the polls to vote in person on Election Day. We have dozens of attorneys and thousands of volunteers working to solve this issue and ensure that Arizona voters have the chance to make their voices heard.”

In New Mexico, incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) maintains a six-point lead over Mark Ronchetti (R) with 95 percent of votes counted. Though Fox News called the race for Grisham on Tuesday evening, Decision Desk HQ has yet to determine a winner.

In Oregon, Tina Kotek (D) has a 1.5-point lead over Christine Drazan (R), with approximately 79 percent of the vote counted.

In Michigan, incumbent Gretchen Whitmer (D), who faced significant negative feedback regarding her handling of the COVID pandemic, is projected to win a hard-fought race over Tudor Dixon (R).

In New York, Decision DeskHQ projects embattled incumbent Kathy Hochul (D) will win her race against Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) by a sizeable margin. In recent weeks, Zeldin rose in the polls making the race too close to call on the eve of the election.

In Georgia, Decision DeskHQ projects that incumbent Brian Kemp (R) will defeat Stacey Abrams (D) by a sizable margin. The race was a rematch of the contested 2018 gubernatorial race.

In Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro (D) was declared a winner over his challenger, Doug Mastriano (R). Shapiro and Mastriano were running for an office left vacant by Tom Wolf (D).

In Minnesota, Decision Desk HQ projects incumbent Tim Walz (D) will win by a slim margin over Dr. Scott Jensen (R).

In Wisconsin, projections indicate incumbent Tony Evers (D) will defeat Tim Michels (R).

In Nevada, with 86 percent of votes counted, Joe Lombardo (R ) is leading incumbent Steve Sisolak by 4.7 points.

In Alaska, incumbent Mike Dunleavy (R) leads challenger Les Gara by more than 27 points with 65 percent of votes counted.