Despite recent losses in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats are at least outwardly optimistic heading into 2010, when 37 governorships are up for grabs.
Meeting with fellow governors in Washington, D.C., this week, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, the outgoing chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said his party is “going to pick up states that haven’t been in the hands of Democratic governors for a generation.”
Still, Democrats at the meeting acknowledged that next year could be a tough one for incumbents. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120203912.html" title="The Washington Post’s Dan Balz was there:”>The Washington Post’s Dan Balz was there:
The mood among Democrats contrasted sharply with that of Republican governors, who met two weeks ago outside Austin and predicted significant gains beyond the 24 governorships they now hold.
The fact that Democrats are defending 19 of the 37 gubernatorial seats may also put them at a disadvantage.
At the meeting, the DGA named Delaware Gov. Jack Markell as its new chairman.