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39 governorships 37 states; 2 territories[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Map of the results Democratic gain Republican gain Democratic hold Republican hold Independent gain No election |
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2, 2010, in 37 states (with a special election in Utah) and two territories. These elections coincided with the elections for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives as well as other state and local elections. As in most midterm elections, the party controlling the White House lost ground.[2] Democrats took five governorships from the Republicans, while Republicans took 11 governorships from the Democrats. An independent won one governorship previously held by a Republican, while a Republican won one governorship previously held by an independent. Republicans held a majority of governorships for the first time since before the 2006 elections. One state, Louisiana, had no election for governor, but it did feature a special election for lieutenant governor.
Most gains from both parties were made in races where no incumbent was running, either due to term limits or voluntary retirement. However, Republicans did defeat incumbent Democrats Ted Strickland of Ohio and Chet Culver of Iowa, and held Nevada, where Republican Jim Gibbons lost in the primary.
As of 2024[update], this is the last time Democrats have won an Arkansas gubernatorial race and the only time since 1998 that Republicans won a Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. This is also the last time a third-party candidate won in Rhode Island.
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