Sabato's Crystal Ball: Initial 2022 Gubernatorial Overview and Ratings

Sabato's Crystal Ball is out with an overview of the 2022 gubernatorial landscape. 36 seats will be contested next year, of which 20 are held by Republicans. There are an additional two elections in Democratic-held seats this year. Sabato reviewed the New Jersey and Virginia contests last week.

The map below includes ratings for all 38 contests to be held through 2022. Click/tap it for an interactive version.

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is unable to run for reeelection this year due to term limits; seven governors are term-limited next year.  Three of those are in what should be highly-competitive races: Arizona (Doug Ducey, R); Maryland (Larry Hogan, R); Pennsylvania (Tom Wolf, D).  Sabato sees Maryland as most likely to flip. Hogan, while popular, was an upset winner in 2014 in one of the most Democratic states in the country. It was one of only three states (Massachusetts, Vermont) where Joe Biden won by more than 30% against Donald Trump.