When Republicans picked up a bunch of state governor seats from Democrats in 2010, the pundits were quick to say this would help the GOP in the 2012 presidential elections.
Or, maybe not.
John Avlon writes for The Daily Beast that voters are turning on some of those governors, big time. Gov. Rick Scott rapidly is becoming the most hated man in Florida, closely followed by Republicans in the legislature. Ohio’s John Kasich also is becoming more unpopular by the minute.
And note that both Florida and Ohio have been, um, critical in recent presidential election history. I also went back about a hundred years in electoral college history and never found an election in which a candidate won both Ohio and Florida but not the White House. And as Avlon says, no Republican ever won the White House without Ohio. (I assume that’s true; I didn’t check.)
Avlon also mentions growing ill will toward Paul LePage of Maine and our ol’ buddy Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
I don’t agree with all of Avlon’s comments and conclusions, but I do agree that animosity toward Republicans in state government could swing independents back toward the Dems next year. Heh.
Elsewhere — popularity for New Jersey’s Chris Christie is not in free fall à la Rick Scott, but his negative numbers are slowly but gradually going up. Women in particular are deciding they can’t stand him, although the tough-guy act still wins him points among a lot of men. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to take much to impress men, huh?
Christie won’t be up for re-election until 2014, I believe, but I still say that he could be a one-term governor. However, the Dems will have to find someone to run against him who is not a complete dork, and in New Jersey that’s not something you can count on.