Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, we take stock of how the gubernatorial landscape is shaping up across the country.Plus, Scott Wong and Monica Alba recap President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated lunch with AI industry leaders.— Adam WollnerAnother majority that could be in Democrats’ reachAnalysis by Adam WollnerFive weeks out from Election Day, Democrats increasingly have their sights set on not only winning control of the House, but the Senate, too, as the political environment continues to deteriorate for the GOP.That environment could also present Democrats with an opening outside of Washington to achieve something they haven’t done in 16 years: Hold a majority of the country’s governorships.Currently, there are 26 governors who are Republicans and 24 who are Democrats.
Thirty-six states are holding gubernatorial elections this fall, with an even split of Democratic- and Republican-held seats on the ballot.So Democrats need to flip a net of two governorships for a majority.But similar to the battle for the Senate, their path involves winning in decidedly red territory.For starters, Democrats are defending a seat in Kansas, a state President Donald Trump won by 16 points in 2024.
With Gov.Laura Kelly term-limited, Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson will face off against state Sen.
Cindy Holscher, who defeated a more moderate opponent in last month’s Democratic primary.Democrats are also defending governorships in the key swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Michigan and Wisconsin are open-seat races, while Gov.Katie Hobbs is running for a second term in Arizona after narrowly winning her first by 17,000 votes four years ago.
For his part, Gov.Josh Shapiro has enjoyed strong approval ratings in Pennsylvania and is a heavy favorite th...