2007 United States gubernatorial elections

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2007 United States gubernatorial elections
Flag of the United States.svg
  2006 October 20 and November 6, 2007 2008  

3 governorships
 Majority partyMinority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before2822
Seats after2822
Seat changeSteady2.svgSteady2.svg
Seats up12
Seats won12

2007 United States gubernatorial elections results map.svg
Map of the results
     Republican hold
     Democratic gain     Republican gain
     No election

United States gubernatorial elections were held in October and November 2007 in three states. The final results were a net change of zero among the parties. Republicans picked up the open seat in Louisiana and reelected incumbent Haley Barbour in Mississippi, while Democrats defeated Republican incumbent Ernie Fletcher in Kentucky.

Contents

Going into the elections, the Democratic Party held 28 governors' seats, while the Republican Party held 22. Democratic and Republican candidates filed in all three states, and the Libertarian Party had ballot representation in Louisiana.

Election predictions

StateIncumbentLast
race
Sabato
October 19,
2007
[1]
Result
Kentucky Ernie Fletcher 55.0% R Likely D (flip)Beshear
(58.7%)
Louisiana Kathleen Blanco 51.9% D Likely R (flip)Jindal
(53.9%)
Mississippi Haley Barbour
52.6% R Safe RBarbour
(57.9%)

Race summary

StateIncumbentPartyFirst
elected
ResultCandidates
Kentucky Ernie Fletcher Republican 2003 Incumbent lost re-election.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
Louisiana Kathleen Blanco Democratic 2003 Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Republican gain.
Mississippi Haley Barbour Republican 2003 Incumbent re-elected.

Kentucky

2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election
Flag of Kentucky.svg
  2003 November 6, 2007 2011  
  Steve Beshear by Gage Skidmore (1).jpg Ernie Fletcher (1).jpg
Nominee Steve Beshear Ernie Fletcher
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Daniel Mongiardo Robbie Rudolph
Popular vote619,552435,773
Percentage58.7%41.3%

2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results

Governor before election

Ernie Fletcher
Republican

Elected Governor

Steve Beshear
Democratic

Governor Ernie Fletcher ran for reelection for a second term. Various polls indicated he had been very unpopular with an approval rating of 38%. Also, Fletcher's governorship had been embroiled in scandal due to the criminal indictment of several people in his administration for illegally hiring workers into the state merit system based on political considerations. Fletcher was challenged in the primary by Anne Northup, a former U.S. Representative who served Kentucky's 3rd congressional district from 1997 to 2007, as well as Paducah businessman Billy Harper. Underscoring the controversy over the hiring scandal, Lieutenant Governor Steve Pence chose not to run for re-election on the Fletcher ticket and publicly endorsed Northup. [2] In addition, Northup was endorsed by U.S. Senator Jim Bunning. [3] However, Fletcher won the primary, winning 101,233 votes (50%) and carrying 106 of Kentucky's 120 counties in a three-way race. [4] Northup won the state's largest county, which contains Louisville, and her former congressional district, but lacked support at large; turnout in Jefferson County was not strong enough to make up for that. [5]

A large number of Democrats ran in the primary, including State Treasurer Jonathan Miller, former Lieutenant Governors Steve Beshear and Steve Henry, businessman Bruce Lunsford and Kentucky House of Representatives Speaker Jody Richards. Lunsford spent over $4 million, much of it his own money; Miller dropped out of the race and endorsed Beshear. Beshear won the primary with 142,516 votes (41%) in the crowded field; his next closest competitor was Lunsford with 21%. Henry took 18% of the vote and Richards, 12%. In their election night concession speeches Lunsford, Henry and Richards each pledged their support to Beshear. [6]

As a result of the general election on November 7, 2007, Beshear defeated Fletcher in his bid for re-election. Beshear was inaugurated on December 11, 2007.

Kentucky election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Steve Beshear 619,552 58.71
Republican Ernie Fletcher (incumbent)435,77341.29
Total votes1,055,325 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana

2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election
Flag of Louisiana (2006-2010).svg
  2003 October 20, 2007 2011  
  Bobby Jindal, official 109th Congressional photo.jpg 3x4.svg
Candidate Bobby Jindal Walter Boasso
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote699,672226,364
Percentage53.9%17.4%

  JohnGeorgesJan2010.jpg
Candidate John Georges Foster Campbell
Party Independent Democratic
Popular vote186,800161,425
Percentage14.4%12.4%

2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election results map by parish.svg
Parish results

Governor before election

Kathleen Blanco
Democratic

Elected Governor

Bobby Jindal
Republican

Governor Kathleen Blanco announced on March 20, 2007, that she would not seek a second term. [7] She had taken flak for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the government's ill-preparedness to deal with casualties.

Republican U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal won about 54% of the vote in the October 20 jungle primary, enough to avoid a run-off in November. His nearest opponent, Democratic State Senator Walter Boasso, won about 17% of the vote; Independent New Orleans area businessman John Georges finished third with 14% of the vote; and Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell (D) finished fourth with 12%. [8]

Former U.S. Senator John Breaux, arguably the most popular Democratic politician in Louisiana, had publicly flirted with entering the race in March and April 2007, but eventually declined to run due to the unresolved controversy over whether his recent Maryland residency made him ineligible to run. [9] After Breaux's announcement, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu also declined to run.

Jindal led in fundraising with $11 million raised up to the end of September, with $4.3 million of that left for the remainder of the campaign. Georges had put $7 million of his own money into his campaign. Boasso had spent $4.7 million of his own money and had $144,000 in the bank. [10]

Louisiana election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Bobby Jindal 699,672 53.91
Democratic Walter Boasso 226,36417.44
Independent John Georges 186,80014.39
Democratic Foster Campbell 161,42512.44
Democratic Mary Volentine Smith5,8430.45
Independent Belinda Alexandrenko4,7820.37
Independent Anthony Gentile3,3690.36
Libertarian T. Lee Horne III2,6390.20
Independent Sheldon Forest2,3190.18
Democratic Vinny Mendoza2,0760.16
Democratic Hardy Parkerson1,6610.13
Independent Arthur D. Nichols9930.08
Total votes1,297,943 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic

Mississippi

2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Flag of Mississippi (2001-2020).svg
  2003 November 6, 2007 2011  
  Haley Barbour (5449690313) (cropped).jpg John Arthur Eaves.jpg
Nominee Haley Barbour John Arthur Eaves Jr.
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote430,807313,232
Percentage57.9%42.1%

2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results

Governor before election

Haley Barbour
Republican

Elected Governor

Haley Barbour
Republican

Governor Haley Barbour ran for a second term. He was popular, with a 59% approval rating, and faced only a token primary challenge. Four Democratic candidates filed to face him in the general election, including eventual nominee attorney John Eaves.

On election day, Barbour defeated Eaves, garnering 58% of the vote.

Mississippi election [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Haley Barbour (incumbent) 430,807 57.90
Democratic John Arthur Eaves Jr. 313,23242.10
Total votes744,039 100.00
Republican hold

References

  1. "2007 Gubernatorial Contests and Virginia General Assembly Update". Sabato's Crystal Ball.
  2. "Pence endorses Northup for governor". The Courier-Journal. February 26, 2007.
  3. Collins, Michael (January 22, 2007). "Bunning backs Northup for gov". The Kentucky Post . Covington, Kentucky. p. A1.
  4. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070523/NEWS0106/70523009 [ dead link ]
  5. Gerth, Joseph (May 23, 2007). "Fletcher beats Northup despite scandal". Courier-Journal.
  6. Loftus, Tim (May 23, 2007). "Beshear's victory revives political career". Courier-Journal.
  7. Louisiana's Governor Won't Seek Re-election
  8. Louisiana Secretary of State Retrieved October 22, 2007 Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Breaux's residency questioned amid rumors of possible candidacy". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
  10. "Jindal maintains wide lead in fundraising"
  11. "Results" (PDF). www.sos.state.ms.us. 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2019.