In 2020, Gubernatorial Elections Are All About COVID-19

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Nicole Galloway is Missouri’s state auditor and Democratic candidate for governor, challenging Republican Gov. Mike Parson, primarily on his coronavirus record. Here Galloway addresses the media while Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas looks on during a news conference Oct. 12, in Kansas City, Mo.

Charlie Riedel/AP

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«I’ve been pretty open about that the entire time, he said talking to St. Louis Public Radio. «I think it was important to leave it up to the locals.

Parson has refused to implement a statewide mask mandate, despite the White House Coronavirus Task Force urging him to do so. «It’s almost become a political issue, we all know that, he said.

The 65-year-old and his wife contracted the virus in late September. He was asymptomatic but his wife did fall ill. That didn’t change his state response, though. «You have to live in concern, but you don’t have to live in fear of it, Parson has said.

Galloway, 38, wants to provide more guidance for schools to resume in-person learning. She also wants to put a mask mandate in place, calling masks a ticket to freedom, «That is a science-backed, data-driven approach to slowing the spread of the virus so we don’t have to shut down again.

Galloway has been able to attract many more individual donations than the governor. Although most polls, if not all, show Parson leading. For Galloway to win, she’ll need to regain lost ground in rural Missouri and have a strong show of support in urban areas.

North Carolina

On the other side of the political spectrum, there is Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina seeking reelection. The state’s lieutenant governor, Dan Forest, is his Republican challenger. (North Carolina is one of just a few states where the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor.)

Cooper, a 63-year-old Democrat and native of North Carolina, is seeking reelection in a year when he has had to guide the state through the coronavirus pandemic and voters seem to like the job Cooper has done. Since March, he’s held on to relatively high approval ratings.

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In North Carolina, Stakes Are Just As High In Down-Ballot Races

In North Carolina, Stakes Are Just As High In Down-Ballot Races

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That hasn’t stopped Lt. Gov. Forest, 53, from criticizing Cooper every step of the way. Earlier this year, Forest sued Cooper over some of his coronavirus-related executive orders, arguing that the governor shouldn’t have the power to issue those orders on his own. Forest later dropped the lawsuit.

In the last month, coronavirus numbers have spiked in the state and during that time polls have shown Cooper’s lead narrowing slightly. He has had a healthy lead over Forest since the primary, and a Forest win would be surprising to followers on both sides of the aisle.

Cooper has been in state politics for decades and enjoys wide-spread name recognition. That’s not the case for Forest. Unaffiliated voters, who make up about a third of the registered voters in North Carolina, might be willing to split their ticket for Cooper/Trump like they did four years ago.

Montana

Donald Trump carried voters in Montana by 20 percentage points in 2016, but while it is often thought of as a red state, Montana is full of split-ticket voters and has had a Democrat in its governor’s office for 16 years.

The current Democratic governor, Steve Bullock, is term-limited and running for U.S. Senate, leaving the seat open.

The candidates vying for the position have been neck and neck in the polls since the primary. Even though COVID-19 is raging in Montana, neither Greg Gianforte, the Republican, nor Democrat Mike Cooney have made it a key talking point for their campaigns.

As his lieutenant governor, Cooney is close to Gov. Bullock. Any criticism of the governor’s virus response could jeopardize Bullock’s bid for Senate. Bullock mandated masks statewide in July but now some hospitals are overwhelmed, the state is considered a hot spot and Bullock hasn’t imposed new restrictions.

As a Republican, Gianforte has said he is against Bullock’s statewide mandates, even as case numbers have surged. If elected, he says his coronavirus response would defer to individual choice.

Gianfore is a tech billionaire whose pitch to be Montana’s next governor is similar to President Donald Trump’s. He says he will slash regulations, reduce taxes and install new leaders at state agencies.

Cooney has been a public servant his whole career and says he wants to safeguard and build on Democratic priorities, like protecting Medicaid expansion and pushing through a public preschool program.

Recent polls have shown Gianforte with an edge over Cooney but within the margin of error. Montana, like many states, is expected to see record voter turnout.