The 38 Governors races on the ballot in 2017 and 2018 may end up being the biggest story of the cycle. There is a lot at stake for both parties as most of the Governors elected this cycle will be in office in 2021 when the next round of redistricting takes place. Thus, there is no time like the present to unveil the first iteration of gubernatorial ratings of the cycle. In the current line up, Republicans hold 33 of the 50 governorships to 16 for Democrats and one independent. This means that the GOP has more exposure and thus will be playing defense in more states. Of the 38 races, each party has an open seat up in 2017, as Republicans defend their seat in New Jersey where Gov. Chris Christie is term limited, and Democrats work to hold their seat in Virginia where Gov. Terry McAuliffe is limited to just one term under state law. In 2018, Republicans have 26 seats up, at least 16 of which will be open largely due to term limits. Iowa Gov. Terry
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Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.