2007 United States gubernatorial elections

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.

2007 United States gubernatorial elections

← 2006 October 20 and November 6, 2007 2008 →

3 governorships
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before 28 22
Seats after 28 22
Seat change Steady Steady
Seats up 1 2
Seats won 1 2

2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Map of the results
     Republican hold
     Democratic gain      Republican gain
     No election

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

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State Incumbent Last
race
Sabato
November 1,
2011
[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 R Barbour
(57.9%)

Race summary

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State Incumbent Party First
elected
Result Candidates
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

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2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election
 
← 2003 November 6, 2007 2011 →
     
Nominee Steve Beshear Ernie Fletcher
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Daniel Mongiardo Robbie Rudolph
Popular vote 619,552 435,773
Percentage 58.7% 41.3%

 
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
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Beshear 619,552 58.71
Republican Ernie Fletcher (incumbent) 435,773 41.29
Total votes 1,055,325 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana

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2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election
 
← 2003 October 20, 2007 2011 →
     
Candidate Bobby Jindal Walter Boasso
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 699,672 226,364
Percentage 53.9% 17.4%

   
Candidate John Georges Foster Campbell
Party Independent Democratic
Popular vote 186,800 161,425
Percentage 14.4% 12.4%

 
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
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bobby Jindal 699,672 53.91
Democratic Walter Boasso 226,364 17.44
Independent John Georges 186,800 14.39
Democratic Foster Campbell 161,425 12.44
Democratic Mary Volentine Smith 5,843 0.45
Independent Belinda Alexandrenko 4,782 0.37
Independent Anthony Gentile 3,369 0.36
Libertarian T. Lee Horne III 2,639 0.20
Independent Sheldon Forest 2,319 0.18
Democratic Vinny Mendoza 2,076 0.16
Democratic Hardy Parkerson 1,661 0.13
Independent Arthur D. Nichols 993 0.08
Total votes 1,297,943 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic

Mississippi

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2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election
 
← 2003 November 6, 2007 2011 →
     
Nominee Haley Barbour John Arthur Eaves Jr.
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 430,807 313,232
Percentage 57.9% 42.1%

 
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]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Haley Barbour (incumbent) 430,807 57.90
Democratic John Arthur Eaves Jr. 313,232 42.10
Total votes 744,039 100.00
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ "2007 Gubernatorial Contests and Virginia General Assembly Update". Sabato's Crystal Ball.
  2. ^ "Pence endorses Northup for governor". The Courier-Journal. 2007-02-26.
  3. ^ Collins, Michael (2007-01-22). "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 (2007-05-23). "Fletcher beats Northup despite scandal". Courier-Journal.
  6. ^ Loftus, Tim (2007-05-23). "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 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  10. ^ "Jindal maintains wide lead in fundraising"
  11. ^ "Results" (PDF). www.sos.state.ms.us. 2007. Retrieved 2019-10-25.