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United States gubernatorial elections will be held on November 7, 2017 in two states. These elections form part of the 2017 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for these two states were in 2013.
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Election predictions
Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive seats. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election), the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each seat, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that seat. Most election predictors use "tossup" to indicate that neither party has an advantage, "lean" to indicate that one party has a slight advantage, "likely" or "favored" to indicate that one party has a significant but not insurmountable advantage, and "safe" or "solid" to indicate that one party has a near-certain chance of victory. Some predictions also include a "tilt" rating that indicates that one party has an advantage that is not quite as strong as the "lean" rating would indicate.
New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie was re-elected to a second term with 60.4% of the vote in 2013. Christie is term-limited in 2017.
Republican candidates
Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown successfully ran for re-election in 2014 and stated that he plans to run for Governor. Potential Republican candidates include Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, former Attorney General and former U.S Senator Jeffrey Chiesa, Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera, state legislators Thomas Kean, Jr., Joseph Rullo, Sean T. Kean, Jon Bramnick, Joe Kyrillos, Michael J. Doherty, Jay Webber, and Egg Harbor Township Citizen Hirsh Vardhan Singh.
Democratic candidates
Declared democratic candidates include Goldman Sachs executive and former United States Ambassador to Germany Philip D. Murphy, longtime State Assemblyman John Wisniewski, former Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Enforcement Jim Johnson, former priest and teacher and advocate for sexual abuse victims Bob Hoatson, former firefighter and political activist Bill Brennan, businesswoman Lisa McCormick, Iraq War veteran and businessman Titus Pierce, and pharmaceutical sales rep Monica Brinson.
Murphy is the perceived frontrunner with considerable financial support, but Wisniewski is also considered competitive.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and State Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, once considered the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination, have opted out of running and are instead seeking re-election. U.S. Senator Cory Booker, State Senator and former Governor Richard Codey, and former State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, State Senator Ray Lesniak, once considered to be potential candidates, have likewise declined.
Other potential Democratic candidates include 2013 nominee and former State Senator Barbara Buono, U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, former U.S. Representative Rush Holt, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, and state legislators Louis Greenwald, Jim Whelan, Troy Singleton, Linda R. Greenstein, and John F. McKeon.
Green candidates
Seth Kaper-Dale is the official candidate of the Green Party.
Virginia
Governor Terry McAuliffe won election with 48% of the vote in 2013. McAuliffe is term-limited in 2017. Virginia is the only state that prohibits its Governor from serving consecutive terms.
Democratic candidates
Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, as is former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello. Attorney General Mark Herring, who had been considered a strong potential candidate, is instead seeking re-election as attorney general in 2017.
Republican candidates
Already declared Republican candidates include former chairman of the Republican National Committee and 2014 United States Senate nominee Ed Gillespie, U.S. Representative Rob Wittman, and Chairman of Prince William County and candidate for Lt Governor in 2013 Corey Stewart. State Senator and 2013 Attorney General nominee Mark Obenshain, who had been considered a strong potential candidate, ultimately decided against running. Other potential Republican candidates include former Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, former U.S. Representative and former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, U.S. Representative Randy Forbes, State Senator Frank Wagner, 2013 Lieutenant Governor candidate Pete Snyder, and former State Senator Jeff McWaters.