Incumbents dominate governor races on election night, Dems hold on in tough reelection bids

Incumbent governors largely held on to their seats in Tuesday night's midterm electoral contests with Democratic candidates holding on in several tough gubernatorial contests.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was one Republican bright spot as he significantly outperformed polling expectations, winning by nearly 20% after narrowly defeating Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018. In his victory speech, DeSantis touted his record on COVID-19 lockdowns

"Florida was a refuge of sanity when the world went mad," he said. "We faced attacks. We took the hits. We weathered the storm, but we stood our ground... We made promises to the people of Florida and we have delivered on those promises."

"And so today, after four years, the people have delivered their verdict: freedom is here to stay," he concluded.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott also secured a double digit reelection margin over Democrat Beto O'Rourke.

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp handily won his reelection bid against Stacey Abrams, improving significantly over his 2018 margin.

Democratic incumbents, meanwhile, emerged victorious in Maine, New York, Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan and California.

Pennsylvania Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro also decisively won his bid for the state's top job while Democrats in Massachusetts and Maryland succeeded outgoing Republican governors, defeating Trump-backed opponents by wide margins.

Moreover, Democratic governors in Wisconsin and Nevada lead their Republican challengers in uncalled races. Some outlets have called the Wisconsin race for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, though the Associated Press has not yet done so.