Democrats look to 2018 governors races for rebuild

By SCOTT BLAND, GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI and KEVIN ROBILLARD for Politico.

Shell-shocked Democrats looking to recover from 2016 see the large slate of upcoming governors races as their most likely path out of the political wilderness — starting in the Midwest.

Twenty-seven of the 38 governorships up in 2017 and 2018 are Republican-held, including many seats that will be open after eight years of GOP control. That means widespread opportunities for Democratic gains, as well as a critical chance for new ideas and new blood to emerge as the party seeks to identify its next generation of leaders and dig out from a low point after President-elect Donald Trump’s shocking White House win.

And, critically, Democrats itching to prove they can still win in the Midwest will get the opportunity to test themselves by chasing GOP-held governorships in Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“I don’t think there’s any question that 2018 will be a watershed year for the Democratic Party in the Midwest,” said Joe Rugola, an Ohio labor leader with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee. “We have to reverse some of the voter patterns we saw in 2016 or we’re going to end up with two Americas.”

Democrats will, of course, also spend significant energy on the next round of Senate and House races, as well as rebuilding the Democratic National Committee under a new chairman. But the conservative-leaning 2018 Senate map means Democrats will be almost entirely focused on keeping key red- and swing-state incumbents in office for the next two years, not electing new Democratic voices.