Political Almanac: 2012 Governors' Races

There are 11 states and two territories holding gubernatorial elections in 2012.

Setting aside American Samoa and assuming incumbent governors will seek re-election, there will be one term-limited Democrat and seven Democrats up for re-election, and one term-limited Republican and three Republicans up for re-election in 2012, resulting in a total count of eight Democrat and four Republican gubernatorial elections.

These races are critical for public sector UAW members. Governors can utilize their leadership position to make changes to state labor laws that make it more difficult for public sector workers to organize and bargain. To exemplify how important they are, one has only to remember that when Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels took office in January 2004, he eliminated collective bargaining for state employees, resulting in the loss of thousands of UAW members, their contracts and their rights. The seats that hold only two-year terms are denoted by an asterisk: