6 must-watch governor races in 2014

Thirty-six states are holding gubernatorial elections this year. These are the handful that stand out.

Wendy Davis
(Image credit: (Win McNamee/Getty Images))

More than two-thirds of the country's states are holding gubernatorial races this year, making the 2014 midterms an important election cycle for state-level politics. Both Democrats and Republicans see pick-up opportunities, as first-term incumbents like Florida's Rick Scott (R) and Colorado's John Hickenlooper (D) find themselves facing an electorate that has soured on their respective brands of leadership.

Both parties know the stakes. Thanks to the dysfunction in Washington, D.C., the state capitols are increasingly becoming the places to get things done. Furthermore, governors have tremendous power to set priorities and carry out federal mandates like health care reform.

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Laura Colarusso is a freelance journalist based in Boston. She has previously written for Newsweek, The Boston Globe, the Washington Monthly and The Daily Beast.