ANNAPOLIS, Md., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Democrats have taken over a majority of the country's governorships, taking open seats in five states and booting a Republican incumbent in Maryland.
Democrats, with their first gubernatorial majority since 1994, now control the highest offices of 28 states, including open seats in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio that were vacated by Republicans, Stateline.org reported Thursday.
Brown University political scientist Darrell West said the Democratic majority puts the states in a better position to help prospective presidential candidates, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
"Governors get a lot of media attention, and they really set the agenda in their individual states," he said. "So if you have a strong party base in the governor's office, that's half the battle."
Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, agreed that the governorships could help the Democrats in 2008.
"It means they have immediate executive control of the tens of millions of Americans," Sabato said. "I think that can help out the Democrats in 2008, but it may also be only marginal, say 2 or 3 percent."
