Five Statehouses on a Knife's Edge: The Governor Races That Could Swing Either Way

Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada and Alaska are the five governor races Altas rates as toss-ups. Here is where each stands with eight days to go.

By Clara Hughes

Control of Congress gets the headlines. But governors sign the budgets, wield the veto, and set the tone on taxes and public safety. This year, five governor races are too close to call. The Altas US Elections hub rates 36 governor races. As of Monday, our editors have 17 leaning or safely Democratic, 14 leaning or safely Republican, and five toss-ups: Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada and Alaska. As always, Altas ratings are editorial forecasts, not results. Georgia: money vs. name recognition Georgia is the marquee race. Republican Rick Jackson, a healthcare executive and billionaire, faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for the seat of term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp. A poll released last Tuesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had Jackson at 46% and Bottoms at 45% among likely voters, ABC News reported. Bottoms says Jackson has put more than $100 million of his own money into