Matthew Klein: The Cascading Effect of Open Seats

First Person is a series of quick videos from the Cook Political Report editors exclusively for our premium members.

This week, Matthew explains the under-discussed dynamics of the large playing field of open statewide races.

Transcript:

Hello, and welcome to First Person. I'm Matthew Klein, US House and Governors analyst here at the Cook Political Report, and today I'm excited to talk about the intersection of my two beats and what their relationship tells us about how the twenty twenty six and maybe even twenty twenty eight cycles might ultimately shake out.One of the more under discussed dynamics this cycle is the sheer number of open statewide races and specifically open governorships.Fifteen governors are term limited, meaning they can't run for reelection, And last week, we got another open seat with Iowa governor Kim Reynolds announcing she wouldn't seek a full third full term.Part of the reason that's so important is because governorships have become increasingly attractive to figures with national, hint hint, presidential aspirations.Think about some of the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination in twenty