While the 2010 election is still over a year away plenty of polling has been done on various races across the country.  Here is how the GOP stands as of now in races for governor.

Alabama

Artur Davis allegedly leads all potential Republicans in the gubernatorial race.  I find this incredibly hard to swallow as this is the only poll I’ve seen of this race and it was commissioned by the teachers union.  It also claims Obama has a 50% approval rating which I also don’t buy.  As far as I am concerned, this is an outlier until I see some more polling and I still view this race as Republican favored.

California

All hopes are pinned on former eBay Ceo Meg Whitman to hold this seat for the Republicans.  While Whitman does poll competitively she is going to have a tough race, particularly if Attorney General Jerry Brown gets the Democrat nomination.  Arnold’s failures as a governor are not going to help her any either.

Colorado

There are lots of opportunities for Republicans in Colorado this year.  Governor Bill Ritter’s (D) approvals are down around 40% and former Congressman Scott McInnis leads him by almost ten points as of now.  Josh Penry, the other Republican running ties with Ritter so in either scenario things look bright for the GOP as of now.

Florida

In Florida the race has gone back and forth between Attorney General Bill McCollum and Florida CFO Alex Sink.  Sink was four points ahead and then a later poll showed McCollum four points ahead.  Both are polling around 40% and neither are an incumbent.  Florida is a swing state.  Anything goes.

Iowa

Despite sinking approvals for Governor Chet Culver (D) he still polls well ahead of any potential Republican opponents except for one.  If former Governor Terry Branstad can be convinced to run then Culver will be writing his swan song.  Even if Branstad doesn’t get in Culver can still lose.  As time goes on the economy seems to get worse and Obama has lost his luster faster than just about any President in history.

Massachusetts

This has been a close race and will probably stay that way all the way up to the day.  In a two way race between Governor Deval Patrick and either potential Republican candidate, Patrick would be defeated by Charlie Baker and tied with Christy Mihos.  In a three way race including Independent candidate Tim Cahill, the latest shows a tight race, but with Cahill a few points ahead of Patrick and either Republican just a smidgen behind Patrick, although Mihos trails further than Baker.  It would appear Cahill can defeat Patrick, but also hurts the Republicans chances of picking this up.

Nevada

Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (R) is incredibly disliked and if he does run again and gets the nomination he will be utterly destroyed by any Democrat that runs against him.  Thankfully, for the GOP, U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval can beat Gibbons handily in a primary and defeat all potential Democrat challengers.

New Jersey (2009)

In New Jersey’s race, which is this November, not next, Republican challenger Chris Christie to incumbent John Corzine (D) is still leading him in all the polls, but Christie’s lead has been slipping somewhat, likely because of a large negative ad campaign the Corzine folks have launched trying to tie Christie to Karl Rove and such.  In other words, they are playing the Bush card and it seems to have helped them a little bit.  As of Thursday, Christie still holds an 11 point lead.  That’s excellent for a state that seldom elects Republicans statewide.

New York

Accidental Governor David Paterson (D) has been an epic failure.  His approvals are in the teens and he would get thoroughly trounced in the primary and the general election.  Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would defeat Patrick in a Democrat primary by close to 50 points, but so far he has stated he will stick to the AGs office.  I think he’s going to change his mind eventually as pressure from the party to hold the seat pushes him to run.  Rudy Giuliani has said he will decide in the coming weeks whether or not to run for the Republicans.  Giuliani will easily defeat Paterson, but Cuomo polls ahead of Giuliani by around seven to eight points.  I think Rudy is waiting to see if Cuomo jumps in the race before he makes a final decision.

Ohio

Despite the tanking economy in Ohio, Governor Ted Strickland (D) still holds a slight lead over Republican John Kasich (R).  Ohio is a swing state and in the end it will really depend on who the folks there blame for the deteriorating condition of their state, the Republicans or the Democrats.

Pennsylvania

The governor seat here is completely up in the air.  Attorney General Tom Corbett appears to be the favorite to win the GOP nomination.  On the Democrat side businessman Tom Knox, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and State Auditor Jack Wagner are in a three way tie.  Governor Ed Rendell’s (D) approvals are in the 30 percentile which may help the Republicans, but Onorato and Wagner are centrist Democrats and pro-life which could peel away that Reagan Democrat vote Republicans need in that state.  In the end it depends who the candidates are ultimately and I think this race will be a nail biter until the polls close on election night.

South Carolina

This race is slowly shaping up and there are a lot of candidates on both sides of the aisle.  Mark Sanford has certainly tarnished the Republican brand a bit, but this is still a heavily Republican state and the race still leans in their favor.  Congressman Gresham Barrett, Attorney General Henry McMaster, Lt Governor Andre Bauer, and state legislator Nikki Haley are all in the running for the Republican nomination.  The toughest challenger on the Democrat side would likely be State Superintendent Jim Rex who has been weighing a run and filed as a candidate, but has not made a formal declaration.

Texas

The negative jabs have already started between Governor Rick Perry (R) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) who is running against Perry in the primary next year.  Perry holds about a ten point lead over Hutchison.  Regardless of who wins I don’t think the GOP will lose this.

Vermont

Governor Jim Douglas (R) just announced a few days ago that he will not run for a fifth term so that opens the door to pretty much anything.  The likely Republican candidate is Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie, but until polling begins it’s hard to say how he’ll stack up against the Democrats.  Given Vermont’s far left tilt I would guess Dubie will start out as the underdog.

Virginia (2009)

In this race Republican Bob McDonnell has been handily polling ahead of Democrat Creigh Deeds.  I don’t see that changing any time soon and as far as I’m concerned this one is already won.

Wisconsin

With current Governor Jim Doyle (D) deciding not to run again he changed what would have been a fairly easy race for the GOP to a more competitive one.  Internal Republican polling shows Scott Walker defeating two potential Democrat challengers, but he is in a dead heat with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett who is likely to be the Democrat nominee.