Ahead of the highly anticipated 2024 election season, four states are holding gubernatorial races in 2023 that could have significant effects on next year's contests.
Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi are holding off-year races for the governor's mansion this fall. Despite being generally conservative states, Democrats hold two of the three seats.
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Here is what to know about the three 2023 gubernatorial races heading to the ballots in November.
Kentucky
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron won the Republican primary in May. He defeated 11 other GOP candidates, most notably former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft and State Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.
Considered a rising star within the Republican Party, Cameron is the first black attorney general in the state and the first Republican to hold the office since 1943. He had the support of high-profile Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and former President Donald Trump during the primary campaign.
Now Cameron will face off against Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), who is favored in the race and won his primary with 91% of the blue vote. Beshear ousted then-Republican Gov. Matt Bevin four years ago.
The attorney general has pegged himself as "THE law enforcement candidate" and continues to blast Beshear for his support of several items on the Democrats' agenda, such as ESG policies, transgender students in sports, and the ending of the Title 42 immigration policy.
Both candidates have come under scrutiny for campaign donations that go beyond the scope of election finance laws. Labor groups called for an ethics investigation into Cameron after his campaign received thousands of dollars from an organization that the attorney general's office was investigating at the time. That money has since been refunded.
Beshear and Cameron will face off in the general election on Nov. 7, 2023. Since 1947, there have only been three Republicans elected as the governor of the Bluegrass State.
Louisiana
Louisiana's gubernatorial race is unique. The top two candidates, regardless of party, for the October primary will advance to the general election in the fall to replace Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA). If one candidate receives the outright majority in the primary, the person will be declared the winner, and a general election will not take place.
Edwards will term out at the end of this year after becoming the first Democratic governor in the state to be reelected to a second term since the 1970s. Several candidates have since stepped up to the plate to lead Louisiana, including a half-dozen Republicans.
A recent poll shows Republican Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry holding a significant lead over other GOP candidates in the polls. In a head-to-head matchup with Shaun Wilson, the only Democratic candidate, Landry wins 30% to Wilson's 22%. All other GOP candidates excluding Landry received single digits, and the only independent candidate received 5%.
Similar to Cameron, Landry has an endorsement from Trump, as well as support from the state Republican Party and a few state GOP congressmen. Wilson, who serves as transportation secretary in Edwards's administration, has endorsements from the governor, state party leaders, and local and state officials.
The primary will be held on Oct. 14, and if required, the general election will take place on Nov. 18 this year.
Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) is up for reelection this year, seeking to continue the trend of a Republican governor in office. Since 1999, Republicans have held the state executive position.
Reeves will face off against some members of his own party in the August primary, but polling shows Reeves with a significant lead over his competition. Brandon Presley, the public service commissioner for the Northern District, is running unopposed to be the Democratic candidate. He is the second cousin of rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley.
A FiveThirtyEight poll from April shows Reeves leading Presley, 47% to 43%. The margins have shifted since the start of the year. In a Jan. 21-25 poll, Presley led Reeves with 47%, compared to Reeves with 43%. However, Presley has since lost his lead, bringing a margin of -9 percentage points to a margin of -3 points between March and April.
Presley has blasted Reeves for government corruption and a multimillion-dollar welfare scandal that developed when Reeves was lieutenant governor. He is pushing for expanded Medicare coverage and has drawn on experiences from his childhood to relate to voters.
The Democratic candidate has received an endorsement from Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-LA) and has the support of other national Democrats. However, Republicans say those endorsements could be a liability for Presley — Reeves himself has painted Presley as part of a "national liberal machine" that is far removed from the life of voters in Mississippi.
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A Morning Consult poll released in October 2022, conducted over a three-month period last summer, marked Reeves as the nation's fifth-most unpopular governor. The Mississippi Republican received 48% approval and 42% disapproval at that time.
The primary election for governor will take place on Aug. 8, with a general election on Nov. 7.