Year of the GOP Governor

From Miami Herald: Republicans now hold the governor’s office in 29 states. In addition to New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Florida’s Rick Scott, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Ohio’s John Kasich, here are some others to watch:

Mitch Daniels of Indiana. He was pushing many of the ideas his new counterparts now embrace years ago, and he’s attracting presidential buzz. Daniels privatized a state highway, cut the state workforce to historic lows and eliminated bargaining rights for state employee unions.

Nikki Haley of South Carolina. She’s the first female governor of her state and the country’s second Indian-American governor, running on a platform of budget cuts and curtailing illegal immigration.

Brian Sandoval of Nevada. The state’s first Hispanic governor, Sandoval’s profile will likely grow as the 2012 election approaches. He’s pushing state workers to take 5 percent pay cuts and pay more for health benefits.

Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania. He has not been as fiery in his zeal for budget cuts, but the state is a major player in presidential elections.

Rick Snyder of Michigan. The former Gateway computer executive campaigned as “one tough nerd” and has followed it up with calls for deep budget cuts and a tax on public pension benefits while pushing for nearly $2 billion in business tax cuts.

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