KEY POINTS:
CHICAGO - Voters in Ohio have elected a Democrat as governor for the first time in 16 years, taking one of several states destined to be key battlegrounds in the 2008 presidential race.
Ted Strickland, a six-term US congressman and Methodist minister, beat Kenneth Blackwell, the Ohio secretary of state, network projections said. It was the first of three dozen governorship contests decided.
Ohio played a decisive role in the 2004 race for the White House and appears likely to do so again in two years.
Republicans, who have held a majority of the 50 governorships since their party's 1994 congressional landslide, went into the election holding 28 states, compared to 22 for the Democrats.
The pre-election speculation on governors' races was that Democrats could make a net gain of four states, putting them in a majority.
The Republicans went in with a disadvantage, at least on paper, having to defend more ground than the Democrats, and facing what polls said was a pro-Democratic sentiment among voters generally.
The stakes are high because control of the highest elected office in each state sets the agenda for policymaking at the state level and provides political leverage, money and influence to the candidate or their party in presidential election years.
Some analysts have suggested a popular governor can be worth 2 percentage points or more in his state in a presidential election.
Of the 36 races, Republicans are defending 22 seats, including nine where the Republican incumbent is not running. Democrats hold the other 14 seats but all except one are races with incumbents seeking re-election.
The races include nine of the 10 most populous states.
California, with the largest population, was likely to remain in Republican control with polls showing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ahead before the balloting.
But the third-most populous state, New York, looked likely to switch from Republican control to Democratic along with Ohio.
Democrats also were favored to take open Republican-held governorships in Massachusetts, Colorado and Arkansas.
Other crucial battlegrounds include Republican-held Minnesota, Maryland, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska and Rhode Island, as well as Democratic-held Oregon, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine.
Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin along with Florida are considered presidential swing states and among the biggest prizes in Tuesday's voting.
Florida, decisive in the bitterly contested 2000 race for the White House, appeared likely to remain in Republican hands. Gov. Jeb Bush could not seek re-election because he was limited to two consecutive terms.
- REUTERS
