Governors Who Opposed COVID Lockdowns See Margins of Victory Rise in 2022

Republican gubernatorial candidate for Florida Ron DeSantis waves to the crowd during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 8, 2022. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

In the 2022 midterm elections, governors who opposed prolonged COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and quickly allowed their states to reopen had an easier time winning reelection than they had in the 2018 elections.

In the Nov. 8 midterm elections, Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, and Jared Polis of Colorado all easily secured reelection, by an average of 18.1 percentage points.