Update: 1:21 a.m. (ET)Democrat Gretchen Whitmer wins reelection for governor in Michigan, the AP reported.Update: 12:57 a.m. (ET)Democrat Ned Lamont wins reelection for governor in Connecticut, the AP reported.Update: 12:52 a.m. (ET)Democrat Janet Mills wins reelection for governor in Maine, the AP reported.Democrat Kathy Hochul wins reelection for governor in New York, the AP reported.Update: 12:47 a.m. (ET)Republican Brian Kemp wins reelection for governor in Georgia, the AP reported.Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham wins reelection for governor in New Mexico, the AP reported.Update: 12:16 a.m. (ET) Democrat Josh Shapiro wins election for governor in Pennsylvania, the AP reported. Update: 12 a.m. (ET)Democrat Josh Green wins election for governor in Hawaii, the AP reported. Update: 11:53 p.m. (ET) Republican Jim Pillen wins election for governor in Nebraska, the AP reported. Update: 11:40 p.m. (ET)Stacey Abrams has called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to concede in their rematch, a race that garnered national attention, the AP reported. Update: 11:25 p.m. (ET)Democrat Tim Walz wins reelection for governor in Minnesota, the AP has reported. Update: 11 p.m. (ET)Democrat Gavin Newsom wins reelection for governor in California, the AP has reported. Republican Brad Little wins reelection for governor in Idaho, the AP has reported. Update: 10:55 p.m. (ET) Republican Greg Abbott wins reelection for governor in Texas, the AP has reported. Republican Kristi Noem wins reelection for governor in South Dakota, the AP has reported. Update: 10:20 p.m. (ET) Republican Kevin Stitt wins reelection for governor in Oklahoma, the AP has reported. Update: 10:12 p.m. (ET) Republican Kevin Stitt wins reelection for governor in Oklahoma, the AP has reported.Update: 10 p.m. (ET) Democrat Jared Polis wins reelection for governor in Colorado, the AP has reported. Update: 9:45 p.m. (ET) Republican Phil Scott wins reelection for governor in Vermont, the AP has reported. Update: 9:00 p.m. (ET)The AP has called the election for the following governors:Republican Mike DeWine wins reelection for governor in Ohio.Republican Kim Reynolds wins reelection for governor in Iowa.Republican Mark Gordon wins reelection for governor in Wyoming. Update: 8:53 p.m. (ET)The AP has called the election for the following governors:Republican Henry McMaster wins reelection for governor in South Carolina.Democrat Daniel McKee wins reelection for governor in Rhode Island.Update: 8:30 p.m. (ET)The AP has called the election for the following governors:Republican Chris Sununu wins reelection for governor in New Hampshire.Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders wins election for governor in Arkansas.Update: 8:02 p.m. (ET)The AP has called the election for the following governors:Republican Kay Ivey wins reelection for governor in Alabama.Democrat JB Pritzker wins reelection for governor in Illinois.Democrat Wes Moore wins election for governor in Maryland.Democrat Maura Healey wins election for governor in Massachusetts.Republican Bill Lee wins reelection for governor in Tennessee.Republican Ron DeSantis wins reelection for governor in Florida.Original story below:Video above: Former Pennsylvania governors urge candidates to accept election resultsFrom the early days of Donald Trump's presidency, through the COVID-19 pandemic and following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the power of governors has been increasingly clear for Americans to see.There are 36 states holding gubernatorial elections that, while often less expensive than Senate races, are likely to yield more immediate impacts on the political landscape and could provide a launching pad for candidates with even higher aspirations — like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.Heading into the general election season, Republicans control 20 of the contested governor's seats to Democrats' 16. But many of the key battleground contests feature Democratic incumbents, elected during the 2018 "blue wave," trying to win a second term. In Michigan and Wisconsin, Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Tony Evers are likely Republicans' only obstacle to governing trifectas. The same goes in Pennsylvania – another state President Joe Biden flipped in 2020 – where Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro would likely face a GOP-controlled legislature if he defeats Republican nominee Doug Mastriano, a Trump-allied election denier.Republicans have stronger grips on the governors' mansions in the red states of Florida, Texas and Georgia. But those campaigns underscore the unique nature of these races – DeSantis in Florida and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are closely aligned with Trump and his movement, while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, because he didn't go along with the former President's 2020 election lies, has come under frequent criticism from his party's ascendant right. That, however, didn't stop him from subduing a Trump-backed primary challenger, strengthening his brand with Peach State Republicans.