Great piece on NRO today by Ramesh giving the lay of the land on gubernatorial races. Republicans can take some small comfort that expected losses in big states such as Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan may be partially offset by GOP pickups in smaller states stretching across the country from New Hampshire to Hawaii. One potential Republican pickup that Ramesh didn’t mention, however, is in Alabama, where incumbent Democrat Don Siegelman is facing a strong challenge from Republican Congressman Bob Riley. The latest polls show Riley with a small to medium-sized lead. With possible GOP gains in some Southern legislatures, a pickup of the South Carolina governor’s seat, reelected GOP incumbents in Florida and Texas, and a possible defense of the Tennessee governor’s seat by another Congressman, Van Hilleary, Republicans in Dixie may feel better tonight than their counterparts nationwide. A sour note will be the expected defeat of Arkansas Sen. Hutchinson, who did it to himself.