United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006, in 36 states and two territories. The elections coincided with the midterm elections of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. Democrats won open Republican-held governorships in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio; and they defeated Republican incumbent Bob Ehrlich in Maryland while retaining all of their seats, including their lone open seat in Iowa. Meanwhile, Republicans held open seats in Florida, Idaho, and Nevada, as well as Alaska, where incumbent governor Frank Murkowski was defeated in the primary. Voters in the United States territories of Guam (then-Republican) and the United States Virgin Islands (then-Democratic, but term-limited) also chose their governors and voters elected a new mayor for the District of Columbia, the District's chief executive. As part of the 2006 Democratic sweep, Democrats did not lose a single incumbent or open seat to the Republicans in any congressional or gubernatorial contest. As of , this election marked the last time that the Democratic Party won gubernatorial elections in Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, or Wyoming. This was also the most recent cycle in which the Republican Party won governorships in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. Major parties The results of the 2006 elections gave Republicans 22 governors to the Democrats' 28, a reversal of the numbers held by the respective parties prior to the elections. There were 22 races in states that were previously held by Republicans, and 14 in states previously held by Democrats. Republicans held the majority of governorships from 1995 until 2007. Election ratings Race summary States Territories and federal district Closest races States where the margin of victory was under 5%: Minnesota, 1.0% Rhode Island, 2.0% Guam, 2.3% Nevada, 4.0% States where the margin of victory was under 10%: Maryland, 6.5% Florida, 7.1% Alaska, 7.4% Wisconsin, 7.5% Maine, 7.7% Oregon, 8.1% Idaho, 8.6% Texas, 9.2% Iowa, 9.4% Red denotes states won by Republicans. Blue denotes states won by Democrats. Alabama Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski, suffering poor approval ratings, was not favored to win renomination. An August 8 poll by Rasmussen Reports showed that going into the primary election his approval rating was at 27%, while his disapproval rating stood at 72%. Former Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and former state Railroad Commissioner John Binkley challenged Murkowski in the Republican primary. Former governor Tony Knowles was widely considered the favorite to