Three-quarters of states will elect governors in the next 2 years. Here’s a field guide. The races could reveal the mood of the nation as it moves from the pandemic. Will the decisions governors made in 2020 become anchors or buoys for their careers? Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a press briefing on the coronavirus in the Red Room at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. | Darren McGee/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via AP Updated: Link Copied The year 2020 showed just how important governors are — and the next two years could dramatically reshape who occupies those offices. Thirty-eight of 50 states — accounting for nearly 85 percent of the U.S. population — will hold gubernatorial elections between 2021 and 2022. A dozen states are likely in play, if not more, raising the potential for one party to expand its influence across the nation. Republicans will have a four-seat advantage in statehouses starting in January, though the majority of Americans will still live under Democratic governors.