Politico is reporting that by election day the Republican Governors Association will have raised - and likely spent - $30 million. That would be a record for the RGA.

RGA Executive Director Nick Ayers told Politico he hopes the money will allow Republicans to pick up a couple of governor’s mansions “in an election cycle when Democrats are expected to surge at the federal level.”

Eleven states are holding governor’s races this year; five of those governorships are now held by Republicans.

Political analyst Charlie Cook rates three as safe seats, and two - Indiana and Missouri - as tossups. Ayers said his organization intends to invest in those contests and use its cash to turn the races for Democrat-held seats in North Carolina and Delaware into tighter contests.

Delaware is rated by Cook as "Likely Democratic" and North Carolina has the longer-shot "Leans Democratic."
Washington is rated a toss up - the only Democratic seat rated that close. But the race doesn’t merit mention in the story. The RGA has said Republican challenger Dino Rossi’s race against Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is a priority for the group.

And there is every reason to believe national party money will flood the state this year. So far the Republican Governors Association has given about $170,000 to the state Republican Party. The Democratic Governors Association has given $210,000 to the state Democratic Party and $250,000 to Evergreen Progress, a new PAC that is getting most of its money from labor unions.