Governor hopefuls distancing themselves from Clinton, Trump
In West Virginia, the Democrat running for governor has defended the coal industry while decrying his party's presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.
In Vermont, the Republican nominee for governor declared his support for transgender bathroom rights and denounced GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Those types of unconventional strategic calculations are helping to make for close races this year in several states.
A dozen governor's offices will be up for grabs in the Nov. 8 elections, including at least seven that appear competitive. The national Republican and Democratic governors associations already have spent more than $25 million in those states, according to an Associated Press analysis of financial reports and interviews.
