While higher education was talked about by gubernatorial candidates in many races this year, it is hard to see a clear pattern (at least on that issue) in the election outcomes.
In Pennsylvania, a governor who presided over deep cuts to higher education lost a re-election bid, while in Maine such a candidate won. Governors in Wisconsin and Florida who were involved in major fights with faculty groups in higher education won re-election. So did governors in California and New York State who increased funding for public colleges and universities. Gubernatorial races were predicted to be an area where Democrats might be strong on Tuesday, but Republican victories extended to many statehouses.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/04/governors-races-and-impact-higher-education