title: Republicans make gains in U.S. governors' races
text: (Reuters) - Republicans in Missouri, Vermont and New Hampshire won competitive governor’s races on Tuesday, though most of the 12 contests left power in the hands of the incumbent party. Here are the results. In one of the year’s closest gubernatorial races, Republican former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens edged Democrat Chris Koster, the state’s attorney general. Greitens will succeed Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat who has served the maximum two terms in office. Vermont elected a Republican, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, over Democrat Sue Minter, a former state transportation secretary. Scott succeeds retiring Governor Peter Shumlin, a Democrat. Democratic Governor Kate Brown held off a challenge by Republican Bud Pierce, an oncologist. Brown was sworn in last year after her predecessor, John Kitzhaber, resigned in scandal. The election is for the final two years of Kitzhaber’s term. Republican Eric Holcomb, the state’s lieutenant governor, beat Democrat John Gregg, a former state lawmaker. Holcomb entered the race after current Governor Mike Pence opted not to seek re-election in July when Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump chose him as his vice presidential running mate. Democratic businessman Jim Justice defeated Republican state Senate President Bill Cole. Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin was barred by term limits from running again.  Incumbent Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, won his re-election race against Democrat Mike Weinholtz, a healthcare executive. Herbert, who took office in 2009 after his predecessor, Jon Huntsman, resigned, won a second full term.  Republican Doug Burgum, a former Microsoft Corp executive, defeated Democratic State Representative Marvin Nelson in the solidly Republican state. Governor Jack Dalrymple, a Republican who was eligible to run for re-election in 2016, declined to seek another term. Democrat John Carney, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, beat Republican Colin Bonini, a state senator. Democratic Governor Jack Markell was prohibited by term limits from running for re-election to the position he has held since 2009. Drawing national attention because of a debate over transgender rights, Republican Governor Pat McCrory is seeking a second term against Roy Cooper, a Democrat who has been the state’s attorney general since 2001. Cooper held a razor-thin lead as of Wednesday morning. McCrory told supporters tallying an unknown number of provisional ballots could take until Nov. 18. Democratic Governor Steve Bullock is battling Republican tech entrepreneur Greg Gianforte to keep his seat. The race remained too close to call on Wednesday morning. Republican Chris Sununu defeated Democrat Colin Van Ostern to become the state’s next governor. Both candidates had been seeking to succeed Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Democratic Governor Jay Inslee defeated a challenge from Republican Bill Bryant, a businessman and former commissioner of the Port of Seattle. 