In the past few weeks, we've followed the initial rummmblings of the 2010 House of Representatives and Senate races on Twitter. Naturally, we thought we'd poke into the upcoming gubernatorial elections as well, if for no other reason than to use the word "gubernatorial."

Nearly every single candidate in the 11 hottest races for Governor is active on Twitter, a much better showing than the Congressional candidates, a surprising number of whom were nowhere to be seen in social media. 

One major variable is the size of each gubernatorial tweeter's flock --- some candidates are Twitter superstars, others ... well, let's just say I have a bigger following and I'm not running for office in any way. The disparity in followers could imply anything from actual popularity to Internet savvy to the engagement of followers and constituents. In any case, it will make for some fun watching and political handicapping between now and November.

Here's an early look at how the hottest races for Governor are shaping up on Twitter: 

California

Goodbye, Governator. Although CQ rates the state as a solid "leans Democratic", the nominally Republican 6-year administration under Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar has proven the state's politics to be nothing if unconventional. RealClearPolitics is currently predicting a +1.8 margin for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Although marijuana legalization is something all (except the princeliest of candidates) can agree to shun, all Californian gubernatorial candidates have embraced Twitter (mayhaps to offset their astronomical campaign costs?).

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers 

Jerry Brown (D)  1,136,304

Meg Whitman (R)  230,659 

Steve Poizner (R)  215,616

and Prince Frederic von Anhalt (I)   34

Colorado

Considering it is both dubbed a "toss-up" on CQ Politics and being tracked under RealClearPolitics' thumb, Colorado's is a gubernatorial race to watch this year. With Governor Ritter retiring, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will tee off with former Congressman Scott McInnis. Mayor Hickenlooper is relatively new to Twitter, with his first tweet having been on March 6th. Despite his popularity as a Mayor, it seems that Twitter was a tool too obviously useful to pass on.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers  

Scott McInnis (R)  2,424

John Hickenlooper (D)  201

Florida

Governor Charlie Crist is passing on the opportunity to run for re-election and opting to run for Mel Martinez's vacated Senate seat. The gubernatorial race in Florida has been covered on RealClearPolitics and was dubbed as another "toss-up" political state by CQ Politics. 

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers  

Bill McCollum (R)  3,170

Alex Sink (D)  2,887

Paula Dockery (R)  1,373

Darrin McGillis (D)  977  

Farid Khavari (D)  844 

Michael E. Arth (D) 759

Hawaii 

With Republican Governor Linda Lingle heading out due to term restrictions, there's an open bid for the gubernatorial mansion and it's looking like it might go to a Democrat. Despite complaints of the candidates' inability to optimize their websites for search engines, all candidates boast comparatively sizable Twitter flocks, especially Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers  

Mufi Hannemann (D)  636,767

Neil Abercrombie (D)   5,917

Duke Aiona (R) 2,542

Iowa 

With current Governor Chet Culver and former Governor Terry Branstad, Iowa's 2010 Gubernatorial race will be a tough one, which is even more reason to tweet (especially for Libertarian Candidate Dr. Eric Cooper). 

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers   

Bob Vander Plaats (R)  10,209

Chet Culver (D)  1,406

Terry Branstad (R)  724

Rod Roberts (R)  330

Eric Cooper (I)   5

Massachusetts 

In light of recent events, CQ Politics has changed Massachusetts' gubernatorial race status from "leans Democratic" to "toss-up". Although it may sound like an arbitrary changing of the color of the terrorist watch code (today is orange, yesterday was yellow...), it implies a far shakier reelection campaign for Governor Patrick.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers   

Deval Patrick (D)   10,935

Tim Cahill (I)   484

Christy Mihos (R)   238

Grace Ross (D)   148

Jill Stein (I)    80

Charles Baker (R)   24

Michigan

Current Governor Jennifer Granholm cannot seek reelection to a third term, so plenty of candidates have clamored to replace her. Considering the deadline to be nominated for the August primaries isn't until May 11, the current pool of candidates is quite crowded. Nonetheless, frontrunners are emerging, and Twitter is a useful way to build brand loyalty before (and after) filing deadlines pass.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers    

Pete Hoekstra (R)   9,284

Mike Cox (R)   2,992

Virg Bernero (D)   1,113

Mike Bouchard (R)    1,069

Rick Snyder (R)    981

Tim Rujan (R)  360

Tom George (R)    240

Andy Dillon (D)    175    

Alma Wheeler Smith (D)   95

Nevada 

Although Governor Jim Gibbons is running for reelection, a slew of scandals inspires doubt as to whether he will even gain the Republican nomination. CQ Politics has dubbed it a "toss-up" state and RealClearPolitics has the Republican Primary on its radar. North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon boasts the biggest flock, while his fellow candidates whose campaigns, including those of shamed Governor Gibbons and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's son Rory, could use Twitter as a means to assert their policies and real personalities over their personas.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers    

Mike Montandon (R)    2,455

Brian Sandoval (R)   528

Rory Reid (D)   462

Jim Gibbons (R)**  240

New York 

Governor David Paterson, who stepped up to office in March 2008 after Elliot Spitzer's resignation, is not campaigning for 2010. Moreover, no Democrat has announced their candidacy yet. The most likely nominee is State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo whose online presence only addresses his current position and he has protected his tweets, requiring his approval as to whether one can follow him and read his updates. Intriguing behavior, indeed, from one who is rumored to be running for Governor of New York.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers

Rick Lazio (R)   1,709

Andrew Cuomo (D)  128

Steve Levy (R)   127

Ohio 

Although the nominations are set, including incumbent Governor Ted Strickland, CQ Politics rates the race a "toss-up" and RealClearPolitics cites polls that show mixed outcomes. If the election was based on number of Twitter followers alone, we'd see a changing of the guard. Luckily for Governor Strickland, not all voters tweet. 

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers    

John Kasich (R)   10,807

Ted Strickland (D)   3,257

Wisconsin

Aside from being both a "toss-up" on CQ Politics' list and the indication on RealClearPolitics that Scott Walker and Mark Neumann will be tough competitors, the size of the candidate pool alone indicates that Wisconsin's will be a "hot" gubernatorial election this year.  Other novelties of this election is candidate that Jared Christiansen is an 18-year old manager at a McDonalds, or that Tim John's Twitter account is named "WIBeaconOfHope". Other potential candidates are Republicans Scott Paterick and John Schless, but their minimal online presence raises this correspondent's eyebrow.

Candidate, Party, Twitter Followers    

Scott Walker (R)   5,326

Mark Neumann (R)   3,564

Jared Christiansen (D)  310

Tom Barrett (D)  124

Tim John (D)   25

Mark Todd (R)  22

Dominic Reinwand (D)   15

Bill Ingram (R)

Candidates in "less hot" races utilize Twitter as much as their colleagues. South Carolina's Dwight Drake used Twitter to drop out of the race, and Peter Corroon has two accounts, one for his campaign for Governor of Utah and one as the current Mayor of Salt Lake City.

The fact that most gubernatorial candidates are on Twitter is a real testament to the social networking site's induction into the communicative fabric of our society, and may indeed be yet another battleground for election hopefuls. Stay tuned for more updates as the races evolve.