You wouldn’t know it by following the Senate-control-centric coverage of the midterm elections emanating from Washington, but we could well be headed toward a historic gubernatorial election in 15 days. 
 
 Not since 1984 have more than six sitting governors lost in any one election. But, 30 years after that gubernatorial carnage, a look at this year’s races puts 11 incumbents in various levels of peril — suggesting that history may be in the making. 
 
 Only one incumbent, however, is a goner for sure: Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett (R). Even the likes of Maine’s Paul LePage (R) and Illinois’ Pat Quinn (D), both of whom were left for dead months ago, appear to have a path — albeit not a wide one — to victory. 
 
 The striking competitiveness of so many races — and in such typically non-competitive places such as Kansas and Connecticut — has led to massive amounts of spending on TV ads. 
 
 According to the Center for Public Integrity, $379 million has been spent on commercials in the 36 gubernatorial races this fall — $58 million more than has been spent on ads in the 36 Senate races. That includes a stunning $62 million in ads in the Florida race between Gov. Rick Scott (R) and former governor Charlie Crist. In Illinois, Quinn and wealthy businessman Bruce Rauner (R) have spent almost $53 million on TV. And eight of the 10 candidates who have spent the most money on campaign commercials this cycle are running for governor. 
 
 History-making ain’t cheap, after all. 
 
 The races below are ranked in the order of a likely party switch. 
 
 13. Georgia (Republican-controlled): Gov. Nathan Deal (R) and state Sen. Jason Carter (D) are very close in the polls. With the libertarian candidate polling as high as 6 percent, it’s much more likely that Deal and Carter would go to a Dec. 2 runoff. And such runoffs are not kind to Democrats. 
 
 12. Massachusetts (Democratic-controlled): The most recent Boston Globe poll shows Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Charlie Baker tied at 41 percent. Baker has been outraising Coakley and stockpiling cash. This is a real race. 
 
 11. Alaska (R): Independent Bill Walker, who is running on a fusion ticket with former Democratic nominee Byron Mallott as his lieutenant governor, leads Gov. Sean Parnell (R) in most recent polls. But a Fox News poll showed Parnell up five points. And as the Senate race in Kansas showed us, independents can compete in red states if the Democrat drops out, but it can be hard to maintain that momentum once the GOP starts pegging you as the de facto Democrat. 
 
 10. Wisconsin (R): Just when it looked like Gov. Scott Walker (R) might be starting to build a lead, a new Marquette University Law School poll showed him tied with Democratic challenger Mary Burke. 
 
 9. Michigan (R): A string of recent polls show Gov. Rick Snyder (R) up on Mark Schauer (D). Republicans might be losing hope in the Wolverine State’s Senate race, but they should feel pretty good about where they are in the governor’s race, considering how big a target Snyder has had on his back all cycle. 
 
 8. Colorado (D): Democrats insist Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) has righted the ship by focusing on the economy, and they note that he has been drastically outspending former congressman Bob Beauprez (R) on TV. Sure. But the Real Clear Politics polling average gives the incumbent the smallest of edges — and suggests that Beauprez is still in the game. 
 
 7. Illinois (D): Quinn has survived by the skin of his teeth before, and it looks as if he might do it again. After polls showed him basically a goner, he has staged a pretty healthy comeback and has led within the margin of error in the last three polls. 
 
 6. Connecticut (D): Gov. Dan Malloy (D), running in a deep blue state, is one of the few Democrats who stand to benefit by associating himself with President Obama. But Obama canceled a campaign appearance last week to deal with the threat posed by Ebola. The most recent polls show Malloy recovering and drawing about even with Tom Foley (R). 
 
 5. Kansas (R): Don’t look now, but Gov. Sam Brownback (R) appears to be in slightly better shape. The most recent surveys from three pollsters that have regularly examined the race — Public Policy Polling, Fox News and SurveyUSA — all show Brownback gaining on Paul Davis (D), to varying degrees. 
 
 4. Florida (R): The big story last week was the bizarre argument over a fan at a debate. Scott, who showed up to the debate seven minutes late after a dispute over whether Crist could use the fan, probably came off looking worse. Meanwhile, this race is very tight. In the last three polls, the candidates have essentially been even. 
 
 3. Maine (R): In a two-way race, LePage (R) could never be reelected. Lucky for him, he faces not only Rep. Mike Michaud (D) but also independent Eliot Cutler. It’s still tough to see LePage winning, though; he has been remarkably controversial and is almost certainly too conservative for the state. 
 
 2. Arkansas (D): Democrats were thrilled when they lured former congressman Mike Ross (D) into this open-seat race. But it appears as though the conservative nature of the state is too much for him. Polling suggests that former congressman Asa Hutchinson (R) has a mid-single-digit lead and is likely to win. 
 
 1. Pennsylvania (R): Tom Wolf (D) hasn’t had a very high profile since cruising to a primary win in the spring. That’s a smart move because his opponent, incumbent Corbett (R), is extremely unpopular. Wolf is measuring the drapes in the governor’s mansion — and rightly so. ||||| Republicans’ decisive win Tuesday is likely to ensure that President Obama’s final two years in office are marked by a level of gridlock and stagnation that surpasses even the last four turgid years. And it raises the question of how the GOP will handle its new power. 
 
 RELATED: GOP takes the Senate 
 
 The GOP capitalized on Americans’ frustration with Washington to gain full control of Congress for the first time since 2006, while enlarging its House majority and winning several key governor’s races. 
 
 Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, 72, who held off a strong challenge from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, is in line to be the new Senate majority leader. 
 
 Close video Mitch McConnell: ‘We have a duty’ to work with Democrats After winning re-election, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., makes an appeal to help fix Congressional gridlock, saying “we do have an obligation to work together on issues where we can agree. I think we have a duty to do that.” embed like save share group 
 
 Still, Republicans have essentially refused to pass major legislation since taking the House in 2010, and, despite McConnell’s promises, the chances of getting anything significant accomplished are now even lower. That means pressing, national issues like immigration, climate change, the growing wage gap and infrastructure upgrades are set to remain on hold. 
 
 Instead, Obama will likely make frequent use of his veto pen in response to legislation passed by the GOP Congress. Whether that will include a repeal of Obamacare is uncertain, since few Republicans made the law a major campaign issue. 
 
 RELATED: Midterm voters not enthusiastic about 2016 presidential outlook 
 
 There were signs that the takeover of the Senate could embolden the GOP’s tea party wing and push the party even further to the right. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas refused to say in an interview with CNN that he would back McConnell for majority leader. And in a statement, House Speaker John Boehner didn’t even mention immigration as an issue that the Republican Congress might address. 
 
 “We are humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us, but this is not a time for celebration,” said Boehner. “It’s time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy.” 
 
 PHOTO ESSAY: Voters, young and old, take to polls 
 
 The loss of the Senate also puts at risk one power that Obama had largely continued to enjoy even after Republicans took the House in 2010: his ability to get judicial nominees confirmed. That means any potential vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court could turn into protracted political battles. 
 
 The impact on the 2016 presidential race is less clear. Republicans’ increased ability to stymie Obama’s agenda could ratchet up voters’ discontent even further, making them more eager to make a change by handing the White House to the GOP. But it could also make Republicans appear to be part of the problem, especially if they overreach in an effort to play to their conservative base. 
 
 RELATED: An Election Day tilt toward Republicans 
 
 The night was almost as complete a Republican victory as the famous “thumping,” in Obama’s words, that the GOP inflicted on Democrats in 2010. Exit polls suggested the results were driven by the president’s low approval ratings, and by dissatisfaction with an economic recovery that, despite the numbers, many Americans still aren’t feeling. 
 
 On the bright side, Republicans elected two female senators, one black senator, and one black, female representative. 
 
 Democratic Senate incumbents went down to defeat in Arkansas, Colorado, and North Carolina, with Republicans also picking up seats in Montana, West Virginia, Iowa, and South Dakota. 
 
 Many of the Senate races had appeared for much of the campaign to be headed for close finishes. And even going into election night, it looked very possible that control of the Senate wouldn’t be decided for weeks or months, with potentially decisive runoffs looming in Louisiana and Georgia, and Kansas independent Greg Orman declining to say which party he’d caucus with if elected. 
 
 Close video House Republicans set party record, 250 seats An msnbc panel discusses Republicans winning the largest majority they have ever held in the House of Representatives and whether John Boehner will be able to keep his more extremist colleagues in line. embed like save share group 
 
 But states like Kansas, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky , Iowa, and Colorado seemed to move en masse toward the GOP in the final weeks and days, with Republican candidates doing everything they could to make the contest about the president. 
 
 It’s not hard to see why. According to the NBC News national exit poll, the president’s approval rating was just 45% with voters, down nine points from when he won re-election two years ago. 
 
 Meanwhile, a whopping 70% of voters said the economy is not in good shape, with just 29% saying it’s doing well. 
 
 In races for governor, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker held off a challenge from Democrat Mary Burke, while Ohio’s John Kasich strolled to re-election. Those results put both men in potentially strong positions for 2016 presidential bids. 
 
 RELATED: The Obama factor in the 2014 midterm election 
 
 In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, held off Democrat Charlie Crist, who had previously served as governor of the state as a moderate Republican. In Texas, Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott cruised to victory over Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis — who once ignited her party’s hopes of making the country’s largest red-state competitive. In Illinois, Republican Bruce Rauner defeated incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn. And in a rare bright spot for Democrats, businessman Tom Wolf ousted the deeply unpopular Republican governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett.
– Florida Gov. Rick Scott will not hand his job back to former Gov. Charlie Crist. The Republican Scott fended off the challenge from Republican-turned-Democrat Crist tonight in one of the higher-profile races of the 36 gubernatorial contests on the ballot. Elsewhere, Wisconsin's Scott Walker defeated Mary Burke to keep his seat and, as the AP notes, remain a viable presidential candidate for 2016. In Texas, Wendy Davis' rise in state politics hit a major barrier, with state Attorney General Greg Abbott easily defeating the abortion rights advocate, reports the Austin American-Statesman. As one analyst observes, Davis probably could have won the red-state race only if Abbott made a major gaffe, and he didn't oblige. Also: Pennsylvania: Democrat Tom Wolf beat incumbent Republican Tom Corbett. Kansas: Republican incumbent Sam Brownback defeated Democrat Paul Davis, even though Brownback's conservative agenda had some members of his own party backing Davis. Maryland: After a surprise win over Democratic Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Republican businessman Larry Hogan will succeed Democrat Martin O'Malley. Massachusetts: Republican Charlie Baker won, defeating Democrat Martha Coakley's bid to become the first woman elected governor in her state. Illinois: Republican businessman Bruce Rauner prevailed in a tight contest to unseat incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn. Georgia: Jimmy Carter's grandson, Jason Carter, failed to unseat Republican Nathan Deal.