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By Perry Bacon Jr.

MIAMI-Democrats are aggressively contesting some of the most important gubernatorial seats in the country this fall and could gain power in statehouses even if they lose influence on Capitol Hill after November as expected.

Polls show Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Florida, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and even deeply-red Kansas could upset Republican incumbents. Many of these key races are in blue states, and the rising unpopularity of President Obama does not hobble Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls as much congressional candidates, who must say if they will vote for or against his agenda.

If they win, these Democratic candidates could implement major policy changes on the state level, such as expanding Medicaid and further entrenching Obamacare, increasing the minimum wage, joining forces with the Obama administration on reducing U.S. carbon emissions and rolling back GOP-backed provisions that Democrats say make it harder to vote.

With gubernatorial victories in sight, Vice-President Biden and former President Clinton have gone to Florida, Maine and Michigan over the last two weeks to campaign for Democratic candidates. Hillary Clinton is raising money for the Democratic Governors Association this Friday in New York. Democrats are generally wary of being on the campaign trail with an increasingly unpopular Obama, but Florida Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Crist, looking to turn out minority and young voters, says he wants the president to campaign with him here.

Currently, 29 of the nations 50 governors are Republicans, so a strong showing by Democrats could put them in control of a majority of the nations statehouses, where many of the countrys laws are now written because of the stalemate in Washington between congressional Republicans and Obama.

The minimum wage, equal pay, restoring these education cuts, building the middle class and educating our kids for the future, and getting this health care thing right, these things will not happen unless you also show up at the midterms, Clinton said at a rally for Crist in downtown Miami yesterday.

Florida, the nation's fourth-largest state and the biggest one that could flip (Texas is likely to elect another Republican this fall, California to re-elect Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat), is Ground Zero in the gubernatorial contests.

Washington is obsessed with House and Senate races, but pays far too little attention to governors races

Crist, who was the states governor from 2007-2011 when he was a Republican, has completed a radical political reinvention to become Floridas Democratic candidate. And the white-haired 58-year-old has the passion of a convert, taking unabashedly liberal stands on a number of issues.

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How Democrats Could Gain Power This Fall

CBS: Obamas Sinking Poll Numbers Have Democrats Depressed
CBS: Obama #39;s Sinking Poll Numbers Have Democrats Depressed (September 2, 2014)

By: GOPICYMI

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CBS: Obamas Sinking Poll Numbers Have Democrats Depressed - Video

In this June 23, 2014 photo, people wait in line to meet with recruiters during a job fair in Philadelphia.AP

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A funky Friday for Democrats

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A FUNKY FRIDAY FOR DEMOCRATS Heres a thought experiment: If someone had told you a year ago that the jobs report out today would be miserable, that Americans would be feeling levels of anxiety on national security not seen in years and that the presidents job approval rating would have skidded to 38 percent, how would you have forecast the elections two months away? What if you also knew that Democrats had committed a series of unforced errors, including a senator dropping his candidacy over plagiarism and a star recruit accidentally posting her whole campaign strategy online? What if you also knew that no Republican incumbents had been unseated in primaries? There are plenty of factors to consider, particularly Democratic spending advantages, but today provides a snapshot of a cycle that is tilting out of control for the majority party. Badly. Remember today the next time someone is trying to tell you that the atmosphere this year is anything other than brutal for Democrats.

OBAMACARE HACKED AND STACKED AGAINST DEMOCRATSThe emerging conventional wisdom is that voters are kind of over ObamaCare and that the midterm elections are about other things. But thats sort of like saying that people are over fire being hot: It may not be a surprise anymore but it still matters quite a lot, especially when it flares up. Just consider the news that, true to widespread and oft-repeated warnings, hackers breached the site for the program and that the incursion went undetected for six weeks. The problem is that it comes as a surprise to no one since the administration ignored its own security requirements and plowed ahead with the now infamous launch. President Obamas signature entitlement program has been helped by low expectations following its 2013 crash ObamaCare: Not Dead Yet! but every time Americans are reminded about the botched and bungled implementation, it further hardens opposition to the law. What really matters, though, is whats coming in the two months before the election.

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A funky Friday for Democrats

AUSTIN The numbers are in on a state-issued, free election photo ID card, and Texas Democrats say theyre a sign the state needs to beef up its efforts to reach voters.

In the first 14 months that the card formally known as the Election Identification Certificate has been offered, the state has issued just 279 election IDs.

That number represents practically zero percent of the estimated 1.3 million registered voters who dont have a drivers license and are in need of a photo ID to vote under state law, 10 Senate Democrats said in a letter this week to Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry, whose office oversees elections.

Texas Democrats say theyre worried about how many registered voters will be barred from voting in November. With federal, state and county offices on the ballot, its the highest-interest election yet since the law requiring photo ID took effect.

Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for Berry, says in the statewide elections held since the vote went into effect, the agency didnt see any widespread problems.

The states voter ID law is on trial in a federal court in Corpus Christi. Republicans contend it is needed to prevent voter fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice, state civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers say the law is discriminatory to minorities who are less likely to own a drivers license.

The same barriers that prevented these Texans from obtaining a driver's license or ID card before the bill are the same barriers that persist under the lesser-known [certificate] program, Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said in a written statement.

The certificate provision was added to the law as Democrats complained about possible disenfranchisement. It allows for a free ID card for voting only, but Democrats have complained of hurdles to getting the ID.

They include the travel to a state office, having to take time off from work to get an ID, and documents to prove citizenship. Birth certificates can cost $42, a sizable chunk of some Texans monthly income, plaintiffs have argued in the trial.

The EIC effort needs to be more targeted in identifying these Texans to ensure we havent taken away their right to vote, he said.

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Texas Democrats urge state to step up efforts to reach voters who need photo IDs

Three of the U.S. Senates most vulnerable Democrats in this years midterm elections are urging President Barack Obama against immediately proceeding with executive orders to revise U.S. immigration policy.

Senator Mark Begich of Alaska says Obamas priority should be border security, while Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire say Obama should not act unilaterally on immigration even though the Republican-led House is unlikely to take up the issue on its own.

The Democrat-led Senate last year passed a bipartisan bill to create a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants.

I am extremely disappointed that the House has stalled on comprehensive immigration reform, but this is an issue that I believe should be addressed legislatively and not through executive order, Hagan said in a statement.

Obama said yesterday that hell announce soon his executive action on immigration, further muddying an administration timeline thats been a source of friction with Democrats like Hagan, Shaheen and Begich who are up for re-election in closely contested races. North Carolina and Alaska are rated tossups by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, while the New Hampshire race leans Democratic.

Obama said his goals are to put more resources into border enforcement, encourage legal immigration and give undocumented immigrants whove been in the U.S. for an extended period a path to legal status so they can pay taxes. He said he has begun to receive some of the recommendations he sought from his cabinet members on actions he can take unilaterally.

Republicans need a net gain of six seats to take control of the 100-member Senate. While action by Obama would energize Hispanic voters for Democratic candidates, polls in some battleground states indicate the prospect of an executive order may spur Republican turnout.

After House Republicans made clear they wouldnt bring immigration legislation up for a vote, Obama said in June he wanted the recommendations from Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson before the end of summer and that he would act without further delay.

Shaheen also issued a statement saying that she would not support a piecemeal approach issued by executive order. She said she believes that House Republicans should pass the bipartisan reform bill the Senate cleared last year.

Begich said in an e-mail that securing our borders has to be the priority, and that should be the presidents focus.

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Senate Democrats Urge Obama Against Orders on Immigration