Democrats there have consistently scored ahead of Republicans in the last three gubernatorial contests.
It would be the party's first gubernatorial primary contest in 12 years.
Republican and Democratic leaders say they hope that a heated gubernatorial contest will attract county voters to the polls.
They also found that the Governor held a 49 to 37 percent overall lead in the gubernatorial contest.
In an off year for politics, the race will be one of only two gubernatorial contests in the country.
The gubernatorial contest was a prelude to the 1964 national election in Mississippi.
The gubernatorial contest, however, was one of the closest in New York history.
Never before in the long history of Virginia politics has there been a gubernatorial contest quite like the 1989 race.
"This gubernatorial contest is better for what we have already done," she said.
By the time he had permanently returned to the state in mid-1951, it was too late to influence the gubernatorial contest.