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Though Republicans have their eyes on the Senate and the White House in 2012, their best chance of success might be in gubernatorial races. Thanks to big wins over the past two years, the number of states the party has to defend in 2012 is small, and the possibility of gaining a seat or two in November is promising.

But with their presidential candidates bullying each other on the national stage and extending the nominating process beyond what the party had anticipated, gubernatorial campaigns aren't planning to run on any coattails.

"The gubernatorial candidates are going to have to run their own campaigns," said Brian Nick, a Republican strategist working for Pat McCrory's gubernatorial campaign in North Carolina. Nick says a long and drawn-out primary damages the party's resources heading into the general election. "In 2008 in North Carolina, the Obama campaign heavily outspent [Republicans] . . . and that definitely had a huge effect on other races in the state," he noted.

The Republican Governors Association is prepared to tackle the battleground states regardless of who the presidential nominee may be and the influence his eventual organization might have. Given the uncertainty in that race and the dismal approval ratings of their colleagues on Capitol Hill, Republican governors find it incumbent upon themselves to show American voters what leadership in the GOP looks like.

With that in mind, they are working to establish a clear contrast between the dysfunction in Washington and the work being done -- such as pension and education reform -- by Republican governors, some of whom preside over Democratic legislatures. And they want to avoid the social issues that have been playing out on the national stage -- some which have trickled into statehouses like Virginia's -- and instead focus the election conversation on jobs and the economy.

The group has $27 million in cash, more than its Democratic counterparts, which allows it to spend a substantial amount of money in key states.

Republicans have just three governor's mansions to defend in the general election. Political handicappers are confident the GOP can keep North Dakota and Utah, and Indiana tilts in the party's favor. 

In the Hoosier State, Rep. Mike Pence is leaving Congress to run for governor and appears poised the win the seat, currently held by Republican Mitch Daniels. Pence has raised roughly $5 million, more than double the haul of his Democratic opponent, former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg. Given the cash advantage and Pence's name recognition in the state, national Republicans hope to not spend much money there. 

The party does have a recall on its hands in Wisconsin, where first-term Gov. Scott Walker will likely face a challenger this summer. The race concerns the party, but they are heartened by the fact that the recall won't take place on Election Day in November.

In addition to defending their current seats, Republicans are going on the offensive in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Washington state, Missouri and West Virginia, where they hope to snag Democratic seats. Here's a closer look at these races:

North Carolina

With Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue's decision not to seek re-election, Republicans are confident they can take North Carolina with McCrory, the former mayor of Charlotte, as their candidate. Democrats don't have a standard-bearer -- they had their sights set on Erskine Bowles, who declined to run. Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton is now the establishment pick, but former Rep. Bob Etheridge, who lost re-election in 2010, and state Rep. Bill Faison also plan on running. Party leaders, though, insist they will put up a good fight, and feel they have an advantage without Perdue, who faced low approval ratings, on the ballot.