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BALTIMORE, Md. – Three Republican governors who spoke at their party’s House retreat Friday couldn’t seem happier to have some of their ideological allies controlling at least one part of government in the nation’s capital.

Governors Rick Perry of Texas, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Bob McDonnell of Virginia all complained of the Obama administration running roughshod, in the words of Mr. Perry, over them and stifling the economy and job growth with intrusive and ill-conceived policies.

Environmental restrictions and the health care legislation that House Republicans will vote to repeal next Wednesday were a special target of what the state executives decried as overreaching by the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats.

“The mandates that are in this legislation will most likely cripple health care delivery with a price tag that will bust our budgets,” Governor Perry complained about the health care law.

The governors emphasized that House Republicans only control one outpost of Congress but said that running the House at a minimum puts them in position to apply the brakes to what they determine is bad policy.

“We look forward to helping them explore the reality of the American economy and job creation and the effect of federal policies on that,” Governor Barbour said.

The governors also made it clear that were totally in sync with the views of many newly elected House Republicans and their call for a more literal interpretation of the Constitution with a greater emphasis on states’ rights.

Governor McDonnell said that for decades both Democrats and Republicans have ignored the section of the Constitution that strictly prescribes the duties of the federal government.

“In that list is not health care, not criminal justice law, it is not education and a lot of other things that are not on that list,” he said.

Mr. Barbour, considered a possible presidential candidate in 2012, was coy when asked if he was interested in joining House Republicans in running a piece of Washington from the White House. He said he first had to deal with a state legislative session and a budget and needed to “get through with my day job” before moving on to another one.

But he wasn’t hesitant in analyzing what the last election was about.

“This election was undoubtedly a repudiation of the Obama policy,” Mr. Barbour said.

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Tom Emmer, the Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, conceded the race to the Democrat Mark Dayton on Wednesday morning, ending the last undecided governor’s race from the 2010 midterm elections.

Speaking to reporters from the front porch of his home in the city of Delano, Mr. Emmer said he would not continue to challenge the election results.

“I do not believe a delay in seating the next governor will help to unite us or move our state forward,” Mr. Emmer said.

Mr. Dayton, a former United States senator, will become governor in January, replacing  Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who is considering a run for the White House in 2012. Mr. Dayton had led the race by about 8,700 votes, but state law required an automatic recount for a race that close.

Both campaigns challenged dozens of ballots in the recount that began on Nov. 29. The state’s canvassing board had planned to review the challenged ballots on Wednesday.

Many Minnesotans did not want to endure another bitter recount like the one that decided the Senate race in 2008, when the Democratic candidate, Al Franken, won after a nearly eight-month battle with Norm Coleman, the Republican incumbent.

Mr. Dayton’s win in Minnesota came as welcome news for Democrats after they lost several governors’ races in the midterm elections. In the Midwest, Republicans won statehouses formerly held by Democrats in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

During his phone call to concede the race, Mr. Emmer said he invited Mr. Dayton to come to his house to go ice skating in his backyard.

“Mark Dayton was not elected to be governor of Minnesota Democrats. He was elected to be the governor of the State of Minnesota,” Mr. Emmer said. “We congratulate him, and we offer to help him in any way we can.”

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Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland was elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association on Wednesday. He will preside over the next campaign cycle as Democrats seek to rebuild from their widespread losses in the 2010 midterm elections.

“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Mr. O’Malley said, speaking to his fellow Democratic governors at a luncheon in Washington. “Without a doubt, this is a time that will define us as a people, define us as a country.”

Mr. O’Malley succeeds Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, who has served two terms as chairman of the association. Gov. Bev Perdue of North Carolina was elected as vice chairwoman.

While Democrats lost several governors’ races across the country, particularly in key presidential battleground states, the party picked up seats currently held by Republicans in California, Connecticut, Hawaii and Vermont. The contest in Minnesota remains locked in a recount, but the Democratic candidate, Mark Dayton, holds a lead.

“I am 9,000 votes ahead and I am confident,” Mr. Dayton said Wednesday. “I’m very optimistic.”

The class of newly elected Republican and Democratic governors is spending a few days in Washington this week, holding meetings with Congressional leaders, members of the Cabinet and administration officials. The new governors, along with the incumbents, are each facing significant budget shortfalls as they grapple with a slow economic recovery and limited financial help from the federal government.

“We are in a fight,” Mr. O’Malley said. “It is a fight for our economic future.”

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas was elected last month to lead the Republican Governors Association. Mr. Perry, the longest-serving governor in the country, will lead the Republican Party’s efforts in retaining seats that are up for election next year in Louisiana, Mississippi and Kentucky.

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It’s a big day for the prez on Thursday, Dec. 2. He will welcome newly elected governors to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and powwow with advisers throughout the day before celebrating the Festival of Lights in the evening. Here’s what’s on deck: 9:45 a.m. — The president and vice president receive the presidential daily briefing in [...]

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who was easily elected to a second term last month, has been chosen to head the Democratic Governors Association, a platform that could thrust him into the national limelight O’Malley, taking over from Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, told the Baltimore Sun the DGA would not “run away” from liberal values, but [...]

Election officials in Minnesota began a massive recount on Monday to determine the winner of the only gubernatorial race that is still undecided from the 2010 midterm elections.

The Democratic candidate and former United States senator, Mark Dayton, has held a narrow lead of about 8,700 votes against Tom Emmer, his Republican opponent and a state representative. State law requires an automatic recount when a race is that close.

Election officials must review all 2.1 million ballots from the election by hand in a process that is expected to last about nine days. The state’s canvassing board will then review any ballot challenges and certify the results on Dec. 14.

The recount may feel like déjà vu for Minnesotans, who endured a long and bitter recount over a Senate race in 2008. The Democratic candidate, Al Franken, won the seat after a nearly eight month battle with Norm Coleman, the incumbent and Republican candidate.

“The recount is familiar territory for Minnesota election officials,” said John Aiken, a spokesman for the secretary of state.

The recount this time is not expected to last as long because there are fewer votes and the margin between the two candidates is bigger. In the 2008 election, Mr. Franken ended up winning by only 312 votes out of 2.9 million ballots cast.

The governor’s race in Minnesota could give Democrats an opportunity to pick up a seat after losing several governor races during the midterm elections. In the Midwest, Republicans won governor seats formerly held by Democrats in Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio.

Minnesota’s current governor, Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who did not seek re-election, is widely seen as considering a run for president.

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