Lansing, Mich. ? The gap between Washington, D.C., and the states has rarely been wider. So it makes perfect sense that while Republican prospects in the midterm House elections look bright, the GOP situation in the gubernatorial races is bleak.

With George Bush in the White House, House Republicans have been aggressive in their stance. They pushed through a big tax cut and a major education reform last year, and this year they have pleased their constituents with further tax measures, a trade bill, and, this week, a prescription drug plan.

Some of these House victories were cosmetic, not substantive, and some were doomed to defeat in the Democratic Senate. But throughout, Republicans have been on the attack.

In the states, however, where Republicans have 23 governorships at stake and Democrats only 11, it is the GOP that is on the defensive. The slow economy has created budget problems in all but a handful of states, and Republican governors key allies of Bush are being forced to raise taxes, while their congressional colleagues have the fun of cutting them.

The contrast came into focus for me during a visit to Michigan last week. With Republicans controlling the governorship and both houses of the Legislature, the GOP redistricting plan destroyed the Democrats’ chances of maintaining their current advantage in the House delegation. Michigan is losing one seat, so the Republicans eliminated the districts of two Democrats, forced two others to run against each other in the August primary, strengthened virtually all their incumbents and created two new districts where the GOP candidates will be favored.

If things go according to form, a delegation that is now nine to seven Democratic will have nine Republicans and only six Democrats. That shift alone represents a major insurance policy for Republicans’ efforts to maintain their current 222-211 overall majority.

The Michigan maneuver is one of several reasons that the Cook Political Report, written by Amy Walter and edited by Charlie Cook, says, “Our view is that there is a 60 percent, perhaps even as high as 70 percent, chance that Republicans will hold onto their narrow majority in the House.”

By contrast, Republicans are clear underdogs to extend their 12-year grip on the Michigan governorship. Incumbent John Engler is term-limited, and the likely GOP nominee, Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, is up against formidable Democratic opposition.

The rivals for the Democratic nomination include former Gov. Jim Blanchard, the man Engler defeated to win his first term in 1990, Atty. Gen. Jennifer Granholm and Rep. David Bonior, the former House minority whip, who was one of those squeezed out by the Republican remap.

Bonior is lagging in the early polls, but has the support of the United Auto Workers and the state AFL-CIO, which gives him a ready-made grass-roots organization for the primary. Blanchard, still smarting from his narrow loss to Engler in a race which some Democrats think he took too casually, “is working harder than I have ever seen him work,” according to a veteran Democrat.

But Granholm is a phenomenon. A native of Canada and the product of the Wayne County Democratic machine, she was the only statewide Democratic winner in 1998, running as the protege of longtime and well-loved Atty. Gen. Frank Kelly, who retired to clear the way for her.

Though less convincing on state issues than her male rivals, she has campaign skills that a key Democratic legislator says “we haven’t seen in this state since the last time Bill Clinton ran.” If that seems excessive, he adds, “let me point out that every Democrat I know in a marginal state Senate race is supporting Granholm, because they want her at the top of the ticket.”

Early polls show both Blanchard and Granholm with wide leads over Posthumus, who has a minor challenge in the primary from state Sen. John Schwarz, who led John McCain’s successful run in the Michigan presidential primary.

Republicans also face races without their 1998 gubernatorial winners in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Democrats threaten in all but a couple of those states.

The GOP has offsetting opportunities in only six small states Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon and Vermont where Democratic incumbents are stepping down.

Thus, the paradox: A Republican House majority that has been notably irresponsible on taxes and often cynical on domestic legislation is likely to survive. Meantime, Republican governors, who are struggling to protect education and other vital programs while balancing their budgets in hard times, may take it on the chin.

David Broder is a columnist for Washington Post Writers Group.