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As a result of the 2022 elections, four states changed triplex status. Three—Arizona,Maryland, andMassachusetts—switched from divided government to a Democratic triplex, and one—Iowa—switched from divided government to a Republican triplex.

Astate government triplex is a term used to describe when one political party holds the following three statewide offices:governor,attorney general, andsecretary of state.^[1] In states where the governor appoints the attorney general or secretary of state, Ballotpedia considers the governor's party as holding the office for the purposes of defining triplexes.^[2]

After the election, there are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and five states with divided governments where neither party has triplex control. Heading into the 2022 election, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and 9 divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

The states that changed triplex control:

• Arizona became a Democratic triplex asKatie Hobbs (D) won the open-seat governor's race to succeedDoug Ducey (R), andKris Mayes (D) won the open-seat attorney general race to succeedMark Brnovich (R).Adrian Fontes (D was elected secretary of state—succeeding Hobbs—to retain partisan control of that office for Democrats.
• Iowa became a Republican triplex asBrenna Bird (R) defeated incumbentTom Miller (D) for attorney general.Kim Reynolds (R) andPaul Pate (R) were re-elected governor and secretary of state, respectively.
• Maryland became a Democratic triplex asWes Moore (D) succeededLarry Hogan (R) as governor. This also gave the Democrats appointment control of the secretary of state.Anthony Brown (D) was elected attorney general.
• Massachusetts became a Democratic triplex asMaura Healey (D) won the open-seat race to succeedCharles Baker (R) as governor.Andrea Campbell (D) was elected attorney general andWilliam Galvin (D) was re-elected secretary of the commonwealth.

Two states had triplex offices change partisan control but remained as divided government triplexes:

• Nevada remained a divided government even though the partisan control of two triplex offices changed.Joe Lombardo (R) defeated incumbent Gov.Steve Sisolak (D).Cisco Aguilar (D) was elected secretary of state, succeeding incumbentBarbara Cegavske (R), who was term-limited. Incumbent attorney generalAaron Ford (D) won re-election.
• Vermont remained a divided government even though the partisan control of one office—attorney general—changed.Charity Clark (D) won the open-seat race to succeedSusanne Young (R) as attorney general.Phil Scott (R) was re-elected governor andSarah Copeland Hanzas (D) was elected secretary of state.

Recent news

All times are Eastern Standard Time.

December 29

• 2:53 p.m.: Arizona became a Democratic triplex after a recount determined thatKris Mayes (D) defeatedAbraham Hamadeh (R) in the open-seat attorney general race. Democrats had previously won the state's gubernatorial and secretary of state races.^[3]

November 28

• 9:40 a.m.: New Hampshire retained its status as a Republican triplex after Republicans were projected to retain control of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives. Republicans retained control of theNew Hampshire State Senate andChris Sununu (R) was re-elected governor.^[4]

November 23

• 9:06 p.m.: Alaska retained its status as a Republican triplex after incumbent Gov.Mike Dunleavy (R) defeatedLes Gara (D),Charlie Pierce (R), andBill Walker (I) in thegeneral election forgovernor of Alaska. The four candidates advanced from thetop-four primary on August 16, 2022. The Alaska Division of Elections released unofficial results showing Dunleavy winning 50.3% of the vote in the first round of ranked-choice voting, enough to win re-election outright.^[5]

November 21

• 11:29 p.m.: Wisconsin retained its status as a Democratic triplex after incumbentDoug La Follette (D) was projected as the winner in the general election forWisconsin secretary of state againstAmy Loudenbeck (R),Sharyl McFarland (G), andNeil Harmon (L). Earlier,Tony Evers (D) was re-electedgovernor andJosh Kaul (D) was re-electedattorney general.

November 11

• 10:36 p.m.: Nevada will be a divided triplex asJoe Lombardo (R) defeated incumbent Gov.Steve Sisolak (D). Incumbent attorney generalAaron Ford (D) won re-election andCisco Aguilar (D) will succeedBarbara Cegavske (R) as secretary of state.

Post-election state government triplexes

Pre-election state government triplexes

Pre-election analysis

Triplex offices, pre-election 2022
State	Governor	Election in 2022	Attorney general	Election in 2022	Secretary of State	Election in 2022
Alabama	Kay Ivey	Yes	Steve Marshall	Yes	John Merrill	Yes
Alaska	Mike Dunleavy	Yes	Treg Taylor	No	N/A	---
Arizona	Doug Ducey	Yes	Mark Brnovich	Yes	Katie Hobbs	Yes
Arkansas	Asa Hutchinson	Yes	Leslie Rutledge	Yes	John Thurston	Yes
California	Gavin Newsom	Yes	Rob Bonta	Yes	Shirley Weber	Yes
Colorado	Jared Polis	Yes	Phil Weiser	Yes	Jena Griswold	Yes
Connecticut	Ned Lamont	Yes	William Tong	Yes	Denise Merrill	Yes
Delaware	John Carney	No	Kathy Jennings	Yes		No
Florida	Ron DeSantis	Yes	Ashley B. Moody	Yes	Cord Byrd	No
Georgia	Brian Kemp	Yes	Chris Carr	Yes	Brad Raffensperger	Yes
Hawaii	David Ige	Yes	Holly Shikada	No	N/A	---
Idaho	Brad Little	Yes	Lawrence Wasden	Yes	Lawerence Denney	Yes
Illinois	J.B. Pritzker	Yes	Kwame Raoul	Yes	Jesse White	Yes
Indiana	Eric Holcomb	No	Todd Rokita	No	Holli Sullivan	Yes
Iowa	Kim Reynolds	Yes	Tom Miller	Yes	Paul Pate	Yes
Kansas	Laura Kelly	Yes	Derek Schmidt	Yes	Scott Schwab	Yes
Kentucky	Andy Beshear	No	Daniel Cameron	No	Michael Adams	No
Louisiana	John Bel Edwards	No	Jeff Landry	No	Kyle Ardoin	No
Maine	Janet Mills	Yes	Aaron Frey	No	Shenna Bellows	No
Maryland	Larry Hogan	Yes	Brian Frosh	Yes	John Wobensmith	No
Massachusetts	Charles D. Baker	Yes	Maura Healey	Yes	William Galvin	Yes
Michigan	Gretchen Whitmer	Yes	Dana Nessel	Yes	Jocelyn Benson	Yes
Minnesota	Tim Walz	Yes	Keith Ellison	Yes	Steve Simon	Yes
Mississippi	Tate Reeves	No	Lynn Fitch	No	Michael Watson	No
Missouri	Mike Parson	No	Eric Schmitt	No	Jay Ashcroft	No
Montana	Greg Gianforte	No	Austin Knudsen	No	Christi Jacobsen	No
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	Yes	Doug Peterson	Yes	Bob Evnen	Yes
Nevada	Steve Sisolak	Yes	Aaron Ford	Yes	Barbara Cegavske	Yes
New Hampshire	Chris Sununu	Yes	John Formella	No	David Scanlan	No
New Jersey	Phil Murphy	No	Matt Platkin	No	Tahesha Way	No
New Mexico	Michelle Lujan Grisham	Yes	Hector Balderas	Yes	Maggie Toulouse Oliver	Yes
New York	Kathy Hochul	Yes	Letitia James	Yes	Robert Rodriguez	No
North Carolina	Roy Cooper	No	Josh Stein	No	Elaine Marshall	No
North Dakota	Doug Burgum	No	Drew Wrigley	Yes	Al Jaeger	Yes
Ohio	Mike DeWine	Yes	Dave Yost	Yes	Frank LaRose	Yes
Oklahoma	Kevin Stitt	Yes	John O'Connor	Yes	Brian Bingman	No
Oregon	Kate Brown	Yes	Ellen Rosenblum	No	Shemia Fagan	No
Pennsylvania	Tom Wolf	Yes	Josh Shapiro	No	Leigh Chapman	No
Rhode Island	Daniel McKee	Yes	Peter Neronha	Yes	Nellie Gorbea	Yes
South Carolina	Henry McMaster	Yes	Alan Wilson	Yes	Mark Hammond	Yes
South Dakota	Kristi Noem	Yes	Mark Vargo	Yes	Steve Barnett	Yes
Tennessee	Bill Lee	Yes	Jonathan Skrmetti	No	Tre Hargett	No
Texas	Greg Abbott	Yes	Ken Paxton	Yes	John Scott	No
Utah	Spencer Cox	No	Sean Reyes	No	N/A	---
Vermont	Phil Scott	Yes	T.J. Donovan	Yes	Jim Condos	Yes
Virginia	Glenn Youngkin	No	Jason Miyares	No	Kay Coles James	No
Washington	Jay Inslee	No	Bob Ferguson	No	Steve Hobbs	Yes
West Virginia	Jim Justice	No	Patrick Morrisey	No	Mac Warner	No
Wisconsin	Tony Evers	Yes	Josh Kaul	Yes	Douglas La Follette	Yes
Wyoming	Mark Gordon	Yes	Bridget Hill	No	Edward Buchanan	Yes

Changes in triplex status as a result of the 2020 elections

Thirteen states held elections for one or more triplex offices on November 3, 2020. Astate government triplex occurs when the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in a given state are all members of the same political party.

In the November 3 elections, Republicans and Democratseachgained triplex status in one state.

Heading into 2020, there were 36 state government triplexes: 19 Republican triplexes and 17 Democratic triplexes. The remaining 14 states were under divided control, meaning neither party had a triplex. As a result of the November 3 elections, the total number of triplexes increased to 38:20 Republican triplexes and18 Democratic triplexes. Twelve states remained under divided control.

Montana

As a result of the 2020 elections, Montana transitioned from divided control to a Republican triplex. Republicans flipped the governor's office and maintained control of the secretary of state and attorney general offices.

• Governor:Greg Gianforte (R) defeatedMike Cooney (D),Lyman Bishop (L), and write-inChris Hall (I). Incumbent Gov.Steve Bullock (D) was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

Oregon

As a result of the 2020 elections, Oregon transitioned from divided control to a Democratic triplex. Democrats flipped the secretary of state's office and maintained control of the attorney general office. Incumbent Gov.Kate Brown (D) was not up for re-election in 2020.

• Secretary of State:Shemia Fagan (D) defeatedKim Thatcher (R),Kyle Markley (L), andNathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party). IncumbentBev Clarno (R) did not run for re-election, which Brown made a condition of her appointment after the death of former Secretary of StateDennis Richardson (R).

Historical changes in triplex status (2010-2022)

2022

Non-election changes in 2022

On January 10, 2022,David Scanlan (R) was sworn in asNew Hampshire Secretary of State afterWilliam Gardner (D) retired. Scanlan's swearing-in created a Republican triplex in New Hampshire.

2021

The 2021state executive elections led to the following results:

• TheRepublican Party gained a triplex inVirginia, which had previously been a Democratic triplex.

Non-election changes in 2021

On November 22, 2021,Steve Hobbs (D) was sworn in asWashington Secretary of State afterKim Wyman (R) resigned to take a job in the Biden Administration. Hobbs' swearing-in created a Democratic triplex in Washington.

2020

The 2020state executive elections led to the following results:

• TheRepublican Party gained a triplex in Montana.
• TheDemocratic Party gained a triplex in Oregon

2019

The 2019state executive elections led to the following results:

• TheRepublican Party gained a triplex in Mississippi.

2018

The 2018state executive elections led to the following results:

• The Democratic Party gained a net six triplexes, while the Republican Party lost a net four triplexes.
  • Five states (Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, and Wisconsin) that had been under divided control gained Democratic triplexes.
  • Four states (Arizona, Kansas, North Dakota, Nevada) that previously had Republican triplexes lost those triplexes.
  • Alaska's independent triplex was replaced by a Republican triplex.
  • Michigan's Republican triplex was replaced by a Democratic triplex.

2017

The 2017state executive elections led to the following results:

• TheDemocratic Party gained a triplex inNew Jersey, which had previously been a Republican triplex.

Non-election changes in 2017
On August 3, 2017,West Virginia GovernorJim Justice changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican, giving theRepublican Party a triplex in the state.

2016

The 2016state executive elections led to the following results:

• The Republican Party gained one triplex, while the Democratic Party lost a net of two triplexes.
  • Democratic triplexes were replaced with divided control in three states (New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont).
  • Two states with divided control were replaced with triplexes (Missouri, which gained a Republican triplex, and North Carolina, which gained a Democratic triplex).

2015

The 2015state executive elections led to the following results:

• The Democratic Party and the Republican Party each lost one triplex. No party gained a triplex.
  • In Kentucky, a Democratic triplex was replaced with divided control.
  • In Louisiana, a Republican triplex was replaced with divided control.

2014

The 2014state executive elections led to the following results:

• The Republican Party gained a net one triplex, while the Democratic Party lost a net one triplex.
  • In three states (Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland), Democratic triplexes were replaced with divided control.
  • In two states (Arkansas, Nevada), divided control was replaced with Republican triplexes.
  • In Alaska, the Republican triplex was replaced with an independent triplex.

Non-election changes in 2014
TheTennessee Supreme Court appointedHerbert H. Slatery (R) to succeedRobert E. Cooper, Jr. (D) as attorney general. Slatery was sworn in on October 1, 2014, giving Republicans a triplex.

2013

The 2013state executive elections led to the following results:

• In Virginia, a Republican trifecta was replaced with a Democratic trifecta.

Non-election changes in 2013
On May 30, 2013, Rhode Island Gov.Lincoln Chafee, who was elected as an independent, registered as a Democrat. The change gave Rhode Island a Democratic triplex.

2012

The 2012state executive elections led to the following results:

• The Democratic Party lost three triplexes and the Republican Party lost one.
  • In Pennsylvania, the Republican triplex was replaced with divided control.
  • In three states (Montana, North Carolina, and West Virginia), Democratic triplexes were replaced with divided control.

Non-election changes in 2012
On December 4, 2012, the Maine State Legislature appointedJanet T. Mills (D) asattorney general andMatthew Dunlap (D) assecretary of state, breaking the state's Republican triplex.

2011

Non-election changes in 2011
On February 3, 2011, Louisiana Attorney GeneralBuddy Caldwell, who was elected as a Democratic, registered as a Republican. The change gave Louisiana a Republican triplex.

On January 7, 2011, Kentucky GovernorSteve Beshear (D) appointedElaine Walker (D) to replaceTrey Grayson (R) as secretary of state. The change gave Kentucky a Democratic triplex.

2010

The 2010state executive elections led to the following results:

• The Democratic Party lost a net of two triplexes, while the Republican Party gained a net of seven triplexes.
  • In four states (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania), divided control was replaced with Republican triplexes.
  • In three states (Arkansas, Iowa, and New Mexico), Democratic triplexes were replaced with divided control.
  • In four states (California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Vermont), divided control was replaced with Democratic triplexes.
  • In Hawaii, a Republican triplex was replaced with a Democratic triplex.
  • In four states (Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Oklahoma), Democratic triplexes were replaced with Republican triplexes.

See also

• Election results, 2022
• Election results, 2022: Governors
• Election results, 2022: State executive officials
• State legislative elections, 2022
• Election results, 2023: State government triplexes
• State government triplexes

Footnotes