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Gubernatorial elections, 2026

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State Executive Officials

State executive elections by position and year:

There are 36gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2026. These elections are inAlabama,Alaska,Arizona,Arkansas,California,Colorado,Connecticut,Florida,Georgia,Hawaii,Idaho,Illinois,Iowa,Kansas,Maine,Maryland,Massachusetts,Michigan,Minnesota,Nebraska,Nevada,New Hampshire,New Mexico,New York,Ohio,Oklahoma,Oregon,Pennsylvania,Rhode Island,South Carolina,South Dakota,Tennessee,Texas,Vermont,Wisconsin, andWyoming.

Of the 36 gubernatorial offices up for election in 2026, Democrats and Republicans each hold 18. Nationally,Republicans hold 26 governorships andDemocrats hold 24.

Fifteen incumbent governors are term-limited. Of those, six are Democrats and nine are Republicans.

Two states held gubernatorial elections in 2025, and 11 held gubernatorial elections in 2024. One state's governorship —Virginia's — changed from Republican to Democratic control in 2025. No state's governor's office changed party control in 2024.

Explore Ballotpedia's coverage of these elections:
  • Partisan balance
    The partisan balance of U.S. governors
    Read more
  • On the ballot
    A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
    Read more
  • Trifectas and triplexes
    Information on trifectas and triplexes
    Read more
  • About the office
    Information about governors across all 50 states
    Read more


Partisan balance

The following chart displays the number of governors' offices held by each party before and after the 2025 elections.

U.S. governors partisan breakdown
PartyAs of February 2026After the 2026 elections
Democratic24TBD
Republican26TBD
Total5050



The chart below shows historical partisan breakdown information for governors.

On the ballot

Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:

  • A list of seats up for election
  • A list of candidates running
  • Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
Seats up for election
List of candidates
What's on your ballot?

The table below show which states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2026.

2026 Gubernatorial Races
StateCurrent IncumbentTerm-limited (Y/N)
AlabamaKay IveyY
AlaskaMike DunleavyY
ArizonaKatie HobbsN
ArkansasSarah Huckabee SandersN
CaliforniaGavin NewsomY
ColoradoJared PolisY
ConnecticutNed LamontN
FloridaRon DeSantisY
GeorgiaBrian KempY
HawaiiJoshua GreenN
IdahoBrad LittleN
IllinoisJ.B. PritzkerN
IowaKim ReynoldsN
KansasLaura KellyY
MaineJanet T. MillsY
MarylandWes MooreN
MassachusettsMaura HealeyN
MichiganGretchen WhitmerY
MinnesotaTim WalzN
NebraskaJim PillenN
NevadaJoe LombardoN
New HampshireKelly AyotteN
New MexicoMichelle Lujan GrishamY
New YorkKathy HochulN
OhioMike DeWineY
OklahomaKevin StittY
OregonTina KotekN
PennsylvaniaJosh ShapiroN
Rhode IslandDaniel McKeeN
South CarolinaHenry McMasterY
South DakotaLarry RhodenN
TennesseeBill LeeY
TexasGreg AbbottN
VermontPhil ScottN
WisconsinTony EversN
WyomingMark GordonY

Trifectas and triplexes

The office of governor is a component of bothtrifectas andtriplexes. Click the tabs below to view the current status of trifectas and triplexes across the country.

Trifectas
Triplexes
See also:State government trifectas

State government trifecta is a term to describe single-party government, when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

As of February 17, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

Important dates and deadlines

The following table details 2026 gubernatorial filing deadlines and primary dates in each state. The signature filing deadline is the date by which candidates must file nominating signatures with election officials in order to have their name placed on the ballot.


2026 Election Dates
StateFiling deadlinePrimary election
AlabamaJanuary 23May 19
AlaskaJune 1August 18
ArizonaApril 6August 4
ArkansasNovember 11March 3
CaliforniaMarch 6June 2
ColoradoMarch 18June 30
ConnecticutJune 9August 11
FloridaJune 12August 18
GeorgiaMarch 6May 19
HawaiiJune 2August 8
IdahoFebruary 27May 19
IllinoisNovember 3March 17
IowaMarch 13June 2
KansasJune 1August 4
MaineMarch 16June 9
MarylandFebruary 24June 23
MassachusettsJune 2September 1
MichiganApril 21August 4
MinnesotaJune 2August 11
NebraskaFebruary 17 (incumbent)
March 2 (non-incumbent)
May 12
NevadaMarch 13June 9
New HampshireJune 12September 8
New MexicoFebruary 3June 2
New YorkApril 6June 23
OhioFebruary 4May 5
OklahomaApril 3June 16
OregonMarch 3 (incumbent)
March 10 (non-incumbent)
May 19
PennsylvaniaMarch 10May 19
Rhode IslandJune 24September 8
South CarolinaMarch 30June 9
South DakotaMarch 31June 2
TennesseeMarch 10August 6
TexasDecember 8March 3
VermontMay 28August 11
WisconsinJune 1August 11
WyomingMay 29August 18

About the office

See also:Governor (state executive office)

In the United States, the titlegovernor refers to the chief executive of each state. The governor is not directly subordinate to the federal authorities but is the political and ceremonial head of the state. The governor may also assume additional roles, such as the commander-in-chief of the National Guard when the role is not federalized. The governor may also have the ability to commute or pardon a criminal sentence.

In all states, the governor is directly elected and, in most cases, has considerable practical powers. Notable exceptions with weak governorships include the office of the governor inTexas, though this may be moderated by thestate legislature and, in some cases, by other elected executive officials. Governors can veto state bills. The specific duties and powers vary widely between states.

Compensation
Vacancy fill offices
Staff size
Involvement in budget proposals
Term limits
Line-item veto powers


According to compensation figures for 2023 compiled by the Council of State Governments in theBook of the States, the highest salary for a governor was $250,000 inNew York while the lowest was $70,000 inMaine. To view the compensation of a particular governor, hover your mouse over the state.[1]

Election coverage by office

Click the tiles below to navigate to 2026 election coverage:
  • U.S. Senate
    U.S. Senate
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  • U.S. House
    U.S. House
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  • Governors
    Governors
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  • Secretary of state
    Secretary of state
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  • Attorney general
    Attorney general
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  • Other state executives
    Other state executives
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  • State legislatures
    State legislatures
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  • State ballot measures
    State ballot measures
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  • Local ballot measures
    Local ballot measures
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  • State judges
    State judges
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  • Local judges
    Local judges
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  • Municipal government
    Municipal government
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  • School boards
    School boards
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  • Recalls
    Recalls
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See also

Footnotes

  1. Book of the States, "2023 edition: Chapter 4 - Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 18, 2024
  2. Council of State Governments'Book of the States 2022 Table 4.3: The Governors: Compensation, Staff, Travel and Residence provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
  3. 3.03.1Council of State Governments'Book of the States 2022 Table 4.4: The Governors: Powers provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
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