State executive official elections
Ballotpedia covers state executive offices in all 50states. These include:
Elections
2026
State executive offices up for election in 2026 include36 gubernatorial seats,31 lieutenant gubernatorial seats,30 attorney general seats, and26 secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there are 300 state executive offices up for election across 43 states in 2026.[1]
Heading into the 2026 elections, the partisan balance of state executive officials nationally is as follows:
- 24 Democratic governors and 26 Republican governors
- 21 Democratic lieutenant governors and 24
- 22 Democratic attorneys general, 27 Republican attorneys general, one nonpartisan attorney general
- 22 Democratic secretaries of state 25 Republican secretaries of state
State executives act in many capacities according to the powers granted to them by their state constitutions. They are also charged with implementing and enforcing laws made by state legislatures. There are 748executive seats spread across13 distinct types of offices in the United States.[2] Of the 13 executive offices, only seven exist in all 50 states:governor,attorney general,superintendent of schools,insurance commissioner,agriculture commissioner,labor commissioner, andpublic service commissioner.
State executive offices up for election in 2025 included twogubernatorial seats, twolieutenant gubernatorial seats, and oneattorney general seat. Including down-ballot races, there were eight state executive seats up for election across four states in 2025.[3]
State executive offices up for election in 2024 included 11 gubernatorial seats, nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10 attorney general seats, and seven secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 167 state executive seats up for election across 30 states in 2024.
2025
State executive offices up for election in 2025 included twogubernatorial seats, twolieutenant gubernatorial seats, and oneattorney general seat. Including down-ballot races, there were eight state executive seats up for election across four states in 2025.[4]
2024
State executive offices up for election in 2024 included 11gubernatorial seats, ninelieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10attorney general seats, and sevensecretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 167 state executive seats up for election across 30 states in 2024.[5]
2023
State executive offices up for election in 2023 includedgubernatorial,lieutenant gubernatorial,attorney general, andsecretary of state offices in three states. Including down-ballot races, there were 36 state executive offices up for election.[6]
The three states holding such elections in 2023 wereKentucky,Louisiana, andMississippi.
The November 7 elections kept the number of state government trifectas at 40—23 Republican and 17 Democratic—which was the highest number since at least 1992. Louisiana changed from a divided government to a Republican trifecta after Jeff Landry (R) was elected governor on Oct. 14. Kentucky remained a divided government after Gov. Andy Beshear (D) was re-elected governor.
After the elections, 10 states had divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. Before the 2023 elections, there were 22 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control.
State executives act in many capacities according to the powers granted to them by their state's constitution. They are also charged with implementing and enforcing laws made by state legislatures. There are 748executive seats spread across13 distinct types of offices in the United States.[7] Of the 13 executive offices, only seven exist in all 50 states:governor,attorney general,superintendent of schools,insurance commissioner,agriculture commissioner,labor commissioner, andpublic service commissioner.
Othercommon offices includelieutenant governor,secretary of state,treasurer,controller,auditor, andnatural resources commissioner.
2022
State executive offices up for election in 2022 included 36gubernatorial offices, 30lieutenant gubernatorial offices, 30attorney general offices, and 27secretary of state offices. Including down-ballot races, there were 307 state executive offices up for election across 44 states in 2022.[8]
See below for information on:
- Offices up for election
- Total executive offices by party
- Current state government trifectas
- Current state government triplexes
For November 8, 2022, election results, see:
2021
State executive offices up for election in 2021 includedgubernatorial seats,lieutenant gubernatorial seats, and anattorney general seat. Including down-ballot races, there were seven state executive offices up for election across four states in 2021.[9]
Additionally,California held arecall election for Gov.Gavin Newsom (D) on September 14, 2021.
2020
State executive offices up for election in 2020 included 11gubernatorial seats, ninelieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10attorney general seats, and sevensecretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 171 state executive offices up for election across 29 states in 2020.[10]
2019
State executive offices up for election in 2019 included threegubernatorial seats,lieutenant gubernatorial seats,attorney general seats, andsecretary of state seats.Kentucky andMississippi held elections on November 5, 2019.Louisiana held elections October 12, and general elections for some races took place November 16. Includingdown-ballot races, there were 36 state executive offices up for election across three states in 2019.
2018
State executive offices up for election in 2018 included36 gubernatorial seats,30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats,30 attorney general seats, and26 secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 282 state executive seats up for election across 43 states and the District of Columbia in 2018. This surpassed the 225 state executive elections covered by Ballotpedia in2014 and the 93 covered in2016.
2017
Three states held elections forsix state executive seats in 2017. New Jersey held elections forgovernor and lieutenant governor on a joint ticket. Virginia held elections forgovernor,lieutenant governor, andattorney general. Wisconsin held an election forsuperintendent of public instruction.
2016
Twenty-three states held elections for93 state executive seats in 2016. The following 11 states held regularly scheduled elections forgovernor:Delaware,Indiana,Missouri,Montana,New Hampshire,North Carolina,North Dakota,Utah,Vermont,Washington andWest Virginia.Oregon held a special election for governor, as well.
2015
Three states held elections for25 state executive seats in 2015. These states includedKentucky,Louisiana andMississippi.
2014
Forty-three states held elections for225 state executive seats in 2014. That was more than double the number of positions elected in2012.
2013
Three states held elections forsix state executive seats in 2013. Wisconsin held an election forsuperintendent of public instruction in April while both New Jersey and Virginia held November elections forgovernor andlieutenant governor. Virginia also held an election forattorney general.
2012
Twenty-two states held elections for94 state executive seats in 2012.Wisconsin also held a pair ofrecall elections forGov.Scott Walker (R) andLt. GovRebecca Kleefisch (R) on June 5, 2012.
2011
Four states held elections for26 state executive seats in 2011.
2010
Thirty-seven states held elections for gubernatorial offices,31 states held elections for lieutenant gubernatorial offices,26 states held elections for secretary of state offices, and30 states held elections for attorney general offices. Ballotpedia did not cover down-ballot state executive offices in 2010.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpediadefines the term, however, there are other executive offices that Ballotpedia does not cover in some states.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpediadefines the term, however there are other executive offices that Ballotpedia does not cover in some states.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
