DemDaily: 2026 Governor’s Races. The Landscape!
September 16, 2025
While the political discourse has been focused on the two 2025 gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, the landscape of the 36 governors' elections in 2026 has begun to take shape.
Of the 50 US states, Democrats hold 23 gubernatorial seats to Republicans' 27. Of the three US territories up, two are held by Democrats and one by a GOP-leaning Independent.
As a state's highest-ranking elected official, Governors are administrators of their state, responsible for implementing state laws, crafting and managing a policy platform; and overseeing the budget, agencies, National Guard, and the state's executive branch. The scope of gubernatorial power varies from state to state, most significantly with the level of veto authority and term limits.
| The 2026 Governors Races: Republicans and Democrats are each defending nineteen of the 36 gubernatorial seats up next year, including the two 2025* gubernatorial contests. GOP states include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia,* and Wyoming. Democrats are defending Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey,* New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Territories: Guam and the US Virgin Islands' Democratic governors are term-limited, while Northern Marianas' GOP-leaning Independent governor is seeking a full term after his 2025 appointment. |
The Landscape
In the two 2021 gubernatorial elections, New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy narrowly won reelection, while Democrats lost the open Virginia seat vacated by term-limited Governor Ralph Northam (D) to Republican Glenn Youngkin.
In the 36 2022 gubernatorial elections, Democrats defended 16 seats (three open) and Republicans defended 20 (five open). Democrats flipped Maryland, Massachusetts and Arizona, and Republicans flipped Nevada, bringing the national total to 24 Democratic and 26 Republican governors.
Of the three 2023 contests, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat in an otherwise reliably red state, was easily reelected. Democrats lost Louisiana, held for two terms by moderate John Bel Edwards (D), and in Mississippi, Republican Governor Tate Reeves was reelected.
Of 2024's 11 gubernatorial elections, Democrats successfully defended their three -- all open -- with double-digit wins in Delaware (Matt Meyer), North Carolina (Josh Stein) and Washington (Bob Ferguson). As Republicans held onto their eight seats, the national partisan balance of 23D-27R remained unchanged.
| Governors serve four-year terms, except for Vermont and New Hampshire, where they serve for two years, but with no term limit. Virginia is the only state that limits its governor to one four-year term. Two-term limits are imposed in 37 states, and 13 have no term limits. |
Top Targets
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, elected in 2022 with 50.3% of the vote, is Democrats' most vulnerable incumbent. The leading contenders for the August 4, 2026 GOP gubernatorial primary are Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-5) and lawyer, real estate developer and former Arizona Board of Regents member Karrin Taylor Robson. A candidate for governor in 2022, Robson received the early endorsement of Donald Trump.
An August 8-11 Noble Predictive Insights poll of registered voters found Hobbs narrowly leading both Biggs, 39%-37%, and Robson, 40%-38%, in a head-to-head matchup. Trump carried Arizona with 52.2% in 2024.
The Copper State is one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election. The others are Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In top battleground Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was reelected in 2022 with 54.5% of the vote, is term-limited. Name Democratic contenders include Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who appears to be splitting the labor vote with Benson and Democratic Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who is running as an independent.
A packed Republican field includes Congressman John James (MI-10), State Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former State Attorney General Mike Cox, and former State House Speaker Tom Leonard. Trump narrowly won the Great Lakes State, 49.7%-48.3% in 2024. The primary is August 4, 2026.
In the critical swing state of Wisconsin, which Trump carried by less than 1%, two-term Democratic Governor Tony Evers is retiring. The top Democratic contenders in the August 11, 2026 primary are Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, with others waiting in the wings.
Just two Republicans have declared: Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and manufacturing executive Bill Berrien. However, a July 28-31 Fabrizio, Lee & Associates survey of likely voters showed strong support for Seventh District Congressman Tom Tiffany. who has yet to announce, but secured 40% of the vote to Schoemann 13% and Berrien 10%, with 37% undecided (MOE: ± 4%).
| Of the 23 Democratic Governors, eight are women — the most in history. |
Governor Joe Lombardo, the GOP's most at-risk incumbent, is running for reelection in the purple-blue battleground state of Nevada, where the electorate has shown a tendency to split tickets. Silver State voters awarded Trump a 50.59%-47.49% victory over Harris in 2024.
The former longtime Sheriff of Clark County, Lombardo unseated incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak in 2022 by just under 15,400 votes.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who has the endorsements of Nevada US Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, and Jacky Rosen, is considered the front-runner in the June 9 Democratic primary. Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill is also running, and Sisolak has not taken himself out of contention as yet.
In the GOP's most vulnerable open seat, Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited. Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Burt Jones, who has Trump's endorsement, is a lead contender, as is Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. The Peach State, which gave Trump a 2.2% victory in 2024, has emerged as a key battleground state in the last decade.
The competitive Democratic field is led by former White House Office of Public Engagement Director and former Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms, and former State Senator Jason Esteves. State Representative and 2022 candidate for Lieutenant Governor Derrick Jackson and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond are also running in the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary, as is former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan, who entered the race Tuesday as a Democrat, saying Georgians “deserve leaders with the courage to take on Donald Trump and do what’s right.”
Primary runoffs will take place on June 16, 2026, if no candidate surpasses the 50% threshold.
DemList will keep you informed.
DemList
Connecting You to The Party
Connecting You to Each Other
Kimberly Scott
Publisher
Please Support Our Work!
SignUp for the Daily updates on policy, politics and the players.
Follow DemList on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Sources: Ballotpedia, Politico, The 19th, MichiganAdvance, MLive, NPR, Savannah Now, CNN, BBC,DGA
