Annual State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2025
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Ballotpedia's 2025 study of competitiveness in state executive official elections found that 50% of incumbents (4 incumbents across 8 seats) did not seek re-election, leaving those seats open. That was more than the average rate of open state executive seats in odd-year elections from 2011-2023 (41.7%).
Our study also found that 53.8% of primaries were contested, meaning more than one candidate ran. That is lower than the average rate of contested primaries in odd years from 2011-2023 (56.3%).
Key sections of analysis on this page include:
Of the various types of executive offices, only seven exist in all 50 states: governor, attorney general, superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner.
Other state executive offices include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, auditor, public lands commissioner, tax commissioner, railroad commissioner, public education commissioner, mine inspector, executive council, state board of equalization, state board of education, and state board of regents. To read more about state executive official elections in 2025, click here.
Defining competitiveness
An election is considered more competitive when there is no incumbent running for re-election. This analysis examines both the degree of competitiveness, relative to past election years, and factors that may have contributed to the degree of competitiveness in the current year.
Incumbent advantage is frequently cited in political theory and its importance frequently debated. For example, data compiled by OpenSecrets.org shows the re-election rate for incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives was 85% or higher for each of the 28 two-year election cycles between 1964 and 2020. From 2010-2020, the re-election rate averaged 92.2%.
Incumbents not seeking re-election, 2011-2025
There were four open state executive office elections in 2025 without an incumbent on the general election ballot. As a percentage of all offices on the ballot, 50% of incumbents did not seek re-election. This was higher than the average for open offices in odd years from 2011-2023 (41.7%).
Click [Show] on the table below to view number totals:
| Open offices v. incumbents seeking re-election, 2010-2025 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offices up for election | Open offices | % Open offices | Incumbents seeking re-election | % Incumbents seeking re-election | |||
| 2025 | 8 | 4 | 50% | 4 | 50% | ||
| 2024 | 164 | 75 | 45.7% | 89 | 54.3% | ||
| 2023 | 36 | 17 | 47.2% | 19 | 52.8% | ||
| 2022 | 305 | 96 | 31.5% | 209 | 68.5% | ||
| 2021* | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 3 | 42.9% | ||
| 2020 | 166 | 60 | 36.1% | 106 | 63.9% | ||
| 2019 | 36 | 15 | 41.7% | 21 | 58.3% | ||
| 2018 | 298 | 114 | 38.3% | 184 | 61.7% | ||
| 2017* | 8 | 5 | 62.5% | 3 | 37.5% | ||
| 2016 | 93 | 42 | 45.2% | 51 | 54.8% | ||
| 2015 | 25 | 9 | 36.0% | 16 | 64.0% | ||
| 2014 | 226 | 74 | 32.7% | 152 | 67.3% | ||
| 2013* | 6 | 3 | 50.0% | 3 | 50.0% | ||
| 2012 | 94 | 27 | 28.7% | 67 | 71.3% | ||
| 2011 | 26 | 7 | 26.9% | 19 | 73.1% | ||
| Total | 1,498 | 551 | 36.8% | 947 | 63.2% | ||
*These results were not considered statistically significant due to small sample size.
Effect of term limits on competitiveness
Of the four open state executive seats in 2025, two of them (25% of the eight total seats up for election) occurred because term limits prevented the incumbent from running again.
Incumbents facing challengers
Incumbents in contested primaries
In 2025, four incumbents sought re-election, two (50%) ran in contested primaries.[1]
Incumbents defeated in primaries
No incumbents were defeated in primaries in 2025.
Incumbents contested in general elections
All four incumbents who sought re-election are contested in general elections. Those incumbents are:
Terms and definitions
Use the links below to view terms, definitions, and methodologies specific to the three competitiveness criteria:
See also
- State executive official elections, 2025
- Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 15, 2025
Footnotes
- ↑ The remaining incumbents either advanced directly to the general election without a primary being held.
