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Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2022
| 2022 Democratic Party primary elections |
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| Battleground primaries |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds State executive battlegrounds |
| Federal primaries |
| U.S. Senate primaries U.S. House primaries U.S. House primaries with multiple incumbents |
| State primaries |
| Gubernatorial primaries Attorney General primaries Secretary of State primaries State legislative primaries |
| Primary overviews |
| Democratic Party primaries, 2022 Republican Party primaries, 2022 Top-two and top-four battleground primaries, 2022 U.S. House battleground primaries, 2022 |
| Primaries by state |
Out of all top state executive offices, only the governor and attorney general exist in all 50 states, and only the governor is elected in all 50 states. As the chief executive officer, the governor is among the most powerful figures in state government. There were 36 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2022.
Of those 36 governor's offices, 16 were held by Democrats before the November 2022 elections, and 20 were held by Republicans.
On this page, you will find:
- Election dates and results
- List of seats up for election and pre-election incumbents
- List of Democratic primary candidates by state
- News and conflicts in these primaries
Click here for more on the Republican gubernatorial primaries in 2022.
Click here for more on the gubernatorial general elections in 2022.
Election dates and results
The following table details 2022 gubernatorial filing deadlines and primary dates in each state. The signature filing deadline was the date by which candidates had to file nominating signatures with election officials in order to have their name placed on the ballot.
| 2022 Election Dates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Filing deadline | Primary election | Primary winner | |||
| Alabama | January 28 | May 24/ June 21 runoff |
Yolanda Flowers | |||
| Alaska | June 1 | August 16 | Mike Dunleavy (R), Les Gara (D), Charlie Pierce (R), and Bill Walker (I)[1] | |||
| Arizona | April 4 | August 2 | Katie Hobbs | |||
| Arkansas | March 1 | May 24 | Chris Jones | |||
| California | March 11 | June 7 | Gavin Newsom | |||
| Colorado | March 15 | June 28 | Jared Polis | |||
| Connecticut | June 7 | August 9 | Ned Lamont | |||
| Florida | June 17 | August 23 | Charlie Crist | |||
| Georgia | March 11 | May 24 | Stacey Abrams | |||
| Hawaii | June 7 | August 13 | Joshua Green | |||
| Idaho | March 11 | May 17 | Stephen Heidt | |||
| Illinois | March 14 | June 28 | J.B. Pritzker | |||
| Iowa | March 18 | June 7 | Deidre DeJear | |||
| Kansas | June 1 | August 2 | Laura Kelly | |||
| Maine | March 15 | June 14 | Janet T. Mills | |||
| Maryland | April 15 | July 19 | Wes Moore | |||
| Massachusetts | June 7 | September 6 | Maura Healey | |||
| Michigan | April 19 | August 2 | Gretchen Whitmer | |||
| Minnesota | May 31 | August 9 | Bob Stefanowski | |||
| Nebraska | February 15 (incumbent) March 1 (non-incumbent) |
May 10 | Carol Blood | |||
| Nevada | March 18 | June 14 | Steve Sisolak | |||
| New Hampshire | June 10 | September 13 | Tom Sherman | |||
| New Mexico | March 24 | June 7 | Michelle Lujan Grisham | |||
| New York | April 7 | June 28 | Kathy Hochul | |||
| Ohio | February 2 | May 3 | Nan Whaley | |||
| Oklahoma | April 15 | June 28 | Joy Hofmeister | |||
| Oregon | March 8 | May 17 | Tina Kotek | |||
| Pennsylvania | March 15 | May 17 | Josh Shapiro | |||
| Rhode Island | July 15 | September 13 | Daniel McKee | |||
| South Carolina | March 30 | June 14 | Joe Cunningham | |||
| South Dakota | March 29 | June 7 | Jamie Smith | |||
| Tennessee | April 7 | August 4 | Jason Martin | |||
| Texas | December 13 | March 1 | Beto O'Rourke | |||
| Vermont | May 26 | August 9 | Brenda Siegel | |||
| Wisconsin | June 1 | August 9 | Tony Evers | |||
| Wyoming | May 27 | August 16 | Theresa Livingston | |||
Seats up for election
There are 20 Republican and 16 Democratic seats up for election in 2022. The table and map below show which states held gubernatorial elections in 2022.
By state
Alabama
Democratic primary candidates
- Yolanda Flowers ✔
- Patricia Jamieson
- Arthur Kennedy
- Chad Chig Martin
- Malika Sanders-Fortier ✔
- Doug Smith
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Alaska
Primary candidates
- Mike Dunleavy (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Les Gara (Democratic Party) ✔
- David Haeg (Republican Party)
- John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party)
- Christopher Kurka (Republican Party)
- William Nemec II (Independent)
- Charlie Pierce (Republican Party) ✔
- William Toien (Libertarian Party)
- Bruce Walden (Republican Party)
- Bill Walker (Independent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Arizona
Democratic primary candidates
- Katie Hobbs ✔
- Aaron Lieberman (unofficially withdrew)
- Marco Lopez
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Arkansas
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
California
Primary candidates
- Gavin Newsom (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
- Ronald Anderson (Republican Party)
- Heather Collins (Green Party)
- Shawn Collins (Republican Party)
- Brian Dahle (Republican Party) ✔
- Anthony Fanara (Democratic Party)
- Serge Fiankan (Independent)
- James Hanink (Independent)
- Ron Jones (Republican Party)
- Jenny Rae Le Roux (Republican Party)
- David Lozano (Republican Party)
- Daniel Mercuri (Republican Party)
- Cristian Morales (Republican Party)
- Robert Newman (Republican Party)
- Armando Perez-Serrato (Democratic Party)
- Luis Rodriguez (Green Party)
- Woodrow Sanders III (Independent)
- Frederic Schultz (Independent)
- Reinette Senum (Independent)
- Michael Shellenberger (Independent)
- Lonnie Sortor (Republican Party)
- Anthony Trimino (Republican Party)
- Joel Ventresca (Democratic Party)
- Major Williams (Republican Party)
- Leo Zacky (Republican Party)
- Bradley Zink (Independent)
- Gurinder Bhangoo (Republican Party) (Write-in)
- Jeff Scott (American Independent Party of California) (Write-in)
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Colorado
Democratic primary candidates
- Jared Polis (Incumbent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Connecticut
Democratic primary candidates
This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
- Ned Lamont (Incumbent) ✔
Florida
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Georgia
Democratic primary candidates
Hawaii
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Idaho
Democratic primary candidates
- Stephen Heidt ✔
- David Reilly (Write-in)
- Shelby Rognstad (Write-in)
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Illinois
Democratic primary candidates
- J.B. Pritzker (Incumbent) ✔
- Beverly Miles
Iowa
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Kansas
Democratic primary candidates
- Laura Kelly (Incumbent) ✔
- Richard Karnowski
Maine
Democratic primary candidates
- Janet T. Mills (Incumbent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
Maryland
Democratic primary candidates
- Rushern Baker III (unofficially withdrew)
- Jon Baron
- Peter Franchot
- Douglas F. Gansler
- Ralph Jaffe
- Ashwani Jain
- John B. King Jr.
- Wes Moore ✔
- Tom Perez
- Jerry Segal
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Massachusetts
Democratic primary candidates
- Sonia Chang-Diaz (unofficially withdrew)
- Maura Healey ✔
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Michigan
Democratic primary candidates
- Gretchen Whitmer (Incumbent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
Minnesota
Democratic primary candidates
- Tim Walz (Incumbent) ✔
- Ole Savior
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Nebraska
Democratic primary candidates
Nevada
Democratic primary candidates
- Steve Sisolak (Incumbent) ✔
- Tom Collins
New Hampshire
Democratic primary candidates
New Mexico
Democratic primary candidates
- Michelle Lujan Grisham (Incumbent) ✔
New York
Democratic primary candidates
- Kathy Hochul (Incumbent) ✔
- Tom Suozzi
- Jumaane Williams
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Ohio
Democratic primary candidates
Oklahoma
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Oregon
Democratic primary candidates
- David Beem
- Julian Bell
- Wilson Bright
- George Carrillo
- Michael Cross
- Ifeanyichukwu Diru
- Peter Hall
- Tina Kotek ✔
- Keisha Merchant
- Tobias Read
- Patrick Starnes
- Dave Stauffer
- John Sweeney
- Michael Trimble
- Genevieve Wilson
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Pennsylvania
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
Rhode Island
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
South Carolina
Democratic primary candidates
South Dakota
Democratic primary candidates
This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
Did not make the ballot:
Tennessee
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Texas
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Vermont
Democratic primary candidates
Wisconsin
Democratic primary candidates
- Tony Evers (Incumbent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
Wyoming
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
News and conflicts in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primaries
The following were reprinted from Ballotpedia's The Heart of the Primaries newsletter, which captured stories related to conflicts within each major party.
September 8, 2022
Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial candidates participate in first televised debate
On Aug. 31, NBC 10 News hosted the first televised debate of Rhode Island's Democratic gubernatorial primary. All five candidates participated: incumbent Gov. Dan McKee, Dr. Luis Daniel Muñoz, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and former Secretary of State Matt Brown.
The Providence Journal’s Patrick Anderson and Katherine Gregg wrote that candidates "bashed the McKee administration for being the subject of an FBI investigation into an ill-fated education contract."
Gorbea said, "We cannot have a state that is known nationally for FBI investigations. … That is not the kind of Rhode Island that will generate the kind of economy that works for everybody."
Foulkes said, "The facts are, days into the governor's term he gave a $5-million contract to a friend of his for business that we already had where they were charging us $1 million."
McKee responded, "I know what I have done and what I haven't done. … And every decision I made as governor of the state of Rhode Island has been in the benefit of the people of the state of Rhode Island[.]"
McKee, Gorbea, and Foulkes have led in endorsements and polling. To watch the full debate, click here.
Gorbea also criticized McKee about the FBI investigation in a campaign ad. McKee countered in an ad saying, "Lies and false attacks, it's the worst kind of politics." Foulkes said in a recent ad that she was focused on policy and criticized both Gorbea's and McKee’s campaign ads.
McKee, formerly lieutenant governor, became governor in March 2021 after former Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) was appointed U.S. secretary of commerce.
The primary is Sept. 13.
August 25, 2022
Primary results roundup
Florida and New York held statewide primaries Tuesday, while Oklahoma held a statewide primary runoff. We were watching four battleground Democratic primaries in Florida and New York. Here’s how those races unfolded:
Florida gubernatorial: Charlie Crist defeated Nikki Fried and two other candidates in Florida’s gubernatorial primary.
Crist had 60% of the vote to Fried’s 35%.
Crist, a U.S. Representative, won a single term as governor in 2006 as a Republican. Fried was elected state agriculture commissioner in 2018.
Crist will face incumbent Ron DeSantis (R) and six other candidates in the general election. Forecasters rate that election as Likely Republican.
New York’s 10th District: Dan Goldman defeated incumbent Mondaire Jones in New York’s 10th District.
Goldman was first with 26% of the vote, followed by Yuh-Line Niou with 24%. Jones was in 3rd place with 18%.
Jones was elected to the 17th District in 2020 and ran in the 10th because of redistricting. The new 10th District does not overlap the old 17th District.
Goldman is a former prosecutor who was lead counsel during the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump (R). Niou has been a member of the state Assembly since 2017.
New York’s 12th District: Incumbent Jerrold Nadler defeated fellow incumbent Carolyn Maloney and two others, 55%-25%.
Nadler, who represents the 10th District, was running for re-election in the 12th following redistricting. This was the sixth and final incumbent v. incumbent primary of the year.
Both Nadler and Maloney were first elected in 1992 and campaigned as progressives. Nadler chairs the Judiciary Committee, and Maloney chairs the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Nadler’s endorsers included U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D) and Elizabeth Warren (D), while Maloney’s included the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and EMILY’s List.
New York’s 17th District: Incumbent Sean Maloney defeated Alessandra Biaggi, 66%-33%.
Maloney was first elected to Congress in 2012 and chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Biaggi was elected to the state Senate in 2018 and was deputy national operations manager for Hillary Clinton’s (D) 2016 presidential campaign.
Maloney currently represents the 18th District but is running in the 17th due to redistricting.
Biaggi cast herself as the progressive candidate in the race. Maloney’s endorsers included former President Bill Clinton (D) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D), while Biaggi’s included U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) and the Working Families Party.
Media analysis
The New York Times wrote that incumbents had performed better last night than in recent cycles:
| “ |
Not long ago, New York was a haven for young insurgent candidates who defeated powerful, well-funded incumbents up and down the ballot. But despite clamoring among some Democratic voters this summer for generational change, and simmering frustrations with Democratic leadership after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Tuesday was a strong night for the establishment, at least toward the top of the ticket. In a newly redrawn New York district that includes parts of Westchester County and the Hudson Valley, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, 56, who chairs the Democratic House campaign committee, easily dispatched a challenge from State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, 36, who ran to his left. In Manhattan, Suraj Patel, 38, a lawyer, ran an underdog campaign against Ms. Maloney and Mr. Nadler, two septuagenarians who were elected to Congress three decades ago. But his efforts to press a message that it was time for a new generation of leadership fell short against two established leaders. He came in third.[2] |
” |
Politico wrote about the effect of the Dobbs decision on the Florida gubernatorial primary:
| “ |
Everything we know about the overturning of Roe v. Wade is that it will likely be a major motivator for Democrats in the fall. What abortion does not appear to be — given Nikki Fried’s wipeout in the Florida gubernatorial primary on Tuesday night — is singularly determinative. Fried, the state agriculture commissioner — once heavily promoted as the future of the Democratic Party in the state — had spent much of the primary campaign casting her opponent, Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), as at best untrustworthy on the issue. Crist, a former Republican governor of the state before morphing into an independent and, eventually, a Democrat, said during his U.S. Senate run in 2010 that he would advocate for “pro-life legislative efforts.” Even days before this year’s primary, when asked if he was “pro-life,” Crist responded, “I’m for life, aren’t you?” before adding, “I’ve been pro-choice in every single decision I’ve made that affects a women’s right to choose.“ So, what’s more important to Democrats than Roe? Electability, it seems.[2] |
” |
Another poll shows McKee and Gorbea within margin of error in Rhode Island gubernatorial primary
A few updates since we last wrote about the Rhode Island governor’s race:
A 12 News/Roger Williams University poll released on Aug. 16 showed incumbent Gov. Dan McKee at 28% and Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea at 25%, within the 4.9 percentage point margin of error. Helena Foulkes, who has held a number of executive positions with CVS Health, came third at 14%. Twenty-one percent of poll respondents were undecided, and 42% said there was a good chance they might change their minds before the election.
McKee and Gorbea have been similarly close in other polls released over the past few months.
WPRI’s Ted Nesi and Tim White wrote, “With just a three-point gap separating the two frontrunners, Rhode Islanders are likely to see an intense four-week sprint to the Sept. 13 primary[.] … Multiple campaigns are revving up their paid media this week[.]”
Forward Rhode Island, a group affiliated with the Laborers International Union of America, is spending $500,000 supporting McKee. According to The Providence Journal’s Katherine Gregg, the group is airing an ad “saying [McKee] is a known quantity in the gun control, voting and abortion-rights arenas.” A new McKee ad highlights his tax policy.
According to Nesi and White, Gorbea is tripling her spending on ads heading into the primary. Gorbea recently began airing an ad in which she says, “As your governor, I will protect abortion rights no matter what.”
Nesi also reported that Foulkes’ campaign intends to spend $1.2 million in August and September. Her latest ad focuses on her healthcare background.
Former Secretary of State Matt Brown, who received 8% support in the 12 News poll, spent $50,000 on his first ad last week. In the ad, Brown and unofficial running mate Cynthia Mendes dance while their daughters speak to the camera, highlighting their parents’ support for progressive policies like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
August 18, 2022
Campaigns make final push in Florida's gubernatorial primary
Heading into Florida's Aug. 23 gubernatorial primary, candidates Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried are "flooding Floridians with phone calls, texts, door-to-door canvassers and mailers in the homestretch of an almost certain to be low-turnout" primary, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Recent polls have told very different stories about the state of the race. A St. Pete Polling survey from early August showed Crist leading Fried 56%-24%. A University of North Florida poll conducted last week showed them tied within the +/- 4.3 percentage point margin of error—Fried had 47% to Crist's 43%.
The winner will face Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Both Crist and Fried say they're the candidate most likely to defeat DeSantis in the general election.
Crist, a U.S. House member, said, "I’ve got the experience, I’ve done the job, I’ve raised the money, I’ve got the endorsement of every major newspaper in the state."
Fried, the state agriculture commissioner, said Democrats "see I’m the one who has taken on Ron DeSantis the last three and a half years, that I’m able to tackle him on issue after issue and that I can get into the trenches and not just throw punches, but land them."
Crist was elected governor as a Republican in 2006. He left the Republican Party in 2010 and lost the U.S. Senate election running as an independent that year. Crist ran for governor as a Democrat in 2014. Rick Scott (R) defeated Crist 48%-47%. Crist then defeated incumbent Rep. David Jolly (R) in the 2016 election for Florida's 13th Congressional District, 52%-48%.
Fried defeated Matt Caldwell (R) by 6,753 votes in the open agriculture commissioner race in 2018. Fried is the only Democrat to win statewide elected office in Florida since 2012 when Barack Obama (D) won the state in the presidential election, and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D) was re-elected. (Nelson lost his 2018 re-election bid to Scott.)
Finance reports through June 30 showed Crist raised $11.7 million to Fried's $2.5 million.
Three independent forecasters rate the general election Likely Republican.
See also
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2022 elections: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
Footnotes
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