Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2026
| 2026 Democratic Party primary elections |
|---|
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| Gubernatorial primaries Attorney General primaries Secretary of State primaries State legislative primaries |
| Primary overviews |
| Republican Party primaries, 2026 Democratic Party primaries, 2026 Top-two and top-four battleground primaries, 2026 U.S. House battleground primaries, 2026 |
| 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 are 36 gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2026.
Of those 36 governor's offices, 18 are held by Democrats prior to the November 2026 elections, and 18 are held by Republicans.
On this page, you will find:
- Click here for more on the Republican gubernatorial primaries in 2026.
- Click here for more on the gubernatorial general elections in 2026.
While this page includes links to pages on state executive elections in the U.S. Territories, it does not include the territories in its statistics.
Election dates
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.
| State | Filing deadline | Primary election |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | January 23 | May 19 |
| Alaska | June 1 | August 18 |
| Arizona | April 6 | August 4 |
| Arkansas | November 11 | March 3 |
| California | March 6 | June 2 |
| Colorado | March 18 | June 30 |
| Connecticut | June 9 | August 11 |
| Florida | June 12 | August 18 |
| Georgia | March 6 | May 19 |
| Hawaii | June 2 | August 8 |
| Idaho | February 27 | May 19 |
| Illinois | November 3 | March 17 |
| Iowa | March 13 | June 2 |
| Kansas | June 1 | August 4 |
| Maine | March 16 | June 9 |
| Maryland | February 24 | June 23 |
| Massachusetts | June 2 | September 1 |
| Michigan | April 21 | August 4 |
| Minnesota | June 2 | August 11 |
| Nebraska | February 17 (incumbent) March 2 (non-incumbent) | May 12 |
| Nevada | March 13 | June 9 |
| New Hampshire | June 12 | September 8 |
| New Mexico | February 3 | June 2 |
| New York | April 6 | June 23 |
| Ohio | February 4 | May 5 |
| Oklahoma | April 3 | June 16 |
| Oregon | March 3 (incumbent) March 10 (non-incumbent) | May 19 |
| Pennsylvania | March 10 | May 19 |
| Rhode Island | June 24 | September 8 |
| South Carolina | March 30 | June 9 |
| South Dakota | March 31 | June 2 |
| Tennessee | March 10 | August 6 |
| Texas | December 8 | March 3 |
| Vermont | May 28 | August 11 |
| Wisconsin | June 1 | August 11 |
| Wyoming | May 29 | August 18 |
Seats up for election
There are 18 Republican and 18 Democratic seats up for election in 2026. The table and map below show which states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2026.
By state
Note: Prior to filing deadlines, the following lists of potential and declared candidates are unofficial. They will be updated after each candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice a candidate who declared for election missing from the list or a candidate who withdrew still listed.
Alabama
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Alaska
Primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Arizona
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Katie Hobbs (Incumbent)
Arkansas
Democratic primary candidates
California
Primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Ethan Agarwal (Democratic Party)
- Jesse Alberti (No party preference)
- Xavier Becerra (Democratic Party)
- Chad Bianco (Republican Party)
- Ian Charles Calderon (Democratic Party)
- Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference)
- Sharifah Hardie (Republican Party)
- Lewis Herms (No party preference)
- Steve Hilton (Republican Party)
- Brandon Jones (Republican Party)
- Daniel Mercuri (Republican Party)
- Katie Porter (Democratic Party)
- Raji Rab (Democratic Party)
- Jon Slavet (Republican Party)
- George Slivka (Democratic Party)
- Thomas Steyer (Democratic Party)
- Eric Swalwell (Democratic Party)
- Nicholas Thompson (Libertarian Party)
- Tony Thurmond (Democratic Party)
- Antonio Villaraigosa (Democratic Party)
- Butch Ware (Green Party)
- Betty Yee (Democratic Party)
- Michael Younger (Democratic Party)
- Leo Zacky (Republican Party)
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Colorado
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Connecticut
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Ned Lamont (Incumbent)
- Joshua Elliott
Florida
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Faith E. Antonio
- Evelyn Castillo-Bach
- Richard Dembinsky
- Jerry Demings
- Thomas E. Fernandez
- Dayna Foster
- Indony Jean Baptiste
- David Jolly
- Charles Lewis I
- Donald Peterson
- Christopher Powell
- Jessica Vernekar
Georgia
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Guam
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Hawaii
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Idaho
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Illinois
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- J.B. Pritzker (Incumbent)
Did not make the ballot:
Iowa
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Kansas
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Maine
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Shenna Bellows
- Jason Cherry
- Kenneth Forrest Pinet
- Troy Dale Jackson
- Angus King III
- Hannah Pingree
- Nirav Shah
Maryland
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Wes Moore (Incumbent)
Massachusetts
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Maura Healey (Incumbent)
- Matthew Dewar
- Andrea James
Did not make the ballot:
Michigan
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Minnesota
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Did not make the ballot:
- Tim Walz (Incumbent)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Nebraska
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Nevada
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
New Hampshire
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
New Mexico
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
New York
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Kathy Hochul (Incumbent)
- Jean Anglade
Did not make the ballot:
Ohio
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Oklahoma
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Oregon
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Pennsylvania
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Josh Shapiro (Incumbent)
Rhode Island
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Daniel McKee (Incumbent)
- Helena Foulkes
- Gregory Stevens
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
South Carolina
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
South Dakota
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Tennessee
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Texas
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Patricia Abrego
- Chris Bell
- Bobby Cole
- Carlton Hart
- Gina Hinojosa
- Jose Navarro Balbuena
- Zach Vance
- Angela Villescaz
- Andrew White
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Vermont
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Wisconsin
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Mandela Barnes
- Joel Brennan
- David Crowley
- Francesca Hong
- Missy Hughes
- Brett Hulsey
- Sara Rodriguez
- Zachary Roper
- Kelda Roys
Did not make the ballot:
Wyoming
Democratic primary candidates
Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
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School boards
Recalls
See also
- Past gubernatorial elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
- Past state executive elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
- Past election analysis: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
Footnotes
