Election results, 2022: Secretaries of State
As a result of the 2022 elections, the partisan control of one secretary of state changed from Republican to Democrat. Democrats also won appointment control over another secretary of state—in Maryland—after winning that state's gubernatorial election.
- In Nevada, Cisco Aguilar (D) was elected secretary of state, succeeding incumbent Barbara Cegavske (R), who was term-limited. Nevada will remain with a divided government after the 2022 elections even though the partisan control of the secretary of state office changed. In Nevada's gubernatorial election, Joe Lombardo (R) defeated incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak (D).
- Wes Moore (D) was elected governor of Maryland, succeeding Larry Hogan (R), who was term-limited. This gave Democrats appointment control over the secretary of state's office. Maryland had at the time of the election a Republican secretary of state that Hogan appointed. Maryland will become a Democratic triplex after winning the governorship and also gaining appointment control over the secretary of state.
In the nine elections Ballotpedia designated as battlegrounds, five were in states with Democratic incumbents, and four were in states with Republican incumbents. Only the Nevada race changed partisan control from Republican to Democrat. All 15 incumbents that ran for re-election—8 Democrats and 7 Republicans—were re-elected.
In 47 states—all except Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah—the secretary of state is among the top executive offices. Although the duties and powers of individual secretaries of state vary, a common responsibility is management and oversight of elections and voter rolls, which are assigned to the secretary of state in 41 states. Other common responsibilities include registration of businesses, maintenance of state records, and certification of official documents.
Voters decided who would control 35 of the country’s 47 secretary of state offices on November 8, 2022. Twenty-seven offices were up for election, and eight offices’ appointment authorities were on the ballot.
Changes in partisan control
The following chart displays the number of secretary of state offices held by each party as of the 2022 elections and immediately after the elections took place.
| U.S. secretaries of state partisan breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2022 | After the 2022 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 20 | 22 (+2) | |
| Republican Party | 27 | 25 (-2) | |
| Total | 47 | 47 | |
The map below details control of each state's secretary of state office as a result of the 2022 elections.
Changes in triplex status
Only one state changed triplex status as a result of secretary of state elections in 2022. Maryland will become a Democratic triplex after that party won the governorship and also gained appointment control over the secretary of state.
Pre-election analysis
Partisan balance
The table below compares the control of the secretary of state offices before and after the 2022 elections..
List of secretary of state elections
There were 14 Republican-held secretary of state offices and 13 Democratic-held secretary of state offices on the ballot in 2022. The table below shows which states held secretary of state elections in 2022.
Table last updated December 20, 2022.
| Secretary of State elections, 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent running? | Battleground election? | Election winner | Last time office flipped | 2020 presidential result | 2018 election result[1] | 2022 election result |
| Alabama |  John Merrill |
No | No | Wes Allen |
2006 | R+25.4 | R+22.1 | R+34.8 |
| Arizona |  Katie Hobbs |
No | Yes | Adrian Fontes |
2018 | D+0.3 | D+0.8 | D+4.8 |
| Arkansas | John Thurston |
Yes | No | John Thurston |
2010 | R+27.6 | R+24.1 | R+34.2 |
| California | Shirley Weber |
Yes | No | Shirley Weber |
2006 | D+29.2 | D+29.0 | D+20.2 |
| Colorado | Jena Griswold |
Yes | No | Jena Griswold |
2018 | D+13.5 | D+8.0 | D+13.0 |
| Connecticut | Denise Merrill |
No | No | Stephanie Thomas |
1994 | D+20.1 | D+13.4 | D+12.5 |
| Georgia | Brad Raffensperger |
Yes | Yes | Brad Raffensperger |
2006 | D+0.2 | R+3.8 | R+9.2 |
| Idaho | Lawerence Denney |
No | No | Phil McGrane |
1966 | R+30.7 | R+25.0 | R+45.0 |
| Illinois | Jesse White |
No | No | Alexi Giannoulias |
1998 | D+17.0 | D+39.1 | D+9.7 |
| Indiana | Holli Sullivan |
Yes | Yes | Diego Morales |
1994 | R+16.0 | R+15.6 | R+13.9 |
| Iowa | Paul Pate |
Yes | No | Paul Pate |
2010 | R+8.2 | R+7.8 | R+20.2 |
| Kansas | Scott Schwab |
Yes | No | Scott Schwab |
2010 | R+14.6 | R+8.7 | R+19.7 |
| Massachusetts | William Galvin |
Yes | No | William Galvin |
1948 | D+33.5 | D+43.8 | D+37.9 |
| Michigan | Jocelyn Benson |
Yes | Yes | Jocelyn Benson |
2018 | D+2.8 | D+8.9 | D+14.0 |
| Minnesota | Steve Simon |
Yes | Yes | Steve Simon |
2006 | D+7.1 | D+8.7 | D+9.2 |
| Nebraska | Bob Evnen |
Yes | No | Bob Evnen |
1952 | R+19.1 | R+21.2 | R+100.0 |
| Nevada | Barbara Cegavske |
No | Yes | Cisco Aguilar |
2014 | D+2.4 | R+0.7 | D+2.2 |
| New Mexico | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
Yes | Yes | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
2016 | D+10.8 | D+20.6 | D+11.9 |
| North Dakota | Al Jaeger |
No | No | Michael Howe |
1992 | R+33.3 | R+8.1 | R+35.8 |
| Ohio | Frank LaRose |
Yes | No | Frank LaRose |
2010 | R+8.1 | R+3.7 | R+20.1 |
| Rhode Island | Nellie Gorbea |
No | No | Gregg Amore |
1994 | D+20.8 | D+34.9 | D+19.2 |
| South Carolina | Mark Hammond |
Yes | No | Mark Hammond |
1990 | R+11.7 | R+14.3 | R+26.8 |
| South Dakota | Steve Barnett |
No | No | Monae Johnson |
1978 | R+26.2 | R+30.4 | R+27.8 |
| Vermont | Jim Condos |
No | No | Sarah Copeland Hanzas |
1998 | D+35.1 | D+33.2 | D+30.0 |
| Washington | Steve Hobbs |
Yes | No | Steve Hobbs |
2021 | D+19.2 | R+7.3 | D+4.0 |
| Wisconsin | Douglas La Follette |
Yes | Yes | Douglas La Follette |
1974 | D+0.7 | D+5.5 | D+0.3 |
| Wyoming | Edward Buchanan |
No | No | Chuck Gray |
1994 | R+43.1 | R+42.0 | R+100.0 |
Battlegrounds
Ballotpedia identified nine of the 27 attorney general elections that took place in 2022 as battlegrounds: Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.
Of the nine, five were in states with Democratic incumbents, and four were in states with Republican incumbents. Two took place in states where the incumbent was a member of a different party than the candidate who won the 2020 presidential election in the state.
Battleground list
The following map displays all states that held elections for secretary of state in 2022 shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Battlegrounds are highlighted in brighter colors. Hover over a state for more information.
Current state government triplexes
See also
- Secretary of State elections, 2022
- Election results, 2022
- Election results, 2022: Governors
- Election results, 2022: State executive officials
- Election results, 2022: State government triplexes
- State executive official elections, 2022
- State government triplexes
- Secretary of State elections, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑ 2020 election for Vermont and Washington.
