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Election results, 2023: Governors
Three states held elections for governor in 2023. Heading into the election, two states (Kentucky and Louisiana) had Democratic governors, while one state (Mississippi) had a Republican governor. Louisiana's governorship changed partisan hands, resulting in two Republican governors and one Democratic governor across the three states as a result of the elections.
Jeff Landry (R) won election as governor of Louisiana on October 14, 2023. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) was term-limited and unable to run for re-election. Landry's win meant Louisiana would change from a divided government to a Republican trifecta.
Incumbent Andy Beshear (D) defeated Daniel Cameron (R) to win re-election as governor of Kentucky. Beshear was first elected in 2019 when he defeated incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin (R) 49.2% to 48.8%. Beshear's win meant the state would remain under divided government until at least 2024, when the next state legislative elections were scheduled to be held. Democrats controlled the governorship, and Republicans controlled both legislative chambers.
Incumbent Tate Reeves (R) defeated Brandon Presley (D) to win re-election as governor of Mississippi. Reeves was first elected in 2019. His win meant the state would remain a Republican trifecta as Republicans maintained partisan control of both chambers of the state legislature.
Following the November 2023 elections, there were a total of 40 state government trifectas. This was the highest number of trifectas across the country since at least 1992. There were 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control.
As of October 31, 2023, The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated Kentucky either Lean Democratic or Tilt Democratic. They rated Louisiana and Mississippi as either Lean Republican or Likely Republican. On November 5, 2019, the same outlets rated Kentucky as either a Toss-Up or Lean Republican, Louisiana as a Toss-Up, and Mississippi as Lean Republican. To learn more click here.
On this page you will find:
- Partisan balance of governors
- Gubernatorial seats up for election in 2023
- Battleground gubernatorial elections
- Outside race ratings
- Current state government trifectas
- Current state government triplexes
Recent news
November 8
- 12:32 a.m.: Incumbent Tate Reeves (R) defeated Brandon Presley (D) to win re-election as governor of Mississippi.
November 7
- 9:07 p.m.: Incumbent Andy Beshear (D) defeated Daniel Cameron (R) in the battleground election for governor of Kentucky.
Offices on the ballot in 2023
In 2023, there were three gubernatorial offices—two held by Democrats and one held by a Republican—on the ballot. The table below highlights the partisan balance of those three positions before and after the election.
| Gubernatorial seats up in 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of the 2023 elections | After the 2023 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 2 | 1 | |
| Republican Party | 1 | 2[1] | |
| Total | 3 | 3 | |
The map below highlights states holding gubernatorial elections in 2023 by the party of the winning candidate.
Partisan balance of all governors
Heading into the 2023 elections, there were 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic governors. The table below highlights the partisan balance of all 50 governors before and after the 2023 elections.
| U.S. governors partisan breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of the 2023 elections | After the 2023 elections | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 23 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | 27[1] | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
The map below highlights each state by the party of its governor once candidates elected in 2023 elections are sworn in.
Seats up for election
There were two Democratic seats and one Republican seat up for election in 2023. The table below shows what seats are up for election and the current incumbent in each race.
| State | Trifecta status (before) | Triplex status (before) | Incumbent | Incumbent party | Winner | Winner party | Trifecta status (after) | Triplex status (after) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | Divided trifecta control | Divided triplex status |  Andy Beshear |
 Democratic |
Andy Beshear | Democrat |
Divided trifecta control | Divided triplex status |
| Louisiana | Divided trifecta control | Divided triplex status |  John Bel Edwards |
Democratic |
Jeff Landry |  Republican |
Republican trifecta | Republican triplex |
| Mississippi | Republican trifecta | Republican triplex |  Tate Reeves |
Republican |
Tate Reeves | Republican |
Republican trifecta | Republican triplex |
Current state government trifectas
Current state government triplexes
Analysis of state elections, 2023
State legislative elections
- See also: State legislative elections, 2023
Eight of the country's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly-scheduled elections in 2023. Elections in those eight chambers represented 578 of the country's 7,386 state legislative seats (7.8%). This was the most seats up for election in an odd-numbered year since 2011.
General elections in Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia took place on November 7, 2023. General elections in Louisiana took place on November 18, 2023.
- Democrats gained one state legislative chamber by winning partisan control of the Virginia House of Delegates. Democrats maintained control of the state Senate. Virginia's trifecta status remained divided.
- Republicans were guaranteed simple majorities in both Mississippi's House and Senate and Louisiana's House and Senate due to the number of districts where candidates from only one political party ran.
- Democrats maintained partisan control of both chambers of the New Jersey state legislature.
Analysis
- State legislative special elections
- Impact of term limits
- Primary competitiveness
- Incumbents defeated
- Contested primaries
- Open seats
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Major party competition
- Annual report
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
- Rematches in 2023 general elections
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Election results, 2023: State legislative veto-proof majorities
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Results of elected officials seeking other offices
- Minor-party candidates who won more than the margin of victory
- State legislative seats that changed party control
- State legislative races decided by fewer than 100 votes
- State legislative elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate, 2023
- Margin of victory analysis
- Candidates with the same last names
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
State executive elections
- See also: State executive official elections, 2023
Analysis
- State executive official elections overview
- Gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- Trifecta vulnerability
- State government trifectas
- States with multiple statewide offices up for election
- State executive official elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate, 2023
- Impact of term limits
- Annual State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
State judicial elections
- See also: State judicial elections, 2023
A total of 15 state appellate court seats were up for election in 2023. This includes:
- 2 supreme court seats
- 13 intermediate appellate court seats.
The number of state supreme court and intermediate court elections is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
Ballotpedia provided coverage of supreme court and intermediate appellate court elections, as well as local trial court elections for judges within the 100 largest cities in the United States as measured by population.
Analysis
- State supreme court elections, 2023
- State judicial elections, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
See also
- Gubernatorial elections, 2023
- Election results, 2023: State government trifectas
- State government triplexes
- State government trifectas
