Election results, 2024: State executive officials
At the state executive level, there were 11 gubernatorial seats, nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10 attorney general seats, and seven secretary of state seats up for election in 2024. Including down-ballot races, there were 167 state executive seats up for election across 30 states.[1]
No states' triplex status changed following state executive elections in 2024.[2] While the results of state legislative elections in Minnesota and Michigan changed those states' trifecta status, no gubernatorial election results affected any state government trifectas.
- All 11 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2024 were won by either the incumbent, or a candidate from the same party as the incumbent. Democrats retained the governorships in Delaware, North Carolina, and Washington, and Republicans retained the governorships in Indiana Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.
- Nine out of the 10 attorney general offices on the ballot were won by the incumbents' party. Pennsylvania was the only state in which the partisan control of the attorney general's office changed, after Dave Sunday (R) defeated Eugene DePasquale (D). Democrats retained seats in North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Republicans retained seats in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and West Virginia.
- Seven secretary of state elections were on the ballot on Nov. 5. Republicans retained secretary of state offices in Missouri, Montana, and West Virginia. Democrats retained secretary of state offices in North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. The state legislatures in Delaware, Maine, and New Hampshire appointed their secretaries of state. The secretaries of state elected in Delaware and Maine were Democrats, and the secretary of state in New Hampshire was a Republican .
State executives act in many capacities according to the powers granted to them by their state's constitution. They are also charged with implementing and enforcing laws made by state legislatures. There were 748 executive offices spread across 13 distinct types of offices in the United States.[3] Of the 13 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 common offices include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, auditor, and natural resources commissioner.
See below for information on:
- Gubernatorial elections
- Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
- Attorney general elections
- Secretary of state elections
- State financial officer elections
- Offices up for election
- Total executive offices by party
- Current state government trifectas
- Current state government triplexes
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Election results, 2024: Governors
There were 11 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2024. These elections were in Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.
This was the first even-year election since 2000 where no governorships changed partisan control. Democrats retained the governorships in Delaware, North Carolina, and Washington, and Republicans retained the governorships in Indiana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Heading into the 2024 elections, 27 governors were Republicans and 23 were Democrats. These numbers similarly remained unchanged as a result of these elections.
Ballotpedia identified three races as noteworthy. These include elections for governor in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Washington. In North Carolina, Josh Stein (D) defeated Mark Robinson (R), and in New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte (R) defeated Joyce Craig (D). In Washington, Bob Ferguson (D) defeated Dave Reichert (R). Before the elections, a Democrat had controlled the governorship of North Carolina since 2017, a Republican had controlled the governorship of New Hampshire since 2017, and a Democrat had controlled the governorship of Washington since 1985.
In 2024, only three incumbents were up for election, while eight races were open. All three incumbents, Spencer Cox (R) of Utah, Greg Gianforte (R) of Montana, and Phil Scott (R) of Vermont, were re-elected. In 2020, when the previous gubernatorial elections were held for most of these offices, incumbents won nine of the eleven races. Spencer Cox (R) won in Utah, where Republican incumbent Gary Herbert (R) did not run for re-election. Greg Gianforte (R) won in Montana, where incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock (D) was term-limited, making Montana's governorship the only one to change party control in 2020. Click here for more about these elections.
No states saw their trifecta or triplex status change as a result of the gubernatorial elections. To read more about trifecta statuses after the 2024 elections, click here. To read more about triplex statuses after the 2024 elections, click here.
American Samoa and Puerto Rico also held gubernatorial elections. While this page includes links to pages on gubernatorial elections in these territories, it does not include them in its statistics.
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
- See also: Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2024
The lieutenant governor's office was on the ballot in nine states in 2024. These elections were in Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
As a result of the 2024 elections, two seats changed partisan control, one for each party. In North Carolina, Rachel Hunt (D) defeated Hal Weatherman (R) in an open race to succeed Mark Robinson (R), who ran for governor. In Vermont, John Rodgers (R) defeated incumbent David Zuckerman (Vermont Progressive Party).[4] Of the states up in 2024, heading into 2025, three will have Democratic lieutenant governors, and eight will have Republican lieutenant governors. Among all lieutenant governorships, 25 are held by Republicans and 20 by Democrats. This is the same number of seats each party controlled when heading into the election.
In 45 states, the lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive office, behind the governor. Although the powers and duties of the lieutenant governor vary from state to state, lieutenant governors are responsible for filling vacancies in the office of governor. In many states, lieutenant governors often sit on boards or commissions and are often involved in the proceedings of the state Senate.
The process for selecting a lieutenant governor varies from state to state. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the member of the state Senate chosen to serve as its president becomes the lieutenant governor. In the other 43 states with lieutenant governors, the officeholder is elected—this election is separate from the gubernatorial election in 17 states and is held on a joint ticket in the other 26.
In 2022, there were 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats on the ballot. Before the elections, these offices were held by 15 Republicans and 15 Democrats. Eleven lieutenant governors did not seek re-election—four Democrats and seven Republicans. The partisan control of three lieutenant governors' offices changed, resulting in a pickup of one net office for Democrats. The only incumbent that was defeated was in Nevada, where Stavros S. Anthony (R) defeated Lisa Cano (D). In two states—Maryland and Massachusetts—the partisan control of the lieutenant governor's office changed as a Democratic governor succeeded a Republican one. In Maryland, Aruna Miller (D) succeeded incumbent Boyd Rutherford (R), and in Massachusetts, Kim Driscoll (D) succeeded incumbent Karyn Polito (R). The governor and lieutenant governor were elected on a joint ticket in both states.
In 2020, nine states held elections for lieutenant governor. No incumbent lieutenant governors were defeated; incumbents sought and won re-election in four states. Five incumbent lieutenant governors did not seek re-election in 2020. Two lieutenant gubernatorial offices changed partisan control, resulting in a pickup of one net office for Republicans. In Montana, Kristen Juras (R) succeeded Mike Cooney (D). Montana is one of eight states where a lieutenant governor candidate is chosen by the gubernatorial candidate before the primary, and they run as a single ticket in both the primary and the general election. Greg Gianforte (R) defeated Cooney in that state's gubernatorial election. In Vermont, Molly Gray (D) succeeded David Zuckerman (Vermont Progressive Party), who did not run for re-election.
Attorney general elections
Heading into the 2024 elections, there were 27 Republican, 22 Democratic, and one nonpartisan attorneys general nationwide. Republicans gained control of the attorney general office in Pennsylvania, leading to a 28-21-1 split in partisan control following the elections. This did not change Pennsylvania's divided government triplex status, however, as the governor of Pennsylvania remained a Democrat.
There were 10 attorney general seats on the ballot in 2024. These elections were in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. Democrats and Republicans each held the office in five of these states. Four incumbents ran for re-election, while six did not. All four incumbents, three Republicans and one Democrat, won re-election.
Democrats retained attorney general offices in North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Republicans gained an attorney general office in Pennsylvania and retained offices in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Utah, and West Virginia.
Two other states— Maine and New Hampshire—had attorneys general whose appointment was determined by other elections on the ballot. Democrats retained appointing authority over the attorney general in Maine and Republicans retained authority in New Hampshire.
Ballotpedia identified the attorney general elections in North Carolina and Pennsylvania as battlegrounds. Democrats retained the office in North Carolina, while Republicans won the office from Democrats in Pennsylvania.
Secretary of state elections
Heading into the 2024 elections, there were 26 Republican secretaries of state and 21 Democratic secretaries of state. The office does not exist in Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah. Republicans and Democrats retained control of 26 and 21 secretary of state offices, respectively, following the elections.
There were seven secretary of state offices on the ballot in 2024. These elections were in Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. Democrats held the office in four of these states and Republicans in three. Four incumbents ran for re-election, while three did not.
Democrats retained control of the secretary of state in North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Republicans retained control in Missouri, Montana, and West Virginia.
In four other states—Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, and Tennessee—other elections on the ballot determined the appointment of secretaries of state. Democrats retained appointing authority over the secretary of state in Delaware and Maine, and Republicans retained authority in Tennessee and New Hampshire.
Ballotpedia identified the secretary of state election in North Carolina as a battleground.
State financial officer elections
The overall partisan balance of state financial officers (SFOs) remained unchanged following the 2024 general election. Before and after the election, there were 40 Democratic and 60 Republican state financial officers. Six officers' partisan affiliations were indeterminate.
Different states have different names for these elected officials, but they all fall into three groups: treasurers, auditors, and controllers. Broadly, these officials are responsible for things like auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds, meaning they get to decide where that public money goes.
Election results by selection method:
Eighteen offices were directly up for election. Republicans gained one elected office, winning the North Carolina Auditor. This brought the partisan balance of offices up for election in 2024 to five Democrats and 13 Republicans.
The appointing authorities of nine state financial offices were also up for election. As a result of these elections, Democrats gained control of one appointing authority, the Oregon Secretary of State. Oregon’s Secretary of State appoints the state’s Audits Director. This brought the partisan breakdown of the state financial officer appointing authorities who were up for election in 2024 to three Democrats, five Republicans, and one indeterminate.
Election results by office type:
Eight states held elections for auditor. Heading into the elections, Republicans held five of the auditor positions up for election and Democrats held three. Republicans gained one office, the North Carolina Auditor, bringing the partisan breakdown of auditor offices up for election in 2024 to six Republicans and two Democrats. The partisan balance of all state auditors remained unchanged after the election at 14 Democratic, 23 Republican auditors. One auditor’s partisan affiliation was indeterminate.
Ten states held elections for treasurer. Republicans held seven of the treasurer positions up for election in 2024, and Democrats held three. This breakdown remained unchanged as a result of the elections. The partisan balance of all state treasurers also remained unchanged as a result of the elections at 18 Democrats, 28 Republicans and two indeterminate.
No state held elections for controller. The partisan balance of controllers remained unchanged at eight Democrats, nine Republicans, and three indeterminate.
Battlegrounds:
Ballotpedia identified four state financial officer races as battlegrounds. These were races which we viewed as having the potential to affect the balance of power in these states. Heading into the elections, Republicans held three of those offices, and Democrats held one. This breakdown did not change as a result of the elections. The battleground races included:
Offices up for election
The table below shows the partisan breakdown nationwide for the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. The table also shows the partisan breakdown for those offices up for election on Nov. 5, 2024.
| State executive elections, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Pre-election partisan balance (all offices) | Pre-election partisan balance (offices up for election) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
| Gubernatorial elections | 23 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | |
| Lieutenant governor | 20 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | |
| Attorney general | 22 | 27 | 1[5] | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Secretary of state | 21 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | |
Total executive offices by party
Of the 167 state executive positions up for election in 2024, 86 were held by Republicans heading into the election, 50 were held by Democrats, and 31 were held by officeholders unafilliated with either party.
The chart below shows a breakdown of partisan control by office type.
Pre-election state government trifectas
The map below highlights states based on their trifecta status before the Nov. 5, 2024. Hover over or click on a state below to learn about the pre-election trifecta status in each state.
Pre-election state government triplexes
The map below highlights states based on their triplex status before the Nov. 5, 2024. Hover over or click on a state below to learn about the pre-election trifecta status in each state.
See also
- Election results, 2024
- Election results, 2024: State government trifectas
- Election results, 2024: State government triplexes
Analysis of state elections, 2024
State legislative elections
- See also: State legislative elections, 2024
In the 50 states, there are 99 state legislative chambers altogether. Across 44 states, 85 of those chambers held regular legislative elections in 2024. These elections were for 5,807 of the country's 7,386 state legislative seats (79%). The general election for state legislative races was held on November 5, 2024.
Two state legislative chambers, the Michigan and Minnesota state Houses, changed party control following the 2024 general election. Republicans won control of the Michigan House from Democrats, and won a tie in the Minnesota House.
To learn more about the state legislative races that were on your ballot, click here to use our Sample Ballot Lookup tool.
States are also holding special state legislative elections in 2024 to fill vacant seats. Click here for more.
In the U.S. Territories, seven legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 169 seats in 2024. Elections were held for the American Samoa House of Representatives, the Guam Legislature, the Puerto Rico Senate and House of Representatives, the Northern Mariana Islands Senate and House of Representatives, and the U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature.
As of September 5th, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.48% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.68%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.
| Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
|
|
Other
|
Vacant | ||||
| State senates | 834 | 1,121 | 5 | 13 | ||||
| State houses | 2,392 | 2,977 | 20 | 24 | ||||
| Total: | 3,226
|
4,098
|
25
|
37 | ||||
Featured analysis
- State legislative seats that changed party control in 2024: As a result of the Nov. 5, 2024, elections, partisan composition of all 7,386 state legislative seats changed by 0.7 percentage points. Democrats had a net loss of 54 seats, representing 0.7% of all state legislative seats. Republicans had a net gain of 55 seats, representing 0.7% of all state legislative seats. Independents and minor party officeholders had a net loss of one seat, representing 0.01% of all state legislative seats.
- Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 12, 2022: Competitiveness refers to the presence of choice throughout the election cycle. A greater level of competitiveness means voters have the ability to make more decisions. A lower level of competitiveness equals fewer choices. State legislative competitiveness in 2022 reached its highest level compared to all even-year election cycles since 2010. In 2022, the nationwide State Legislative Competitiveness Index is 36.2, beating out 2018 (36.1) and the 2012 post-redistricting cycle (35.2).
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2024 state legislative elections.
- Annual Competitiveness Report
- State legislative special elections
- Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024
- Impact of term limits
- Open seats
- Contested primaries
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Data on incumbents defeated in 2024
- Major party competition
- Unconstested incumbents
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2024 elections
- Candidates with the same last names, 2024
- Rematches in 2024 general elections
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2024
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
- Election results, 2024: State legislative veto-proof majorities
- Wave election analysis
- Election results, 2024: Incumbent win rates by state
- Election results, 2024: Uncontested races by state
- Incumbents who won primaries by five percentage points or fewer or with a plurality, 2024
- Margin of victory analysis for the 2024 state legislative elections
- Election results, 2024: State legislative races decided by fewer than 100 votes
State executive elections
- See also: State executive official elections, 2024
State executive offices up for election in 2024 included 11 gubernatorial seats, nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10 attorney general seats, and seven secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 167 state executive seats up for election across 30 states in 2024.[6]
In 2022, 307 state executive offices were up for election across 44 states. Twenty offices changed party control, including two previously held Republican lieutenant governorships that changed parties because the governor and lieutenant governor ran on a joint ticket. Of the 18 offices which changed partisan control due to direct election, 10 switched from Democrat to Republican, seven switched from Republican to Democrat, and one nonpartisan official was succeeded by a Republican. A total of 26 incumbents seeking re-election to state executive offices were defeated, with 10 of those losing in the general election and 16 losing in their party's primary or nominating convention.
Featured analysis (from 2022)
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2022 elections: Thirteen state government trifectas were vulnerable in the 2022 elections, according to Ballotpedia's annual trifecta vulnerability ratings. Democrats defended seven vulnerable trifectas and Republicans defended six. A state government trifecta occurs when one party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 37 state government trifectas: 23 Republican trifectas and 14 Democratic trifectas. The remaining 13 states had a divided government where neither party had a trifecta.
- State government triplexes: Heading into the November 8 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and 9 divided governments where neither party held triplex control. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.[7] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[8]
- Annual State Executive Competitiveness Report: Ballotpedia's 2022 study of competitiveness in state executive official elections found that 37.1% of incumbents did not seek re-election, leaving those offices open. This was higher than in 2020 (35.6%) and 2014 (32.7%) but lower than in 2018 (38.6%) and 2016 (45.2%). The decade average for open offices was 37.8%.
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2024 state executive elections.
- State executive official elections overview
- State executive officials election results
- Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024
- Gubernatorial elections
- Split-ticket states in the 2024 presidential and gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- State government trifectas
- Endorsements of school board members by state executive officeholders and candidates, 2024
- Impact of term limits on state executive elections
- Rematches in 2024 general elections
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2024
- Wave election analysis
- Incumbents who won primaries by five percentage points or fewer or with a plurality, 2024
State judicial elections
- See also: State judicial elections, 2024
A total of 306 appellate court seats were up for election in 2024. The seats included:
- 83 supreme court seats.
- 223 intermediate appellate court seats.
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.
In addition, in the U.S. Territories, four judges were on the ballot in retention elections in 2024. One judge on the Guam Supreme Court, two on the Guam Superior Court, and one on the Northern Mariana Islands Superior Court stood for retention to remain on the bench.
Featured analysis
- Partisanship of state supreme court judges: In June 2020, Ballotpedia conducted a study into the partisanship of state supreme court justices. The study placed each justice into one of five categories indicating confidence in their affiliations with either the Democratic or Republican Parties. These categories were Strong Democratic, Mild Democratic, Indeterminate, Mild Republican, and Strong Republican.
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2024 state judicial elections.
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes until the governor appoints a specific person to those offices. This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor. If a state does not have all three triplex offices, Ballotpedia considers that state a triplex if one party controls both triplex offices in that state.
- ↑ There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpedia defines the term, however there are other executive offices in some states that are not covered by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Zuckerman is affiliated with the Vermont Progressive Party, which affiliates with Democrats.
- ↑ Anne Lopez is officially nonpartisan. She was appointed by Gov. Joshua Green (D) to replace Holly Shikada (D).
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑ This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
