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Gubernatorial elections, 2026

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State Executive Officials

State executive elections by position and year:

There are 36 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2026. These elections are in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Of the 36 gubernatorial offices up for election in 2026, Democrats and Republicans each hold 18. Nationally, Republicans hold 26 governorships and Democrats hold 24.

Ballotpedia Reports: Gubernatorial races to watch in 2026

Fifteen incumbent governors are term-limited. Of those, six are Democrats and nine are Republicans.

Two states held gubernatorial elections in 2025, and 11 held gubernatorial elections in 2024. One state's governorship — Virginia's — changed from Republican to Democratic control in 2025. No state's governor's office changed party control in 2024.

Explore Ballotpedia's coverage of these elections:
  • Partisan balance
    The partisan balance of U.S. governors
  • On the ballot
    A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
  • Trifectas and triplexes
    Information on trifectas and triplexes
  • About the office
    Information about governors across all 50 states


Partisan balance

The following chart displays the number of governors' offices held by each party before and after the 2025 elections.

U.S. governors partisan breakdown
PartyAs of February 2026After the 2026 elections
Democratic24TBD
Republican26TBD
Total5050



The chart below shows historical partisan breakdown information for governors.


On the ballot

Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:

  • A list of seats up for election
  • A list of candidates running
  • Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool

Pre-election analysis

Fifteen incumbent governors are term-limited and can not seek re-election. Of those, six are Democrats and nine are Republicans.

As of February 2026, three incumbents who were eligible to run for another term had announced that they would not seek re-election. They included Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D).

Trifectas and triplexes

The office of governor is a component of both trifectas and triplexes. Click the tabs below to view the current status of trifectas and triplexes across the country.

See also: State government trifectas

State government trifecta is a term to describe single-party government, when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

As of February 26, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

Important dates and deadlines

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.


2026 Election Dates
StateFiling deadlinePrimary election
AlabamaJanuary 23May 19
AlaskaJune 1August 18
ArizonaApril 6August 4
ArkansasNovember 11March 3
CaliforniaMarch 6June 2
ColoradoMarch 18June 30
ConnecticutJune 9August 11
FloridaJune 12August 18
GeorgiaMarch 6May 19
HawaiiJune 2August 8
IdahoFebruary 27May 19
IllinoisNovember 3March 17
IowaMarch 13June 2
KansasJune 1August 4
MaineMarch 16June 9
MarylandFebruary 24June 23
MassachusettsJune 2September 1
MichiganApril 21August 4
MinnesotaJune 2August 11
NebraskaFebruary 17 (incumbent)
March 2 (non-incumbent)
May 12
NevadaMarch 13June 9
New HampshireJune 12September 8
New MexicoFebruary 3June 2
New YorkApril 6June 23
OhioFebruary 4May 5
OklahomaApril 3June 16
OregonMarch 3 (incumbent)
March 10 (non-incumbent)
May 19
PennsylvaniaMarch 10May 19
Rhode IslandJune 24September 8
South CarolinaMarch 30June 9
South DakotaMarch 31June 2
TennesseeMarch 10August 6
TexasDecember 8March 3
VermontMay 28August 11
WisconsinJune 1August 11
WyomingMay 29August 18

Presidential data

See also: Presidential election, 2024

Donald Trump (R) carried 21 states holding gubernatorial elections in 2026 in the 2024 presidential election. Kamala Harris (D) carried 15 states holding gubernatorial elections in 2026 in 2024.

See also: Presidential election in Alabama, 2024


Presidential election in Alabama, 2024
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R)
 
64.6
 
1,462,616 9
Image of
Image of
Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D)
 
34.1
 
772,412 0
Image of
Image of
Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent)
 
0.5
 
12,075 0
Image of
Image of
Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (Independent)
 
0.2
 
4,930 0
Image of
Image of
Jill Stein/Samson LeBeau Kpadenou (Independent)
 
0.2
 
4,319 0
  Other write-in votes
 
0.4
 
8,738 0

Total votes: 2,265,090

About the office

See also: Governor (state executive office)

In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state. The governor is not directly subordinate to the federal authorities but is the political and ceremonial head of the state. The governor may also assume additional roles, such as the commander-in-chief of the National Guard when the role is not federalized. The governor may also have the ability to commute or pardon a criminal sentence.

In all states, the governor is directly elected and, in most cases, has considerable practical powers. Notable exceptions with weak governorships include the office of the governor in Texas, though this may be moderated by the state legislature and, in some cases, by other elected executive officials. Governors can veto state bills. The specific duties and powers vary widely between states.


According to compensation figures for 2023 compiled by the Council of State Governments in the Book of the States, the highest salary for a governor was $250,000 in New York while the lowest was $70,000 in Maine. To view the compensation of a particular governor, hover your mouse over the state.[1]

Election coverage by office

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See also

Footnotes

  1. Book of the States, "2023 edition: Chapter 4 - Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 18, 2024
  2. Council of State Governments' Book of the States 2022 Table 4.3: The Governors: Compensation, Staff, Travel and Residence provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
  3. 3.0 3.1 Council of State Governments' Book of the States 2022 Table 4.4: The Governors: Powers provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel