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Gubernatorial elections, 2026
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There are 36 gubernatorial seats 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.
In the aftermath of the Gubernatorial elections held in 2024, Republicans held 27 governorships and Democrats held 23.
In 2024, 11 elections were held for governor across the country. In 2026, elections for governor will be held in 36 states. Of these seats, Republicans and Democrats each hold 18 seats.
- Partisan balanceThe partisan balance of U.S. governors
- On the ballotA list of elections and candidates on the ballot
- Trifectas and triplexesInformation on trifectas and triplexes
- About the officeInformation 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.
| Party | As of September 2025 | After the 2025 elections |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 24 | TBD |
| Republican | 26 | TBD |
| Total | 50 | 50 |
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
The table below show which states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2026.
| State | Current Incumbent | Term-limited (Y/N) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Kay Ivey | Y |
| Alaska | Mike Dunleavy | Y |
| Arizona | Katie Hobbs | N |
| Arkansas | Sarah Huckabee Sanders | N |
| California | Gavin Newsom | Y |
| Colorado | Jared Polis | Y |
| Connecticut | Ned Lamont | N |
| Florida | Ron DeSantis | Y |
| Georgia | Brian Kemp | Y |
| Hawaii | Joshua Green | N |
| Idaho | Brad Little | N |
| Illinois | J.B. Pritzker | N |
| Iowa | Kim Reynolds | N |
| Kansas | Laura Kelly | Y |
| Maine | Janet T. Mills | Y |
| Maryland | Wes Moore | N |
| Massachusetts | Maura Healey | N |
| Michigan | Gretchen Whitmer | Y |
| Minnesota | Tim Walz | N |
| Nebraska | Jim Pillen | N |
| Nevada | Joe Lombardo | N |
| New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte | N |
| New Mexico | Michelle Lujan Grisham | Y |
| New York | Kathy Hochul | N |
| Ohio | Mike DeWine | Y |
| Oklahoma | Kevin Stitt | Y |
| Oregon | Tina Kotek | N |
| Pennsylvania | Josh Shapiro | N |
| Rhode Island | Daniel McKee | N |
| South Carolina | Henry McMaster | Y |
| South Dakota | Kristi Noem | Y |
| Tennessee | Bill Lee | Y |
| Texas | Greg Abbott | N |
| Vermont | Phil Scott | N |
| Wisconsin | Tony Evers | N |
| Wyoming | Mark Gordon | Y |
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 September 16, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 12 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.
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.
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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
- ↑ Book of the States, "2023 edition: Chapter 4 - Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 18, 2024
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Council of State Governments' Book of the States 2022 Table 4.4: The Governors: Powers provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
