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Gubernatorial elections, 2027

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There are three gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2027. These elections are in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Of the three gubernatorial offices up for election in 2027, before the elections, Republicans hold two and Democrats hold one.

Two governors—Andy Beshear (D-Kentucky) and Tate Reeves (R-Mississippi)—are term-limited.

Thirty-six states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2026.

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.

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


Partisan balance

The following chart displays the number of governors' offices held by each party before and after the 2027 elections.

U.S. governors partisan breakdown
PartyAs of February 2026After the 2027 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

There are two Republican-held seats and one Democratic-held seat up for election in 2027. The table below show which states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2027.

2027 Gubernatorial Races
StateCurrent IncumbentTerm-limited (Y/N)
KentuckyAndy BeshearYes
LouisianaJeff LandryNo
MississippiTate ReevesYes

Pre-election analysis

Two incumbent governors —Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R)—are term-limited and can not seek re-election.

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

This section will include a list of primary election dates and filing deadlines.

Presidential data

See also: Presidential election, 2024

Donald Trump (R) carried all three states holding gubernatorial elections in 2027 in the 2024 presidential election. Trump won by a margin of 30.6 percentage points in Kentucky, 22 percentage points in Louisiana, and 22.9 percentage points in Mississippi.

See also: Presidential election in Kentucky, 2024


Presidential election in Kentucky, 2024
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R)
 
64.5
 
1,337,494 8
Image of
Image of
Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D)
 
33.9
 
704,043 0
Image of
Image of
Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent)
 
0.8
 
16,769 0
Image of
Image of
Jill Stein/Samson LeBeau Kpadenou (Kentucky Party)
 
0.4
 
7,566 0
Image of
Image of
Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L)
 
0.3
 
6,422 0
Image of
Image of
Shiva Ayyadurai/Crystal Ellis (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,015 0
Image of
Image of
Peter Sonski/Lauren Onak (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
611 0
Image of
Image of
Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
391 0
Image of
Image of
Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
177 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
James D. Soderna/Matthew J. Trewhella (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
14 0
Image of
Image of
Jay Bowman/De Bowman (Independent)
 
0.0
 
10 0
Image of
Image of
Joseph Kishore/Jerry White (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
8 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
John Cheng/Wayne Waligorski (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
5 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Billy Kelley Jr./Jason Holdeman (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
4 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Cherunda Lynn Fox/Harlan McVay Jr. (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0

There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified.

Total votes: 2,074,530

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]

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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
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