Gubernatorial elections, 2028

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2028 Election Results

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State Executive Officials

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There are 11 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2028. These elections are in Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

Explore Ballotpedia's coverage of these elections:

• Partisan balance

  The partisan balance of U.S. governors
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• On the ballot

  A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
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• Trifectas and triplexes

  Information on trifectas and triplexes
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• About the office

  Information about governors across all 50 states
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Partisan balance

The following chart displays the number of governors' offices held by each party before and after the 2028 elections.

U.S. governors partisan breakdown

Party	As of March 2026	After the 2028 elections
Democratic	24	TBD
Republican	26	TBD
Total	50	50

The chart below shows historical partisan breakdown information for governors.

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.

Trifectas

Triplexes

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 March 9, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

See also: State government triplexes

A state government triplex is a term used to describe when a state's governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same party.

As of March 9, 2026, there are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and 5 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

Important dates and deadlines

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

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.

Compensation

Vacancy fill offices

Staff size

Involvement in budget proposals

Term limits

Line-item veto powers

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.

According to figures for 2022 compiled by the Council of State Governments in the Book of the States, gubernatorial offices range in size from 9 staffers in Nebraska to 277 staffers in Texas.

Although all governors have some involvement in the process of developing a state budget, the specific level of involvement differs from state to state. According to information published in the 2022 Book of the States, 24 governors share responsibility for developing a budget proposal, while 11 governors have full responsibility for developing an initial budget proposal and the remaining 15 have full responsibility for developing a budget.

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

Most states impose some form of term limits on governors; of those that do, all but Virginia limit a governor to two four-year terms or to eight years in office. Although most states' term limit laws allow a governor who has served two terms to be elected once again after time has elapsed, some states impose a lifetime term limit like that on the presidency. Although Vermont and New Hampshire do not have term limit laws, they are the only states whose governors serve two-year terms rather than four-year terms.

The term line-item veto refers to the ability of a governor or other chief executive to veto specific parts of a bill while signing the rest of the bill into law. Currently, 44 states grant their governors line-item veto powers.

Election coverage by office

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See also

• Past gubernatorial elections: 2027 • 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
• Past state executive elections: 2027 • 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
• Past election analysis: 2027 • 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018

Footnotes

2028 state executive official elections

Governor

Delaware • Indiana • Missouri • Montana • New Hampshire • North Carolina • North Dakota • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia

Lieutenant Governor

Delaware • Indiana • Missouri • Montana • North Carolina • North Dakota • Utah • Vermont • Washington

Attorney General

Indiana • Missouri • Montana • North Carolina • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia

Secretary of State

Missouri • Montana • North Carolina • Oregon • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia

Treasurer

Missouri • North Carolina • North Dakota • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia

Auditor

Montana • North Carolina • North Dakota • Pennsylvania • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia

Commissioners

Alabama (public service) • Arizona (corporation) • Delaware (insurance) • Hawaii (Hawaiian affairs) • Louisiana (public service) • Massachusetts (governor's council) • Montana (public service) • Nebraska (public service) • New Hampshire (executive council) • North Carolina (agriculture) • North Carolina (labor) • North Carolina (insurance) • North Dakota (insurance) • North Dakota (public service) • Oklahoma (corporation) • South Dakota (public utilities) • Texas (railroad) • Washington (insurance) • Washington (public lands) • West Virginia (agriculture)

Education officials

Alabama (board of education) • Colorado (board of education) • Colorado (board of regents) • Kansas (board of education) • Michigan (board of education) • Michigan (board of regents) • Montana (superintendent) • Nebraska (board of education) • Nebraska (board of regents) • Nevada (board of education) • Nevada (board of regents) • New Mexico (board of education) • North Carolina (superintendent) • North Dakota (superintendent) • Ohio (board of education) • Texas (board of education) • Utah (board of education) • Washington (superintendent)

Governors

Current Governors

Alabama • Alaska • American Samoa • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Elections

2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010

Features

States with gubernatorial term limits • Election of lieutenant governors • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • States with gubernatorial recall provisions • Gubernatorial impeachment procedures • Comparison of gubernatorial salaries • Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries • Residences of the American governors