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Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2024
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Of the 164 state executive seats on the ballot in 2024, 46 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits.[1] Fourteen of those incumbents were ineligible to run for re-election in 2024 due to term limits. This represented 8.5% of the total seats up for election in 2024.
Term-limited state executives by state
The map below displays the 37 states that had laws limiting the number of terms state executive officials could serve as of 2024. Of those states, only 23 states held elections in 2024.
- Four states—Colorado, Delaware, Montana, and Ohio—had two term-limited officials each. The remaining states with term-limited officials had one each.
- Thirteen states with state executive term limits had no officials term-limited in 2024. This included the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.
Term-limited state executives by position
The 14 termed-out incumbents in 2024 held 8 different offices: governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, state board of regents member, state board of education member, superintendent of public instruction, public service commissioner, and corporation commissioner.
The 14 termed-out incumbents were from 10 states. Three states were controlled by a Democratic trifecta, six by a Republican trifecta, and one state was under a divided government. A state government trifecta exists when one political party holds the governor's office and majority control in both chambers of the state legislature. As of March 2024, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control.
| 2024 breakdown by position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Number of term-limited officeholders |  Democrats
|
 Republicans
|
 Other
|
| Agriculture Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attorney General | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Auditor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Board of Education | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Board of Equalization | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Board of Regents | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Comptroller/Controller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corporation Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Governor | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Insurance Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Labor Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Land Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lieutenant Governor | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Public Service/Regulation Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Secretary of State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Superintendent of Schools | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Transportation Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Treasurer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
Differential impact on parties
Term limits create open seats, which can impact the competitiveness of state executive elections. A total of 164 state executive seats were on the ballot in 2024, and 46 of those seats were subject to term limits. Out of those 46 seats, 14 featured an open seat since the incumbent was term-limited.
| 2024 term-limited state executive elections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Trifecta status[2] | Democrats
|
Republicans
|
Other
|
# of seats with term limits | % of seats term-limited in 2024 |
| Alabama | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Arizona | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| Arkansas | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Colorado | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 28.6% |
| Delaware | Democratic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Hawaii | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Indiana | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Kansas | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Louisiana | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Michigan | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Missouri | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Montana | Republican | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 22.2% |
| Nebraska | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Nevada | Divided governoment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| New Mexico | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| North Carolina | Divided government | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.0% |
| North Dakota | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Ohio | Republican | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 33.3% |
| Oklahoma | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Oregon | Democratic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Pennsylvania | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| South Dakota | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| West Virginia | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Total | N/A | 5 | 7 | 2 | 46 | 30.4% |
Term-limited elections by state
Alabama
Five state executive offices were up for election in Alabama in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Arizona
Three state executive offices were up for election in Arizona in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Arkansas
One state executive office was up for election in Arkansas in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Colorado
Seven state executive offices were up for election in Colorado in 2024. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
- State Board of Regents District 3 Representative Glen Gallegos (R)
- State Board of Education District 2 Representative Angelika Schroeder (D)
Delaware
Three state executive offices were up for election in Delaware in 2024. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Governor John Carney Jr. (D)
- Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long (D)
Hawaii
Four state executive offices were up for election in Hawaii in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Indiana
Three state executive offices were up for election in Indiana in 2024. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Governor Eric Holcomb (R)
Kansas
Five state executive offices were up for election in Kansas in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Louisiana
One state executive office was up for election in Louisiana in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Michigan
Eight state executive offices were up for election in Michigan in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Missouri
Five state executive offices were up for election in Missouri in 2024. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Governor Mike Parson (R)
Montana
Nine state executive offices were up for election in Montana in 2024. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen (R)
- Public Service Commissioner Tony O'Donnell (R)
Nebraska
Ten state executive offices were up for election in Nebraska in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Nevada
Eight state executive offices were up for election in Nevada in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
New Mexico
Five state executive offices were up for election in New Mexico in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
North Carolina
Ten state executive offices were up for election in North Carolina in 2024. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Governor Roy Cooper (D)
North Dakota
Seven state executive offices were up for election in North Dakota in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Ohio
Six state executive offices were up for election in Ohio in 2024. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
- State Board of Education District 6 Representative Antoinette Miranda
- State Board of Education District 11 Representative Meryl Johnson
Oklahoma
One state executive office was up for election in Oklahoma in 2024. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony (R)
Oregon
Three state executive offices were up for election in Oregon in 2024. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Treasurer Tobias Read (D)
Pennsylvania
Three state executive offices were up for election in Pennsylvania in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
South Dakota
One state executive office was up for election in South Dakota in 2024. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
West Virginia
Six state executive offices were up for election in West Virginia in 2024. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits.
- Governor Jim Justice (R)
See also
- State executive official elections, 2024
- State executives with term limits
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2024
- Term limits on the ballot
- Term limits in the United States
- Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2023
Footnotes
- ↑ This does not include executive offices in the U.S. Territories, but it does include executive offices in Washington, D.C.
- ↑ A state's trifecta status was current as of March 2024.
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