Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2018

2018 State Executive Primaries

Democratic Party primaries

Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2018

Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2018

Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2018

Republican Party primaries

Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2018

Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2018

Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2018

Libertarian Party primaries

Libertarian Party gubernatorial primaries, 2018

Green Party primaries

In 47 states - all except Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah - the secretary of state is among the top executive offices. Although the duties and powers of the secretary of state vary from state to state, a common responsibility is management and oversight of elections and voter rolls, which are assigned to the secretary of state in 41 states. Other common responsibilities include registration of businesses, maintenance of state records, and certification of official documents. Out of the 35 states in which the secretary of state is directly elected, 26 held elections for the position in 2018.

Republican Party primary elections were held in all of those states with the exception of Indiana, Michigan, and South Dakota, in which secretary of state candidates are selected via party conventions, and California, which held a top-two primary election instead. This page provides links to deeper coverage of these GOP primaries. For more on the Democratic primaries, click here. For more on the general elections, click here.

For more information about secretary of state elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE

Of the 22 Republican secretary of state primaries that took place in 2018, three were closed, seven were semi-closed, and 12 were open.

By state

Alabama

• Alabama secretary of state election, 2018 (June 5 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• John Merrill (Incumbent) ✔
• Michael Johnson

Arizona

• Arizona secretary of state election, 2018 (August 28 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Michele Reagan (Incumbent)
• Steve Gaynor ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Kevin Gibbons

Arkansas

• Arkansas secretary of state election, 2018 (May 22 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Trevor Drown
• John Thurston ✔

Colorado

• Colorado secretary of state election, 2018 (June 26 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Wayne W. Williams (Incumbent) ✔

Connecticut

• Connecticut secretary of state election, 2018 (August 14 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Susan Chapman ✔

Georgia

• Georgia secretary of state election, 2018 (May 22 Republican primary)

 Republican primary runoff candidates

• David Belle Isle
• Brad Raffensperger ✔

 Republican primary candidates

• Buzz Brockway
• David Belle Isle ✔
• Joshua McKoon
• Brad Raffensperger ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Ken Brown

Idaho

• Idaho secretary of state election, 2018 (May 15 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Lawerence Denney (Incumbent) ✔

Illinois

• Illinois secretary of state election, 2018 (March 20 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Jason Helland ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Joshua C. Griffin

Indiana

• Indiana Secretary of State election, 2018

Selected by nominating convention

• Connie Lawson (Incumbent) a

Iowa

• Iowa secretary of state election, 2018 (June 5 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Paul Pate (Incumbent) ✔

Kansas

• Kansas secretary of state election, 2018 (August 7 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Randy Duncan
• Keith Esau
• Craig McCullah
• Scott Schwab ✔
• Dennis Taylor

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts secretary of state election, 2018 (Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Anthony Amore ✔

Michigan

• Michigan Secretary of State election, 2018

Selected by nominating convention

• Mary Treder Lang a

Minnesota

• Minnesota secretary of state election, 2018 (August 14 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• John Howe ✔

Nebraska

• Nebraska secretary of state election, 2018 (May 15 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Bob Evnen ✔
• Debra Perrell

New Mexico

• New Mexico secretary of state election, 2018 (June 5 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• JoHanna Cox ✔

North Dakota

• North Dakota secretary of state election, 2018 (June 12 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Will Gardner ✔

Ohio

• Ohio secretary of state election, 2018 (May 8 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Frank LaRose ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Dorothy Pelanda

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island secretary of state election, 2018 (September 11 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Pat Cortellessa ✔

South Carolina

• South Carolina secretary of state election, 2018 (June 12 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Mark Hammond (Incumbent) ✔
• Nelson Faerber
• Joshua Putnam
• Kerry Wood

South Dakota

• South Dakota Secretary of State election, 2018

Selected by nominating convention

• Steve Barnett a

Vermont

• Vermont secretary of state election, 2018 (August 14 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• H. Brooke Paige ✔

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin secretary of state election, 2018 (August 14 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Jay Schroeder ✔
• Spencer Zimmerman

Wyoming

• Wyoming secretary of state election, 2018 (August 21 Republican primary)

 Republican primary candidates

• Edward Buchanan (Incumbent) ✔