Results of governors running for U.S. Senate, 1914-present
Since the ratification of the 17th Amendment provided for the direct election of senators in 1913, a total of 336 incumbent or former governors ran for the U.S. Senate across 347 elections. Across those elections, a governor won 127 times (33%), lost the general election 116 times (30%), and was defeated in the primary 125 times (33%). Some elections had more than one governor running, and some individuals ran in multiple elections.[1]
Since 1914, 179 Democratic governors, 148 Republican governors, and nine minor-party governors have run for Senate.[2] Governors who ran for Senate did so an average of 3.5 years after leaving office. The state with the most governors running for Senate was Nebraska, with 16 governors running in 15 elections.
Since 1986, 62 governors have run in 62 elections, with some running more than once and some elections having multiple governors running. In this period, a governor has won 28 times (45%), lost the general election 22 times (35%), and lost a primary 12 times (19%). Additionally, in this period, a governor running for Senate has withdrawn once and has won posthumously once.
For 2026, two governors, Roy Cooper (D) and Janet Mills (D), have announced their candidacies for U.S. Senate. Their candidacies are not included in this analysis, but will be after the election.
For information on U.S. senators running for governor, click here.
On this page, you will find:
- A list of governors with declared, potential, and declined Senate candidacies in 2026
- A table listing every governor who ran for U.S. Senate
- A section with charts and maps showing historical trends
2026 U.S. Senate elections
In 2026, the following candidates are currently candidates, have received media speculation, or have declined to be a candidate for U.S. Senate.
| Governor | Party | State | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Cooper | Democratic | North Carolina | Link |
| Janet Mills | Democratic | Maine | Link |
| Governor | Party | State | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Beshear | Democratic | Kentucky | Link |
| John Bel Edwards | Democratic | Louisiana | Link |
| Brian Kemp | Republican | Georgia | Link |
| Laura Kelly | Democratic | Kansas | Link |
| Chris Sununu | Republican | New Hampshire | Link |
| Tim Walz | Democratic | Minnesota | Link |
| Gretchen Whitmer | Democratic | Michigan | Link |
Historical data
List of previous governors
The following table shows the results of governors running for Senate since 1914. If a governor were appointed to the Senate, they would not be counted, as they would be an incumbent Senator running for a full term. Additionally, if a former Senator ran for governor and later ran for Senate, they would be counted, provided the governorship was their most recent office. If you know of any governors that should be included, please click here.
State data
The following table breaks down the number of governors who ran in a state and how often a governor won, lost the general election, lost the primary, or faced a fourth unique outcome such as withdrawal, death, or write-in campaigns after a primary loss. If a governor ran more than once, their results will be added to the columns but will not affect the number of governors who ran.
| State | Governors ran |
Won | Lost general election |
Lost primary |
Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Alaska | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Arizona | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| California | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Colorado | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1[7] |
| Delaware | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida | 12 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1[8] |
| Georgia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Hawaii | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Idaho | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Illinois | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Kansas | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1[9] |
| Louisiana | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1[10] |
| Massachusetts | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2[11] |
| Maryland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Maine | 11 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Michigan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1[12] |
| Minnesota | 9 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1[13] |
| Missouri | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3[14] |
| Mississippi | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Montana | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| North Dakota | 11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2[15] |
| Nebraska | 16 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1[16] |
| New Hampshire | 13 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Nevada | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 13 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Oregon | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 6 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Texas | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1[17] |
| Utah | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Virginia | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1[18] |
| Vermont | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Tables and maps of governors running for Senate
The following tabs show charts and maps highlighting information, such as how many governors ran per decade, win/loss rate, which states have the highest rate of victory, partisan information on governors, and a full breakdown of every possible outcome that is not counted as a win, loss, or primary loss.
The following table shows the number of governors running for Senate by decade
See also
- United States Senate elections, 2026
- Results of U.S. senators running for governor, 1914-present
- Election results, 2024: Results of elected officials seeking other offices
Footnotes
- ↑ Additionally, a governor has withdrawn six times, lost at convention votes three times, lost the primary and subsequent general election campaigns via write-in or replacement three times, won their primaries and died before the general election three times, and was elected posthumously one time. These results are not counted in this analysis.
- ↑ One governor ran as a Democrat and a Republican in different elections.
- ↑ Was Governor of Kansas.
- ↑ Was Governor of Massachusetts.
- ↑ Was Governor of Massachusetts.
- ↑ One governor ran for two parties.
- ↑ Lost convention
- ↑ Withddrew before election
- ↑ Withdrew before election
- ↑ Won primary, but died before general
- ↑ Two withdrawals before election
- ↑ Withdrew before election
- ↑ Won primary, but died before general
- ↑ One lost a special convention, one lost the primary, won convention to replace deceased nominee, then lost general, and one won posthumously
- ↑ One lost the primary and lost write-in vote in the general election, and one lost the primary as Republican, then general as Independent
- ↑ Won primary but died before the general election
- ↑ Withdrew before election
- ↑ Lost convention
