State executive official vacancies, 2024
| 2024 State Executive Official Vacancies | |
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2025 »
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In 2024, there were 38 state executive official vacancies in 28 states. A chart of the current and past vacancies can be found here, and a full breakdown of vacancies by party, ballot position, office and state can be found here.
The process for filling vacancies varies by state and office. The most common methods for filling vacancies are through a gubernatorial appointment or legislative appointment. The most common reasons for a state executive vacancy include officeholders resigning, dying, leaving for a new job, being elected or appointed to a different office, or receiving a legal conviction.
- Click here to read more about procedures for filling state executive vacancies.
- Click here to read more about 2024's regular state executive official elections.
The table below details the partisan breakdown for state executive vacancies in 2024. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party held after the appointments took place.
| Partisan breakdown of the vacancies (2024) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of vacancy | After vacancy | |
| Democratic Party | |||
| Republican Party | |||
| Independent | |||
| Nonpartisan | |||
| Total | 38 | 29 | |
The table below details the partisan breakdown for current state executive officials and details how many offices are currently vacant.
| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
 Independent |
Nonpartisan | Vacancies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | 23 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lt. Governor | 20 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Attorney General | 21 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Secretary of State | 21 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Treasurer | 12 | 24 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Controller | 6 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Auditor | 7 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Superintendent of Schools | 1 | 7 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| Insurance Commissioner | 3 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| Agriculture Commissioner | 0 | 12 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| Natural Resources Commissioner | 2 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| Labor Commissioner | 0 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| Public Service Commissioner | 6 | 39 | 0 | 154 | 2 |
Current and past vacancies
The table below highlights each instance where a state executive official vacancy triggered a replacement via appointment in 2024. Know of a vacancy that should be covered here? Click here to let us know.
| 2024 state executive official vacancies | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of vacancy | Office | State executive | Party | Reason | Vacancy procedure | Date filled | Successor | |
| December 31, 2024 | Missouri Director of Insurance | Chlora Lindley-Myers | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | March 1, 2025 | Angela Nelson | |
| December 28, 2024 | Vermont Commissioner of Financial Regulation | Kevin Gaffney | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | December 28, 2024 | Sandy Bigglestone (acting) | |
| December 20, 2024 | Nebraska Commissioner of Labor | John Albin | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | December 31, 2024 | Katie Thurber (acting) | |
| December 18, 2024 | Oregon Audits Director | Kip Memmott | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | January 13, 2025 | Steve Bergmann | |
| December 16, 2024 | North Dakota Commissioner of Labor | Nathan Svihovec | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | December 16, 2024 | Reice Haase | |
| December 9, 2024 | Montana Director of Agriculture | Christy Clark | Nonpartisan | Appointed to another position | Governor appointment | January 20, 2025 | Jillien Streit | |
| December 6, 2024 | Pennsylvania Secretary of Education | Khalid Mumin | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | February 18, 2025 | Angela Fitterer (acting), Carrie Rowe (acting) | |
| December 1, 2024 | Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission | John C. Revens | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | May 27, 2025 | Karen Bradbury | |
| November 24, 2024 | Georgia Commissioner of Labor | Bruce Thompson (Georgia) | Republican | Death | Governor appointment | April 4, 2025 | Barbara Rivera Holmes | |
| November 6, 2024 | Nevada State Board of Regents District 8 | Michelee Crawford | Nonpartisan | Elected or appointed to another office | Governor appointment | TBD | TBD | |
| November 6, 2024 | North Carolina Commissioner of Labor | Josh Dobson | Democratic | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | November 8, 2024 | Kevin O'Barr (acting) | |
| October 18, 2024 | West Virginia Secretary of Commerce | James Bailey | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | January 16, 2025 | Matt Herridge | |
| October 15, 2024 | Indiana Commissioner of Insurance | Amy Beard | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | October 16, 2024 | Holly Lambert | |
| October 4, 2024 | Nebraska State Board of Education District 4 | Jacquelyn Morrison | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | TBD | TBD | |
| October 1, 2024 | Colorado State Board of Education | Stephen Varela | Republican | Resigned before term ends | Other appointment | October 28, 2024 | Sherri Wright (R) | |
| September 30, 2024 | Alaska Regulatory Commission | Robert Doyle | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | December 3, 2024 | Mark A. Johnston | |
| September 24, 2024 | Alabama Public Service Commission Place 2 | Chris Beeker | Republican | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | September 24, 2024 | Chris Beeker, III (R) | |
| September 16, 2024 | North Carolina Secretary of Environmental Quality | Elizabeth Biser | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | September 17, 2024 | Mary Penny Kelley (acting) | |
| September 4, 2024 | Lieutenant Governor of Iowa | Adam Gregg | Republican | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | December 16, 2024 | Chris Cournoyer (R) | |
| August 30, 2024 | New Mexico Secretary of Education | Arsenio Romero | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | TBD | TBD | |
| August 16, 2024 | Virginia State Comptroller | Lewis McCabe | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | August 23, 2024 | Scott Adams | |
| August 2, 2024 | Nebraska Director of Natural Resources | Thomas Riley | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term ends | Governor appointment | August 5, 2024 | Jesse Bradley (acting) | |
| August 1, 2024 | Texas State Board of Education | Aicha Davis | Democratic | Resigned before term ends | Special election | TBD | TBD | |
| July 1, 2024 | Missouri Commissioner of Education | Margie Vandeven | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | July 1, 2024 | Karla Eslinger | |
| June 1, 2024 | Maryland Public Service Commission | Anthony O'Donnell | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | April 10, 2025 | Odogwu Obi Linton | |
| May 31, 2024 | Alaska Regulatory Commission | Keith Kurber | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | November 6, 2024 | Steve DeVries | |
| May 8, 2024 | New York Secretary of State | Robert Rodriguez | Democratic Party | Elected or appointed to another office | Governor appointment | May 22, 2024 | Walter Mosley (D) | |
| May 1, 2024 | Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance | Gary Anderson | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | November 4, 2024 | Michael Caljouw | |
| April 24, 2024 | Missouri Public Service Commission | Scott Rupp | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | May 9, 2024 | John Mitchell | |
| April 15, 2024 | New York Commissioner of Environmental Conservation | Basil Seggos | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment, senate confirmation | June 2, 2025 | Amanda Lefton | |
| April 15, 2024 | Illinois Director of Insurance | Dana Popish Severinghaus | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment, senate confirmation | April 15, 2024 | Ann Gillespie | |
| April 15, 2024 | Vermont Secretary of Education | Heather Bouchey | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment, senate confirmation | April 15, 2024 | Zoie Saunders | |
| April 8, 2024 | New York Public Service Commission | Diane X. Burman | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment, senate confirmation | April 11, 2024 | Denise Sheehan | |
| April 1, 2024 | Oregon Director of Fish and Wildlife | Curt Melcher | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Appointment by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission | May 10, 2024 | Debbie Colbert | |
| March 31, 2024 | South Carolina Public Service Commissioner | Tom Ervin | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | May 1, 2025 | David Britt | |
| March 1, 2024 | California Public Utilities Commission | Genevieve Shiroma | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | March 5, 2024 | Matt Baker | |
| February 14, 2024 | Massachusetts Governor's Council District 2 | Robert Jubinville | Democratic | Appointed to another office | Hybrid system | January 2, 2025 | Tamisha Civil (D) | |
| January 16, 2024 | Wisconsin Public Service Commission | Tyler Huebner | Nonpartisan | Removed from office | Governor appointment | April 8, 2024 | Marcus Hawkins | |
| January 5, 2024 | New Jersey Board of Public Utilities | Mary-Anna Holden | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | January 31, 2024 | Michael Bange | |
| January 5, 2024 | Utah Public Service Commission | Thad LeVar | Nonpartisan | Resigned before term end | Governor appointment | April 17, 2024 | Jerry Fenn | |
How are vacancies filled in state executive offices?
The method for filling a state executive official vacancy varies by both the office and state. Select an office tab below to see a map of how each state fills a vacancy and a table that breaks down the different systems used to fill vacancies. Underneath, select a state-specific office to learn more about how it is filled through state law. Please note this page is undergoing updates, and each tab may not contain every component at this time.
Not every state executive office exists in all 50 states, and the name of an office may vary across states where it is found. For example, the state executive office of controller is known as comptroller in several states like Indiana, Maryland, and New Jersey.
State executive official vacancies can be filled through gubernatorial appointments, state legislative appointments, appointments by another office, a type of hybrid system, or in rare circumstances, a special election. We designate a state as having a hybrid system if a vacancy is filled by one or more methods. The method employed in these states is usually dependent on if the state legislature is in session, the amount of time remaining in the vacant executive official's term, or the time until the next general election in that state. Some offices require the appointment to be confirmed by either the state senate or both chambers of the state legislature. This information is denoted on the map for each state.
Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that details the process of filling vacancies for a state executive office. For some offices, the map does not list any information on how the vacancy is filled which indicates that after extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office, please email us.
Vacancy fill systems by state
Types of systems used to fill vacancies
Offices
- Governor of Alabama
- Governor of Alaska
- Governor of American Samoa
- Governor of Arizona
- Governor of Arkansas
- Governor of California
- Governor of Colorado
- Governor of Connecticut
- Governor of Delaware
- Governor of Florida
- Governor of Georgia
- Governor of Guam
- Governor of Hawaii
- Governor of Idaho
- Governor of Illinois
- Governor of Indiana
- Governor of Iowa
- Governor of Kansas
- Governor of Kentucky
- Governor of Louisiana
- Governor of Maine
- Governor of Maryland
- Governor of Massachusetts
- Governor of Michigan
- Governor of Minnesota
- Governor of Mississippi
- Governor of Missouri
- Governor of Montana
- Governor of Nebraska
- Governor of Nevada
- Governor of New Hampshire
- Governor of New Jersey
- Governor of New Mexico
- Governor of New York
- Governor of North Carolina
- Governor of North Dakota
- Governor of Ohio
- Governor of Oklahoma
- Governor of Oregon
- Governor of Pennsylvania
- Governor of Puerto Rico
- Governor of Rhode Island
- Governor of South Carolina
- Governor of South Dakota
- Governor of Tennessee
- Governor of Texas
- Governor of Utah
- Governor of Vermont
- Governor of Virginia
- Governor of Washington
- Governor of West Virginia
- Governor of Wisconsin
- Governor of Wyoming
- Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
See also
- Chart of state executive officers
- State executive officials
- State executive offices
- State executive official elections, 2024
- State legislative vacancies, 2024
- State intermediate appellate court vacancies, 2024
- State supreme court vacancies, 2024
- How vacancies are filled in state executive offices
Footnotes
