36 Races, 19 Open Seats
Thirty-six states will elect governors on November 3, 2026. In 19 of those races, the incumbent is not on the ballot: 15 governors are term-limited, three chose not to run, and Rhode Island’s Daniel McKee lost his primary.
19 open governor seats in 2026. Governors elected this cycle will control Medicaid, abortion access, and redistricting through 2030.
Why Governors Matter More Than You Think
Governors are not figureheads. They sign or veto every bill that reaches their desk, appoint agency heads, and certify presidential electors. In the post-Dobbs era, they are the last line of defense on abortion access and Medicaid funding.
Here is how governor power works in practice.
Medicaid expansion. Fifteen states passed trigger laws that tie Medicaid expansion to federal funding levels. When the One Big Beautiful Bill cuts federal matching rates, governors in those states will decide whether to absorb the cost or let coverage disappear. In the 10 states that still have not expanded Medicaid, a governor’s signature is the only thing standing between 4 million uninsured adults and coverage.
Abortion access. Since Dobbs, 22 states ban or severely restrict abortion. In states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, the governor’s veto is the only thing blocking new restrictions from passing through Republican legislatures. When North Carolina’s legislature overrode Governor Cooper’s veto in 2023, the state went from no gestational limit to a 12-week ban overnight.
School vouchers. 14 states enacted universal or near-universal voucher programs between 2023 and 2025. Arizona’s universal voucher program cost $900 million more than projected, with 75% of recipients already in private school. Governors in states considering voucher bills will either sign or block them.
Redistricting veto. Governors in most states can veto legislative maps. After the 2030 census, new district lines will be drawn for Congress and state legislatures. The governors elected in 2026 will be in office when those maps are finalized.
In Wisconsin, Governor Evers vetoed gerrymandered maps until the state supreme court ordered fair maps in 2024. Without that veto, Republicans would have maintained a supermajority drawn from districts where they won just 45% of the statewide vote.
The Races That Will Shift Policy
Six states stand out. Three have open seats, two have incumbents on the ballot, and one has no governor’s race this year.
Pennsylvania. Governor Josh Shapiro (D) is running for reelection. His veto has blocked voucher legislation and protected abortion access. A Republican governor with the current Republican Senate would create a trifecta.
Michigan. Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) is term-limited. Michigan codified abortion access and repealed the anti-union right-to-work law under her tenure. The next governor inherits all of it and decides whether it stays.
Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp (R) is term-limited. Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, signed by Kemp in 2019, survived a state supreme court challenge. The next governor will either defend or replace it.
Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers (D) is not running for a third term. His 126 vetoes blocked abortion restrictions and gerrymandered maps. Without a Democratic governor, the Republican legislature faces no check.
North Carolina. There is no governor’s race in 2026. Governor Josh Stein (D), elected in 2024, is next on the ballot in 2028. The 2026 legislative races will determine whether he faces a friendly or hostile legislature.
Nevada. Governor Joe Lombardo (R) faces Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) in his bid for reelection.
Election Certification
Governors certify presidential electors. In 2020, Georgia’s Brian Kemp certified Biden’s win despite pressure from Trump. Arizona’s Katie Hobbs, then secretary of state, certified the results despite death threats.
The governors elected in 2026 will be in office for the 2028 presidential election. If a close race reaches the certification stage, the governor’s willingness to follow the law will matter.
What you can do now
-
Find your governor race. Check Ballotpedia’s 2026 governor elections page to see who is running in your state and whether the seat is open.
-
Support candidates in open-seat races. Open seats are where your money and time have the most impact. The six states above are starting points, but your own state may have competitive down-ballot races that determine legislative control.
-
Track governor vetoes in your state. Governors sign or veto bills that affect your healthcare and your voting rights. Your state legislature’s website publishes every bill and every veto. Follow it.
-
Register and confirm your registration now. Every state has different deadlines. Go to vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote and confirm your status before the fall rush.
Correction, October 14, 2026: An earlier version of this brief said that since 2000 the party holding a governor’s office lost 40% of open-seat races and 12% of races with an incumbent, citing the Cook Political Report’s ratings page. That page does not carry those figures, so they were removed. A line calling Pennsylvania’s race competitive was also removed, because Resist Now does not publish election forecasts.
Correction, October 15, 2026: An earlier version of this brief said 17 governor seats have no incumbent on the ballot; there are 19, counting Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee’s primary loss (Ballotpedia). It listed Pennsylvania among open seats, though Governor Josh Shapiro is running, and North Carolina, which has no governor’s race in 2026.
It called Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers term-limited; Ballotpedia lists him among the governors not seeking reelection, not among those term-limited. It described Nevada as a state Biden won, a 2020 result. A line on Lombardo’s vetoes and gun law, and a claim that 2026 has the most open seats since 2010, were removed because no source confirmed them.