Which States Elect a Governor in 2026
Thirty-six states elect a governor on November 3, 2026, and each party holds 18 of those seats going in. Nationally, Republicans hold 26 governorships and Democrats 24, according to Ballotpedia. 15 governors are term-limited, 6 Democrats and 9 Republicans, and they cannot run again.
- 36
- Governor races on November 3
- 19
- Open seats, no incumbent running
- 17
- Incumbents seeking another term
- 15
- Governors term-limited
Key facts
- 36 states hold a governor race in 2026, and each party holds 18 of them now (Ballotpedia).
- 19 seats are open: 9 held by Democrats and 10 by Republicans.
- Iowa's Kim Reynolds, Minnesota's Tim Walz and Wisconsin's Tony Evers chose not to run, and Rhode Island's Daniel McKee lost the primary.
- Every race is on the same day as the midterm elections for Congress, Tuesday, November 3.
Who holds the seat, and is the governor running?
- Democratic governor running again
- Democratic seat, open
- Republican governor running again
- Republican seat, open
Gray states have no governor race in 2026.
Source: Ballotpedia, Gubernatorial elections, 2026, and each state's 2026 election page, read September 29, 2026.
| State | Current governor | Status | Nominees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Kay Ivey (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Tommy Tuberville (R); Doug Jones (D) |
| Alaska | Mike Dunleavy (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | David Bronson (R); Treg Taylor (R); Bernadette Wilson (R); Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D) |
| Arizona | Katie Hobbs (D) | Incumbent running | Katie Hobbs (D), incumbent; Andy Biggs (R) |
| Arkansas | Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) | Incumbent running | Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), incumbent; Fredrick Love (D) |
| California | Gavin Newsom (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Xavier Becerra (D); Steve Hilton (R) |
| Colorado | Jared Polis (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Phil Weiser (D); Victor Marx (R) |
| Connecticut | Ned Lamont (D) | Incumbent running | Ned Lamont (D), incumbent; Ryan Fazio (R) |
| Florida | Ron DeSantis (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Byron Donalds (R); David Jolly (D) |
| Georgia | Brian Kemp (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Rick Jackson (R); Keisha Bottoms (D) |
| Hawaii | Joshua Green (D) | Incumbent running | Joshua Green (D), incumbent; Gary Cordery (R) |
| Idaho | Brad Little (R) | Incumbent running | Brad Little (R), incumbent; Terri Pickens (D) |
| Illinois | J.B. Pritzker (D) | Incumbent running | J.B. Pritzker (D), incumbent; Darren Bailey (R) |
| Iowa | Kim Reynolds (R) | Open seat, incumbent not running | Zach Lahn (R); Rob Sand (D) |
| Kansas | Laura Kelly (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Ty Masterson (R); Cindy Holscher (D) |
| Maine | Janet T. Mills (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Hannah Pingree (D); Bobby Charles (R); Richard Bennett (I) |
| Maryland | Wes Moore (D) | Incumbent running | Wes Moore (D), incumbent; Dan Cox (R) |
| Massachusetts | Maura Healey (D) | Incumbent running | Maura Healey (D), incumbent; Michael Minogue (R) |
| Michigan | Gretchen Whitmer (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Jocelyn Benson (D); John James (R) |
| Minnesota | Tim Walz (D) | Open seat, incumbent not running | Amy Klobuchar (D); Lisa Demuth (R) |
| Nebraska | Jim Pillen (R) | Incumbent running | Jim Pillen (R), incumbent; Lynne Walz (D) |
| Nevada | Joe Lombardo (R) | Incumbent running | Joe Lombardo (R), incumbent; Aaron Ford (D) |
| New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte (R) | Incumbent running | Kelly Ayotte (R), incumbent; Cinde Warmington (D) |
| New Mexico | Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Debra Haaland (D); Gregg Hull (R) |
| New York | Kathy Hochul (D) | Incumbent running | Kathy Hochul (D), incumbent; Bruce Blakeman (R) |
| Ohio | Mike DeWine (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Vivek Ramaswamy (R); Amy Acton (D) |
| Oklahoma | Kevin Stitt (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Mike Mazzei (R); Cyndi Munson (D) |
| Oregon | Tina Kotek (D) | Incumbent running | Tina Kotek (D), incumbent; Christine Drazan (R) |
| Pennsylvania | Josh Shapiro (D) | Incumbent running | Josh Shapiro (D), incumbent; Stacy Garrity (R) |
| Rhode Island | Daniel McKee (D) | Open seat, incumbent lost primary | Helena Foulkes (D); Aaron Guckian (R); Ken Block (I) |
| South Carolina | Henry McMaster (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Alan Wilson (R); Jermaine Johnson (D) |
| South Dakota | Larry Rhoden (R) | Incumbent running | Larry Rhoden (R), incumbent; Dan Ahlers (D) |
| Tennessee | Bill Lee (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Marsha Blackburn (R); Jerri Green (D) |
| Texas | Greg Abbott (R) | Incumbent running | Greg Abbott (R), incumbent; Gina Hinojosa (D) |
| Vermont | Phil Scott (R) | Incumbent running | Phil Scott (R), incumbent; Amanda Janoo (D) |
| Wisconsin | Tony Evers (D) | Open seat, incumbent not running | Tom Tiffany (R); David Crowley (D) |
| Wyoming | Mark Gordon (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Eric Barlow (R); Ken Casner (D) |
Governor Nominees by State
Search your state to see who is on your ballot for governor. The table lists the Democratic and Republican nominees, plus independents on the statewide ballot in Maine and Rhode Island. Third-party and write-in candidates are on many ballots too; your sample ballot shows every name.
| Alabama | Kay Ivey (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Doug Jones | Tommy Tuberville |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Mike Dunleavy (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins | David Bronson, Treg Taylor, Bernadette Wilson |
| Arizona | Katie Hobbs (D) | Incumbent running | Katie Hobbs | Andy Biggs |
| Arkansas | Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) | Incumbent running | Fredrick Love | Sarah Huckabee Sanders |
| California | Gavin Newsom (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Xavier Becerra | Steve Hilton |
| Colorado | Jared Polis (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Phil Weiser | Victor Marx |
| Connecticut | Ned Lamont (D) | Incumbent running | Ned Lamont | Ryan Fazio |
| Florida | Ron DeSantis (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | David Jolly | Byron Donalds |
| Georgia | Brian Kemp (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Keisha Bottoms | Rick Jackson |
| Hawaii | Joshua Green (D) | Incumbent running | Joshua Green | Gary Cordery |
| Idaho | Brad Little (R) | Incumbent running | Terri Pickens | Brad Little |
| Illinois | J.B. Pritzker (D) | Incumbent running | J.B. Pritzker | Darren Bailey |
| Iowa | Kim Reynolds (R) | Open seat, incumbent not running | Rob Sand | Zach Lahn |
| Kansas | Laura Kelly (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Cindy Holscher | Ty Masterson |
| Maine | Janet T. Mills (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Hannah Pingree; independent Richard Bennett | Bobby Charles |
| Maryland | Wes Moore (D) | Incumbent running | Wes Moore | Dan Cox |
| Massachusetts | Maura Healey (D) | Incumbent running | Maura Healey | Michael Minogue |
| Michigan | Gretchen Whitmer (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Jocelyn Benson | John James |
| Minnesota | Tim Walz (D) | Open seat, incumbent not running | Amy Klobuchar | Lisa Demuth |
| Nebraska | Jim Pillen (R) | Incumbent running | Lynne Walz | Jim Pillen |
| Nevada | Joe Lombardo (R) | Incumbent running | Aaron Ford | Joe Lombardo |
| New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte (R) | Incumbent running | Cinde Warmington | Kelly Ayotte |
| New Mexico | Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Debra Haaland | Gregg Hull |
| New York | Kathy Hochul (D) | Incumbent running | Kathy Hochul | Bruce Blakeman |
| Ohio | Mike DeWine (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Amy Acton | Vivek Ramaswamy |
| Oklahoma | Kevin Stitt (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Cyndi Munson | Mike Mazzei |
| Oregon | Tina Kotek (D) | Incumbent running | Tina Kotek | Christine Drazan |
| Pennsylvania | Josh Shapiro (D) | Incumbent running | Josh Shapiro | Stacy Garrity |
| Rhode Island | Daniel McKee (D) | Open seat, incumbent lost primary | Helena Foulkes; independent Ken Block | Aaron Guckian |
| South Carolina | Henry McMaster (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Jermaine Johnson | Alan Wilson |
| South Dakota | Larry Rhoden (R) | Incumbent running | Dan Ahlers | Larry Rhoden |
| Tennessee | Bill Lee (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Jerri Green | Marsha Blackburn |
| Texas | Greg Abbott (R) | Incumbent running | Gina Hinojosa | Greg Abbott |
| Vermont | Phil Scott (R) | Incumbent running | Amanda Janoo | Phil Scott |
| Wisconsin | Tony Evers (D) | Open seat, incumbent not running | David Crowley | Tom Tiffany |
| Wyoming | Mark Gordon (R) | Open seat, incumbent term-limited | Ken Casner | Eric Barlow |
No states match. Clear the search or filter to see all 36.
Source: Ballotpedia, read September 29, 2026. Alaska's four finalists (three Republicans, one Democrat) face a ranked-choice general election. California used a top-two primary.
Open Governor Seats in 2026
19 of the 36 races have no incumbent on the ballot. Most open seats come from term limits. A few governors could have run and did not, and one lost the primary.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Term-limited | 15 |
| Chose not to run | 3 |
| Lost the primary | 1 |
| Incumbent running | 17 |
Source: Ballotpedia, read September 29, 2026. Counts from the 36 races.
California Governor Race
California’s nominees for governor are Xavier Becerra (Democrat) and Steve Hilton (Republican). Gavin Newsom is term-limited. Under California’s top-two system, every candidate ran on one primary ballot in June and the two leading finishers advanced regardless of party, so the November race is a head-to-head (Ballotpedia).
Florida Governor Race
Florida’s nominees for governor are Byron Donalds (Republican) and David Jolly (Democrat). Ron DeSantis is term-limited, so the seat is open (Ballotpedia).
Texas Governor Race
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is running for a fourth term against Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a state representative. Libertarian Pat Dixon is also on the ballot (Ballotpedia). Our guide to who runs Texas covers the governor’s powers and the rest of the statewide ballot, and how to vote in Texas has the deadlines.
Michigan Governor Race
Michigan’s nominees for governor are Jocelyn Benson (Democrat) and John James (Republican). Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited (Ballotpedia).
New York Governor Race
New York’s nominees for governor are Kathy Hochul (Democrat, incumbent) and Bruce Blakeman (Republican) (Ballotpedia).
The five most-searched 2026 governor races, by Ahrefs U.S. search volume, September 2026
Source: Ballotpedia, read September 29, 2026
What a Governor Decides
A governor signs or vetoes every state law and runs the state agencies that carry them out. That reaches Medicaid, schools, prisons, elections administration and the state’s response to federal policy. In Texas, for example, the governor’s veto and special-session power shape the whole legislative calendar, as our who runs Texas guide explains. Powers differ from state to state, so check your state constitution or your state’s official site for the details.
Common Questions
How many governor races are there in 2026?
36. Democrats and Republicans each hold 18 of the seats on the ballot. Incumbents are running in 17 states, and 19 seats are open: 15 because the governor is term-limited, 3 because the governor chose not to run, and 1 because the governor lost the primary.
Who is running for governor in 2026?
Nominees are set in all 36 states that elect a governor on November 3, 2026. In the four largest: California, Xavier Becerra (Democrat) and Steve Hilton (Republican); Texas, Greg Abbott (Republican, incumbent) and Gina Hinojosa (Democrat); Florida, Byron Donalds (Republican) and David Jolly (Democrat); and New York, Kathy Hochul (Democrat, incumbent) and Bruce Blakeman (Republican). The table lists every state.
Who is running for governor of Florida in 2026?
Byron Donalds (Republican) and David Jolly (Democrat). Ron DeSantis is term-limited and cannot run again.
Who is running for Texas governor in 2026?
Greg Abbott (Republican, incumbent) and Gina Hinojosa (Democrat), along with Libertarian Pat Dixon and write-in candidates.
Who is running for Michigan governor in 2026?
Jocelyn Benson (Democrat) and John James (Republican). Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and is not on the ballot.
Who is running for New York governor in 2026?
Kathy Hochul (Democrat, incumbent) and Bruce Blakeman (Republican).
Which governors are term-limited in 2026?
15 governors cannot run again because of term limits: Kay Ivey of Alabama, Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Gavin Newsom of California, Jared Polis of Colorado, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Janet T. Mills of Maine, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Bill Lee of Tennessee and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
When is the 2026 governor election?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in all 36 states, the same day as the midterm elections for Congress. Early voting starts sooner in most states.
What You Can Do
- Find your race. Search the table above, then read your county’s sample ballot for the rest of the statewide races.
- Check your registration now. Many deadlines fall in early October. Our voter registration guide has your state’s.
- Read the candidates’ own records. Look up votes, veto records and public statements on the official state sites, not just ads.
- Vote the whole ballot. The governor race sits alongside Congress, the legislature and local offices. See what is on the 2026 ballot.
- Ask the candidates. Watch for candidate forums and debates in your state, and bring a question about the issue that matters most to you.