Election 2026: Selecting new governors and redefining the federal-state relationship

This year's gubernatorial elections will do more than determine who occupies governors' offices across the country. They will help shape how states, administrations, and voters navigate a shifting federal landscape and pursue policies designed to advance state priorities, address emerging challenges, and redefine state-federal relationships. 

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. states will elect a governor this fall, creating opportunities for significant changes in policy priorities, spending decisions, and program investments. The races also highlight several important political trends, including the growing role of women in executive leadership, a broader spectrum of the nation’s demographics represented among the candidates, and the continued emergence of congressional service as a pathway to state executive office. At the same time, they underscore the expanding intersection between state and national politics as governors assume greater prominence on the national stage. And, while the upcoming elections are already being described as “consequential,” November’s outcomes will be scrutinized for indicators of where the nation's governance is headed. Governors play leading roles in how the nation handles education, elections, economic development, health care, and environmental regulation. Traditionally, successful state initiatives often become models for federal practices and legislation. 

General election landscape 

Thirty-six states are holding gubernatorial elections this fall, with voters in 19 of those states (Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) choosing a new governor to replace a term-limited, retiring, or defeated incumbent.  

In Rhode Island, incumbent Gov. Daniel McKee was defeated in the Democratic primary by Helena Foulkes in a rematch of their 2022 primary contest. In three states, Illinois, Maryland, and Oregon, Democratic incumbents are again facing their 2022 Republican opponents. (See table below for all states and nominees.)  

Growing executive & diverse leadership: women and persons of color 

Twenty-two of the 36 contests this November involve women candidates seeking either to retain or capture their state's top executive office. In 2022, 12 women were elected or re-elected governor in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and South Dakota. This year, three of those states (Alabama, Iowa, and South Dakota) do not have a woman at the top of either major party ticket. 

According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, 72 women nationwide filed to run for governor this year, including 43 Democrats and 29 Republicans, surpassing the 69 female candidates who filed four years ago. Of those 72 candidates, 27 advanced to gubernatorial primaries, and 19 Democratic women and seven Republican women advanced to the general election as their parties' nominees. 

Six women running for governor this election year have the traditional advantage of incumbency: Democratic Govs. Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Kathy Hochul of New York, and Tina Kotek of Oregon, along with Republican Govs. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. 

Six incumbent women governors will not be returning next year. Govs. Kay Ivey of Alabama, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico are term limited. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is retiring. Maine Gov. Janet Mills chose not to seek re-election and instead launched a failed bid for the U.S. Senate. Democratic nominees seeking to replace incumbents in Kansas, Maine, Michigan, and New Mexico are also women. 

Four states, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Tennessee, feature gubernatorial races between two women nominees, with Minnesota and Tennessee poised to elect a woman governor for the first time. 

New Mexico could become the first state to elect a Native American woman as governor. Victories in Georgia or Minnesota would make either state or both the first to elect a Black woman to executive office, while Texas could elect its first Latina/Mexican American governor. 

Throughout the nation's history, only three Black governors have been elected, all of them Democrats and men, including current Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. This year, eight Black major-party gubernatorial nominees, including Moore, are on November ballots. Voters in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wisconsin could elect their state's first Black governor. 

The continued rise of Congressional service as a pathway to state executive office 

Currently, 14 states have governors who previously served in Congress. By early next year, that number will rise to 16 (with outcomes in Alabama and Florida, see discussion below) and could rise to 22 if voters in several other states and the U.S. Virgin Islands elect candidates with current or prior congressional experience.  

Four sitting U.S. Senators launched campaigns for governor in 2026: Michael Bennett of Colorado, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. All but Bennett advanced to be their party’s gubernatorial nominee. Meanwhile, 10 sitting U.S. Representatives launched gubernatorial bids: Andy Biggs and David Schweikert (Arizona), Eric Swalwell (California), Bryon Donalds (Florida), Randy Feenstra (Iowa), John James (Michigan), Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman (South Carolina), John Rose (Tennessee), and Tom Tiffany (Wisconsin). Biggs, Donalds, James, and Tiffany were all successful in securing the Republican Party’s nomination for governor. This marks the most sitting lawmakers to run for governor in well over a decade.  

Per Politico, the continuing trend of more members of Congress pursuing governorships suggests the obvious—that politicians continue to view state executive offices as positions of greater policymaking authority and fewer legislative constraints than Congress; it also reinforces governorships as launching pads for presidential aspirations and campaigns.  

Note: Names in bold represent incumbents. Asterisked (*) state represents candidates who faced each other in the 2022 General Election. New Hampshire and Vermont governors serve two-year terms with no limit on the number of terms they can serve.