2026 Governor Races: All 36 States and Their Last Results

As of October 13, 2026, 36 states elect governors on November 3, 2026, and Democrats and Republicans each hold 18 of those offices ^[2]. Nineteen of the 36 races have no incumbent on the ballot: 15 governors are term-limited, three chose not to run and one lost a primary ^[2][8]. The closest last result among them was Arizona's 2022 race, which Democrats won by 0.7 points, followed by Nevada, where Republicans won by 1.5 points in 2022 ^[1][3].

Which states elect governors in 2026?

The 36 states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming ^[2]. Nationally, Republicans hold 26 governorships and Democrats hold 24 as of October 2026 ^[2].

Most of these states give governors four-year terms elected in midterm years, so their last race was in 2022. New Hampshire and Vermont are the exceptions: their governors serve two-year terms, so both states also voted in 2024 ^[4][5]. The other 14 states elect governors in different years. Nine voted in the 2024 presidential election (Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Washington and West Virginia), New Jersey and Virginia voted in 2025, and Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi vote next in 2027 ^[1][6][7].

Which governors are term-limited or not running in 2026?

Ballotpedia counts 15 term-limited governors, six Democrats and nine Republicans ^[2]:

• Democrats (6): Gavin Newsom of California, Jared Polis of Colorado, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Janet Mills of Maine, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico ^[2].
• Republicans (9): Kay Ivey of Alabama, Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Bill Lee of Tennessee and Mark Gordon of Wyoming ^[2].

Three governors who could have run again chose not to: Kim Reynolds (R) of Iowa, Tim Walz (D) of Minnesota and Tony Evers (D) of Wisconsin ^[2]. In Rhode Island, Gov. Dan McKee (D) lost the September 2026 Democratic primary to Helena Foulkes ^[2][8]. That leaves 19 open seats, nine held by Democrats and 10 by Republicans.

Seventeen incumbents are on the ballot: nine Democrats (Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania) and eight Republicans (Arkansas, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas and Vermont) ^[2]. South Dakota's Larry Rhoden (R) took office in January 2025 when Kristi Noem, who won the 2022 race, became secretary of homeland security, so 2026 is his first run for governor ^[9].

Every 2026 governor race and its last result

The margin is the winner's share of the vote minus the runner-up's share, in percentage points, at the last election for governor in that state: R+3.0 means the Republican won by 3.0 points and D+3.0 means the Democrat won by 3.0 points.

Source: DataPorium Election Results, certified 2022 and 2024 governor results ^[1][4][5]; governors and status from Ballotpedia as of October 13, 2026 ^[2]. Where DataPorium's data lack a 2022 race or differ from the certified count, the table uses certified results compiled by Ballotpedia: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York and Tennessee ^{[3][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]}. In New York and Connecticut, the certified totals include votes cast for candidates on more than one party line.

Races with unusual ballots

Alaska's 2022 race was the state's first governor's election with a top-four primary and a ranked-choice general election ^[21]. Dunleavy won 50.3% of first-choice votes, enough to win without further rounds, ahead of Les Gara (D) at 24.2% and independent Bill Walker at 20.7% ^[1][21]. In Idaho, Little won with 60.5% in 2022; the runner-up was Democrat Stephen Heidt with 20.3%, followed by independent Ammon Bundy with 17.2% ^[13]. In both states, the margin in the table is measured against the second-place finisher, not against the combined vote of all other candidates.

How close were the last governor races?

Five of the 36 states last elected their governor by less than 5 points: Arizona (D+0.7), Nevada (R+1.5), Kansas (D+2.2), Oregon (D+3.4) and Wisconsin (D+3.4) ^[1][3]. Five more were decided by 5 to 10 points: New Mexico (D+6.4), New York (D+6.4), Georgia (R+7.5), Minnesota (D+7.7) and New Hampshire (R+9.3) ^{[1][4][12][17][19]}.

At the other end, six states were decided by more than 30 points: Wyoming (R+58.3), Vermont (R+51.6), Idaho (R+40.2), Alabama (R+37.7), Maryland (D+32.4) and Tennessee (R+32.0) ^{[1][5][13][15][20]}. The widest Democratic margins after Maryland's were in Massachusetts (D+29.2) and Hawaii (D+26.3) ^[1].

Four of these offices changed party in 2022. Democrats won the governorships of Arizona, Maryland and Massachusetts, which Republicans had held, and Republicans won Nevada, which Democrats had held ^[2]. No governorship changed party in 2024 ^[2].

On November 3, 2026, 36 states elect governors, 18 now held by each party, and 19 of the races have no incumbent on the ballot.

Frequently asked questions

How many governors are up for election in 2026?

Thirty-six, in states from Alabama to Wyoming; Democrats and Republicans each hold 18 of those offices as of October 2026 ^[2].

Which governors are term-limited in 2026?

Fifteen: six Democrats (California, Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico) and nine Republicans (Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wyoming) ^[2].

Which 2026 governor races were closest last time?

Arizona, won by Democrats by 0.7 points in 2022, and Nevada, won by Republicans by 1.5 points in 2022; Kansas (D+2.2) was third ^[1][3].

Why do New Hampshire and Vermont elect governors every two years?

Both states give governors two-year terms, so they vote in every even year; their governors last won in 2024, Kelly Ayotte by 9.3 points and Phil Scott by 51.6 points ^[4][5].

Sources & References

1. [1] DataPorium Election Results (2022 governor results by state)
2. [2] Ballotpedia, Gubernatorial elections, 2026 (accessed October 13, 2026)
3. [3] Ballotpedia, Arizona gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
4. [4] DataPorium Election Results (2024 governor, New Hampshire)
5. [5] DataPorium Election Results (2024 governor, Vermont)
6. [6] Ballotpedia, Gubernatorial elections, 2025
7. [7] Ballotpedia, Gubernatorial elections, 2027
8. [8] GBH News, Helena Foulkes ousts Gov. Dan McKee in a rare Rhode Island primary defeat (September 10, 2026)
9. [9] Ballotpedia, Larry Rhoden (accessed October 13, 2026)
10. [10] Ballotpedia, Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
11. [11] Ballotpedia, Connecticut gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
12. [12] Ballotpedia, Georgia gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
13. [13] Ballotpedia, Idaho gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
14. [14] Ballotpedia, Maine gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
15. [15] Ballotpedia, Maryland gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
16. [16] Ballotpedia, Michigan gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
17. [17] Ballotpedia, Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
18. [18] Ballotpedia, Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
19. [19] Ballotpedia, New York gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
20. [20] Ballotpedia, Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2022 (certified results)
21. [21] Ballotpedia, Alaska gubernatorial election, 2022