Thirty-six states elect a governor on November 3, 2026. Fifteen of those governors are term-limited, three more chose not to run, and Rhode Island’s incumbent lost his primary, so 19 races have no incumbent on the ballot. With the primaries almost all finished, the matchups below are set, and the races most forecasters call closest are Georgia, Nevada and Ohio.
The table covers every race. After it, we look at the contests likeliest to change parties and explain how to read governor polling, which is thinner and noisier than Senate polling.
Which states elect a governor in 2026? #
Nominees are as of early September 2026. Alaska uses a top-four primary and a ranked-choice general election, so it doesn’t produce one nominee per party. California’s top-two primary happened to send one Democrat and one Republican to November. Confirm any name with your state’s election office before you rely on it.
| State | Incumbent | Status | Democratic nominee | Republican nominee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Kay Ivey (R) | Term-limited | Doug Jones | Tommy Tuberville |
| Alaska | Mike Dunleavy (R) | Term-limited | Top four advanced Aug. 18 | Ranked-choice general |
| Arizona | Katie Hobbs (D) | Running | Katie Hobbs | Andy Biggs |
| Arkansas | Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) | Running | Fredrick Love | Sarah Huckabee Sanders |
| California | Gavin Newsom (D) | Term-limited | Xavier Becerra | Steve Hilton |
| Colorado | Jared Polis (D) | Term-limited | Phil Weiser | Victor Marx |
| Connecticut | Ned Lamont (D) | Running | Ned Lamont | Ryan Fazio |
| Florida | Ron DeSantis (R) | Term-limited | David Jolly | Byron Donalds |
| Georgia | Brian Kemp (R) | Term-limited | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Rick Jackson |
| Hawaii | Josh Green (D) | Running | Josh Green | Gary Cordery |
| Idaho | Brad Little (R) | Running | Terri Pickens | Brad Little |
| Illinois | JB Pritzker (D) | Running | JB Pritzker | Darren Bailey |
| Iowa | Kim Reynolds (R) | Not running | Rob Sand | Zach Lahn |
| Kansas | Laura Kelly (D) | Term-limited | Cindy Holscher | Ty Masterson |
| Maine | Janet Mills (D) | Term-limited | Hannah Pingree | Robert B. Charles |
| Maryland | Wes Moore (D) | Running | Wes Moore | Dan Cox |
| Massachusetts | Maura Healey (D) | Running | Maura Healey | Mike Minogue |
| Michigan | Gretchen Whitmer (D) | Term-limited | Jocelyn Benson | John James |
| Minnesota | Tim Walz (D) | Not running | Amy Klobuchar | Lisa Demuth |
| Nebraska | Jim Pillen (R) | Running | Lynne Walz | Jim Pillen |
| Nevada | Joe Lombardo (R) | Running | Aaron Ford | Joe Lombardo |
| New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte (R) | Running | Cinde Warmington | Kelly Ayotte |
| New Mexico | Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) | Term-limited | Deb Haaland | Gregg Hull |
| New York | Kathy Hochul (D) | Running | Kathy Hochul | Bruce Blakeman |
| Ohio | Mike DeWine (R) | Term-limited | Amy Acton | Vivek Ramaswamy |
| Oklahoma | Kevin Stitt (R) | Term-limited | Cyndi Munson | Mike Mazzei |
| Oregon | Tina Kotek (D) | Running | Tina Kotek | Christine Drazan |
| Pennsylvania | Josh Shapiro (D) | Running | Josh Shapiro | Stacy Garrity |
| Rhode Island | Dan McKee (D) | Lost primary | Helena Foulkes | Aaron Guckian |
| South Carolina | Henry McMaster (R) | Term-limited | Jermaine Johnson | Alan Wilson |
| South Dakota | Larry Rhoden (R) | Running | Dan Ahlers | Larry Rhoden |
| Tennessee | Bill Lee (R) | Term-limited | Jerri Green | Marsha Blackburn |
| Texas | Greg Abbott (R) | Running | Gina Hinojosa | Greg Abbott |
| Vermont | Phil Scott (R) | Running | Amanda Janoo | Phil Scott |
| Wisconsin | Tony Evers (D) | Not running | David Crowley | Tom Tiffany |
| Wyoming | Mark Gordon (R) | Term-limited | Kenneth Casner | Eric Barlow |
Republicans hold 18 of these seats and Democrats hold 18. New Hampshire and Vermont elect governors every two years; the other 34 states on this list use four-year terms. For the full ballot, including all 35 Senate races, see which Senate seats are up in 2026.
Which 2026 governor races are toss-ups? #
Race ratings move, so treat any list as a snapshot. In early September, most major forecasters rated three races as toss-ups:
- Georgia. Brian Kemp is term-limited in a state that has swung between the parties in recent presidential and Senate races. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, faces Rick Jackson.
- Nevada. Joe Lombardo is seeking a second term in a state Donald Trump carried by about three points in 2024. He faces Attorney General Aaron Ford.
- Ohio. Mike DeWine is term-limited. Vivek Ramaswamy faces Amy Acton, the former state health director.
For current ratings, check the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball or Inside Elections, and note the date on each rating.
Governors defending seats in states that voted the other way #
A useful way to find competitive races is to look for governors whose party lost their state in the 2024 presidential race. Trump carried Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all of which currently have Democratic governors. Kansas, Michigan and Wisconsin are open seats this year. Kamala Harris carried New Hampshire and Vermont, which have Republican governors running again.
That pattern doesn’t decide races by itself. Governors win on local issues, and ticket-splitting is more common for governor than for Congress. Phil Scott has won Vermont repeatedly as a Republican, and Laura Kelly won Kansas twice as a Democrat. Our explainer on split-ticket voting covers why that still happens even as it declines in federal races.
Open seats worth watching #
Open seats lose the incumbency advantage, which is usually the strongest single predictor in a governor’s race. Besides Georgia and Ohio, the open races drawing the most national attention are Michigan (Jocelyn Benson vs. John James), Wisconsin (David Crowley vs. Tom Tiffany), Iowa (Rob Sand vs. Zach Lahn) and Kansas (Cindy Holscher vs. Ty Masterson). Arizona isn’t open, but Katie Hobbs faces Andy Biggs in a state that has had close statewide races in every recent cycle.
Why do governor races matter beyond the state? #
Governors sign or veto state budgets and congressional district maps, and they shape how elections are run. Under the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, the governor issues the certificate that identifies a state’s presidential electors, unless state law says otherwise. The governors elected this November will hold office during the 2028 presidential election in every state with a four-year term.
Governors’ offices are also where many presidential candidates come from. Several of this year’s incumbents and nominees are already mentioned as possible 2028 contenders.
How do you read governor polls? #
Governor races get far fewer polls than Senate races, especially in safe states. That makes each poll count for more and makes averages jumpier. A few habits help:
- Check the population. Polls of likely voters and registered voters can differ by several points in a midterm, when turnout drops. Our guide to how polling averages work explains why averages usually beat any single poll.
- Look at the undecideds. Lesser-known nominees can sit at 40% with a large undecided share well into the fall. A 44-40 lead with 16% undecided is not the same as 50-46.
- Note who paid for it. Campaign and party internal polls are released when they look good for the sponsor.
- Watch the dates. One poll from July tells you little about October.
Election Tracker has a Governor tab that groups every published poll by race, with the pollster, sample size, population and field dates on each card. Races with enough polling get a 30-day average that collapses a pollster’s repeat surveys and weights newer polls more, and you can pin your state’s race to the top of the tab. It’s free on iPhone and doesn’t need an account.
When do the new governors take office? #
Most governors elected on November 3 are sworn in during January 2027, but the exact date is set by each state’s constitution. Close races can go to a recount first, and in states that require a majority, a runoff. Our 2026 midterm calendar lists the dates between now and then.
Frequently asked questions #
How many governors are up for election in 2026? #
Thirty-six. That’s the largest group of governor races in the four-year cycle, because most states elect governors in midterm years. New Hampshire and Vermont also hold races every two years.
Which governors are term-limited in 2026? #
Fifteen: the governors of Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming. Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Minnesota’s Tim Walz and Wisconsin’s Tony Evers could have run again but chose not to.
Which governor races are the closest in 2026? #
As of early September, Georgia, Nevada and Ohio were the races most often rated toss-ups by major forecasters. Open seats in states that lean slightly toward one party, like Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Kansas, are also competitive. Ratings change through the fall, so check the date on any rating you read.
Can a governor lose a primary? #
Yes, though it’s rare. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee lost the Democratic primary in September 2026 to Helena Foulkes, so the state has an open race in November.
Where can I follow governor polls? #
Poll aggregators and the pollsters’ own releases are the main sources. Election Tracker’s Governor tab puts each race’s published polls and its 30-day average in one place on your iPhone, with every poll dated and sourced.