2026 Governor Races, State by State
| State | Incumbent party |
|---|---|
| Alabama | R |
| Alaska | R |
| Arizona | D |
| Arkansas | R |
| California | D |
| Colorado | D |
| Connecticut | D |
| Florida | R |
| Georgia | R |
| Hawaii | D |
| Idaho | R |
| Illinois | D |
| Iowa | R |
| Kansas | D |
| Maine | D |
| Maryland | D |
| Massachusetts | D |
| Michigan | D |
| Minnesota | D |
| Nebraska | R |
| Nevada | R |
| New Hampshire | R |
| New Mexico | D |
| New York | D |
| Ohio | R |
| Oklahoma | R |
| Oregon | D |
| Pennsylvania | D |
| Rhode Island | D |
| South Carolina | R |
| South Dakota | R |
| Tennessee | R |
| Texas | R |
| Vermont | R |
| Wisconsin | D |
| Wyoming | R |
Governors are the biggest prize on most 2026 ballots — the office that signs or vetoes state law, runs the state's emergency machinery and draws the tone of its politics for four years. Thirty-six states elect one this November 3, and the table above lists every one of them with the party that holds the chair today.
Bottom line: the 36 contests split evenly, 18 Republican-held and 18 Democratic-held. Thirty-four are four-year terms last elected in 2022; the other two, New Hampshire and Vermont, are two-year chairs whose governors face the voters every single even year — which is why those two small states appear on this map every cycle without exception.
Expect a striking number of open seats. Many of these chairs come with term limits, and the 2022 class elected a wave of governors who hit the two-term wall in 2026 or chose not to run again — so a state whose incumbent party is listed here may still feature two fresh candidates on the ballot. The party letter describes the chair, not the candidate lineup.
Why the governor map matters beyond the states themselves: governors appoint election officials, and in most states the person in the chair signs district maps for the state legislature and Congress. A four-year term won this November presides over the next round of redistricting preparation — which is why both parties track these 36 races as closely as any federal contest.
How to use
- Find your state's row; every state listed elects a governor on November 3, 2026.
- The party letter shows who holds the governorship today — the side being defended this fall.
- Copy or share the table before your state's registration deadline so the whole household is set.
Frequently asked questions
How many states elect governors in 2026?
Thirty-six. Thirty-four of them are the standard four-year cycle — chairs last elected in November 2022 — plus New Hampshire and Vermont, whose two-year terms put their governorships on the ballot every even year. The remaining fourteen states elect governors in the presidential-cycle years instead.
Why do New Hampshire and Vermont vote for governor every two years?
Both states constitutionally elect their governor to a two-year term rather than four, a New England tradition that also covers their legislatures. There is no off-year for either: whoever wins in 2026 is back on the ballot in 2028. It keeps the race cheap, local and continuous.
Which party defends more governorships in 2026?
Neither — the 36 chairs split exactly 18 Republican and 18 Democratic as of publication. The even split is why both parties see path-to-majority scenarios in 2026; the individual open seats and each state's fundamentals matter far more than the raw count.
Does the incumbent always run again?
No — and in 2026 that matters a lot. Term limits force out governors who have served two consecutive terms in most of these states, and others retire voluntarily. Several chairs on this table will be genuinely open seats with no incumbent on the ballot, so check your state's primary outcome rather than assuming the listed party's current occupant is running.