US Gubernatorial Election Statistics 2026 show Democrats flipping at least five governorships and moving from 24 to 29 governors, while Republicans fall from 26 to 20, with Kansas still uncalled. Democrats won 23 of the 35 races decided so far, and 21 of the 36 states will have a new governor.
US Gubernatorial Election 2026 – Introduction
US Gubernatorial Election 2026 tell a clear story. Thirty-six states elected governors on November 3, and Republicans entered the night with a 26-24 lead. Democrats left with a majority of governorships for the first time in 16 years, according to NBC News. They flipped Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas, and MultiState also lists Alaska. Every flip outside Alaska came in a state Donald Trump carried in 2024.
This report collects the latest US gubernatorial election statistics 2026 in one place: party control, flips, turnover, historic firsts, women governors, and legislative gains. Figures come from The Associated Press race calls, NBC News, MultiState, Ballotpedia, and Rutgers University. All results are unofficial as of November 5, 2026. Kansas had no winner as of November 4, and counts in Nevada were still coming in.
Interesting Facts: US Gubernatorial Election 2026
Governors by Party, Before and After the 2026 Election (each █ = 1)
Democratic, before ████████████████████████ 24
Democratic, 2027 █████████████████████████████ 29
Republican, before ██████████████████████████ 26
Republican, 2027 ████████████████████ 20
| Interesting Fact | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| States with governor races | 36 (18 Democratic-held, 18 Republican-held) |
| Democratic governors, before to after | 24 to 29 (Kansas uncalled) |
| Republican governors, before to after | 26 to 20 |
| Governor offices flipped to Democrats | 6 per MultiState; 5 per NBC News |
| Incumbent governors defeated | 2 (Greg Abbott and Joe Lombardo) |
| Largest winning vote share among flips | 55.5% (Rob Sand, Iowa) |
| Black candidates who won governor races | 5 |
| Kansas lead for Democrat Cindy Holscher | Under 1%, audit expected |
Source: MultiState, Governors 2026 State Election Results (updated November 4, 2026); NBC News 2026 Governor Results; Ballotpedia.
Democrats gained 5 net governorships if Kansas stays out of the count, and they could reach 30 if Holscher holds the seat. The party also beat two sitting governors. Abbott lost in Texas and Lombardo lost in Nevada. Iowa produced the widest winning share among the flips at 55.5%. Democrats also won all 6 battleground states Trump flipped in 2024. Final counts may shift.
The Kansas race shows how tight the finish remains. Holscher led Republican Ty Masterson by under 1% as of November 4, and mailed ballots could decide the result. A win by Masterson would make Kansas the only Republican flip of the cycle. Until the count settles, treat 29 Democratic governors as the floor.
US Governor Election Results 2026: Governors by Party Before and After the Midterms
Governors by Party Control, Before and After (each █ = 1)
Democratic, before ████████████████████████ 24
Democratic, after █████████████████████████████ 29
Republican, before ██████████████████████████ 26
Republican, after ████████████████████ 20
| Measure | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| Governors before November 3 | 24 | 26 |
| Governorships up in 2026 | 18 | 18 |
| Races won, 35 called | 23 | 12 |
| Governors in 2027 (Kansas uncalled) | 29 | 20 |
| Net change (Kansas excluded) | +5 | -6 |
Source: MultiState, Governors 2026 State Election Results (updated November 4, 2026); Ballotpedia, Gubernatorial Elections 2026.
Democrats won 23 of the 35 called races, a 65.7% share. Republicans won 12. Before the vote, Republicans held 26 governorships and Democrats held 24. After it, Democrats hold 29 and Republicans hold 20, which gives Democrats a 9-seat edge. Each party defended 18 seats, so Democrats gained ground on an even map.
Seventeen Democratic-held states stayed Democratic, including Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Twelve Republican-held states stayed Republican, including Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama. Kansas was Democratic-held going in, so a Masterson win would be the first Republican pickup. A Holscher win would lift Democrats to 30 governors.
Governor Seats That Flipped Parties in 2026: Democratic Flips by State
Democratic Margin of Victory in Flipped Governor Races (each █ = 0.5)
Iowa ██████████████████████ D+11.0
Georgia █████████████████ D+8.6
Ohio ███████████████▌ D+7.9
Texas ██████████████ D+7.1
Nevada ██████████████ D+7.0
| State | Winner | Democratic | Republican | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Rob Sand | 55.5% | 44.5% | D+11.0 |
| Georgia | Keisha Lance Bottoms | 54.3% | 45.7% | D+8.6 |
| Ohio | Amy Acton | 52.3% | 44.4% | D+7.9 |
| Texas | Gina Hinojosa | 52.8% | 45.7% | D+7.1 |
| Nevada | Aaron Ford | 51.4% | 44.4% | D+7.0 |
Source: NBC News 2026 Governor Results with Associated Press race calls (November 4, 2026); Nevada count was 87.4% reported.
The five flips averaged an 8.3-point Democratic margin. Sand beat Zach Lahn by 11.0 points in Iowa. Bottoms beat Rick Jackson by 8.6 in Georgia, and Acton beat Vivek Ramaswamy by 7.9 in Ohio. Hinojosa beat Abbott by 7.1 in Texas. Ford led Lombardo by 7.0 in Nevada, though that figure may move as ballots arrive.
Two flips unseated incumbents, and three replaced outgoing Republicans in Georgia, Iowa, and Ohio. MultiState lists Alaska as a sixth flip, with Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins as the winner. NBC News and Stateline reported 5 flips earlier on November 4. The sixth flip raises the Democratic total to 29 governors.
Governor Turnover Rates 2026: Open Seats, Incumbent Wins and Incumbent Losses
Share of the 36 Governor Races by Outcome (each █ = 2)
Term-limited open seat ████████████████████▌ 41.7%
Other open seat █████▌ 11.1%
Incumbent re-elected ████████████████████▌ 41.7%
Incumbent defeated ██▌ 5.6%
| Category | Races | Share of 36 |
|---|---|---|
| Open seat, term-limited incumbent | 15 | 41.7% |
| Open seat, other (no incumbent on ballot) | 4 | 11.1% |
| Incumbent re-elected | 15 | 41.7% |
| Incumbent defeated | 2 | 5.6% |
| New governor (open seats plus defeats) | 21 | 58.3% |
Source: Ballotpedia term-limit data; MultiState winner list; Associated Press results via NBC News; report tally.
Ballotpedia counts 15 term-limited governors, 6 Democrats and 9 Republicans. This report’s tally adds 4 more seats with no incumbent on the ballot: Iowa, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. That makes 19 open seats, or 52.8% of the map. The National Governors Association counts 22 incumbents term-limited or off the ballot across all 39 elections, including territories.
Of the 17 incumbents who ran, 15 won. That is an 88.2% re-election rate. The two losers, Abbott and Lombardo, both lost to Democrats. Adding the 2 defeats to the 19 open seats gives 21 new governors, a 58.3% turnover rate. Kansas counts as a new governor either way.
Party Droughts Ended in 2026 Governor Elections: Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas
Democratic Vote Share in Races That Ended Party Droughts (each █ = 2)
Iowa ███████████████████████████▌ 55.5%
Georgia ███████████████████████████ 54.3%
Texas ██████████████████████████ 52.8%
Ohio ██████████████████████████ 52.3%
| State | Governor-Elect | Drought Ended | Democratic Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Keisha Lance Bottoms | First Democrat since 2002 | 54.3% |
| Iowa | Rob Sand | First Democrat in two decades | 55.5% |
| Ohio | Amy Acton | First Democrat in 20 years | 52.3% |
| Texas | Gina Hinojosa | First Democrat in over three decades | 52.8% |
Source: NBC News; Stateline, November 4, 2026; Associated Press race calls.
Texas had gone more than 30 years without a Democratic governor. Hinojosa’s win also gives Democrats oversight of Texas elections for the first time in 25 years, according to NBC News. Georgia had gone 24 years since its last Democratic win in 2002, and Ohio and Iowa each ended droughts of about 20 years.
Vote shares ran from 52.3% in Ohio to 55.5% in Iowa. Analysts told NBC News that big wins in red states send a strong signal to donors and activists. The winners will also have influence over election administration in the 2028 presidential race.
Historic Firsts in 2026 Governor Elections: Black, Latina and Women Governors
Governor-Elect Groups in the 2026 Races (each █ = 1)
Women winners, called races ██████████████ 14
Black winners █████ 5
Black women winners █ 1
| Milestone | Governor-Elect | State |
|---|---|---|
| First Black woman governor in US history | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Georgia |
| First Black governor of Nevada | Aaron Ford | Nevada |
| First Latina governor of Texas | Gina Hinojosa | Texas |
| First Black Republican governor | Byron Donalds | Florida |
| First woman governor of Tennessee | Marsha Blackburn | Tennessee |
| First woman governor of Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar | Minnesota |
Source: NBC News; Stateline; Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP); MultiState winner list.
Bottoms will be the first Black woman to serve as a governor in US history. Donalds will be the first Black Republican governor. Ford and Hinojosa add firsts in Nevada and Texas. Five Black candidates won governor races on November 3, including Bottoms, Ford, and Donalds. The chart’s count of 14 women winners is this report’s tally from the MultiState list.
Blackburn and Klobuchar each win a first for women in their states. CAWP had flagged both milestones in July. Hinojosa becomes the first Latina governor of Texas. These firsts came from the same night that delivered the Democratic majority, so identity milestones and party gains overlapped in Georgia, Nevada, and Texas.
Women Governors 2026: Record Female Candidates, Nominees and Winners
Women in the 2026 Governor Races (each █ = 5)
Major-party candidates █████████████████ 85
Nominees █████ 26
Winners, called races ██▌ 14
| Measure | 2026 Count |
|---|---|
| Women gubernatorial candidates (record) | 85 |
| Democratic women candidates (record) | 51 |
| Republican women candidates | 34 |
| Previous record, set in 2022 | 69 |
| Women nominees for governor | 26 |
| Women winners among 35 called races | 14 |
Source: Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), 2026 candidate data; MultiState winner list; report tally.
CAWP counted 85 women running for governor across 36 states, up from the 69 record in 2022. Democrats supplied 51 of them, also a record, and Republicans supplied 34. Women filled about 25% of gubernatorial candidacies. By the end of the primaries, 26 women held major-party nominations.
Women won 14 of the 35 called races, a 40.0% share, by this report’s count from the MultiState winner list. Winners include Hobbs, Sanders, Bottoms, Healey, Benson, Hochul, and Acton. NBC News reported that 15 states have women governors, a record. Holscher’s Kansas race could add another.
State Government Control 2026: Legislative Flips and Trifectas After the Governor Races
Democratic Flips on Election Night (each █ = 1)
Governor offices ██████ 6
Legislative chambers ████ 4
| State | Office or Chamber | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | State Senate | Democrats win, seize trifecta |
| Texas | State House | Democrats flip |
| Wisconsin | State Senate | Democrats flip |
| North Carolina | State House | Democrats flip |
| Florida | Legislature | Democrats break GOP supermajority |
| Arizona | Legislature | Democrats declare victory |
Source: Stateline, November 4, 2026, citing unofficial results from The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ.
Four legislative chambers flipped alongside the governor offices in the table above. Pennsylvania gives Democrats control of the governor’s office and both chambers, a trifecta. Texas Democrats flipped the House while winning the governor’s race. Wisconsin’s Senate and North Carolina’s House also moved.
Florida Democrats broke the Republican supermajority, and Arizona Democrats declared victory in a long push for control of the legislature. These results are unofficial. Recounts and audits, such as the one in Kansas, could still change totals. Check state election offices for certified numbers.
Presidential Battleground Governor Results 2026: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
Battleground Governor Races by Result (each █ = 1)
Democratic holds ████ 4
Democratic flips ██ 2
Republican wins 0
| State | Governor-Elect | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Katie Hobbs | Democratic hold |
| Georgia | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Democratic flip |
| Michigan | Jocelyn Benson | Democratic hold |
| Nevada | Aaron Ford | Democratic flip |
| Pennsylvania | Josh Shapiro | Democratic hold |
| Wisconsin | David Crowley | Democratic hold |
Source: MultiState, Governors 2026 State Election Results (updated November 4, 2026); NBC News.
Democrats won all 6 presidential battleground states that Trump flipped in 2024, according to NBC News. Four were holds and two were flips. Hobbs won a second term in Arizona, and Shapiro won a second term in Pennsylvania. Benson won Michigan’s open seat, and Crowley won Wisconsin’s open seat as Milwaukee County executive.
The two flips came in Georgia and Nevada. Bottoms won Georgia with 54.3%, and Ford won Nevada with about 51.4% of a count that was 87.4% reported. Maine and Wisconsin also stayed Democratic in competitive races, according to unofficial Associated Press results. The battleground sweep shaped the 29-20 governor split.
Governor Races Held by Each Party in 2026: Democratic and Republican Holds
Races Held by the Same Party (each █ = 1)
Democratic holds █████████████████ 17
Republican holds ████████████ 12
Democratic flips ██████ 6
Republican flips 0
| Result | Races | Example States |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic hold | 17 | Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, New York |
| Republican hold | 12 | Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Wyoming |
| Democratic flip | 6 | Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Texas |
| Republican flip | 0 | None so far |
| Uncalled | 1 | Kansas |
Source: MultiState, Governors 2026 State Election Results (updated November 4, 2026).
The 36 races split into 29 states with no party change, 6 Democratic flips, and 1 uncalled race. Democrats held 17 of their 18 defended seats, and Kansas is the open question. Republicans held all 12 of the seats they defended and lost 6 others. Republicans flipped no seats as of November 4.
Republican holds include Tennessee, where Marsha Blackburn won, and Florida, where Byron Donalds won. Arkansas re-elected Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and New Hampshire re-elected Kelly Ayotte. Phil Scott won again in Vermont, a state Kamala Harris carried in 2024. Vermont and New Hampshire were the only Republican-held seats in Harris states.
US Gubernatorial Election 2026 – FAQs
How Many Governor Races Were on the Ballot in 2026?
Thirty-six states held governor elections on November 3, 2026. Democrats and Republicans each held 18 of the seats. 14 states had no race, including New Jersey and Virginia, which voted in 2025.
Which Party Won the Most Governor Races in 2026?
Democrats won 23 of the 35 called races. They now hold a majority of governorships for the first time in 16 years, with 29 governors to 20 for Republicans.
Which States Flipped Governor Seats in 2026?
Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas flipped to Democrats. MultiState also lists Alaska. No state had flipped to Republicans as of November 4, 2026.
Which Incumbent Governors Lost in 2026?
Two incumbents lost. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Democrat Aaron Ford defeated Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. Fifteen incumbents won re-election.
How Many New Governors Will Take Office After the 2026 Election?
About 21 of 36 states, or 58.3%, will have a new governor. That count adds 19 open seats and 2 defeated incumbents. Kansas is an open seat either way.
Who Won the Kansas Governor Race in 2026?
Nobody had been declared the winner as of November 4, 2026. Democrat Cindy Holscher led Republican Ty Masterson by under 1%, and a close-race audit began.
Who Are the Historic Firsts Among 2026 Governors-Elect?
Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes the first Black woman governor in US history. Aaron Ford becomes Nevada’s first Black governor, and Gina Hinojosa becomes Texas’s first Latina governor.
How Many Women Won Governor Races in 2026?
By this report’s count from the MultiState list, women won 14 of 35 called races. CAWP counted 85 women candidates, a record, and 26 women nominees.
How Many Democratic and Republican Governors Will There Be in 2027?
MultiState projects 29 Democratic and 20 Republican governors, with Kansas uncalled. A Democratic win in Kansas would make it 30 to 20.
When Is the Next Governor Election After 2026?
Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi hold governor elections in odd-numbered years, and their next races come in 2027.
Did Democrats Win Every Presidential Battleground Governor Race in 2026?
NBC News reported Democrats won all 6 battleground states that Trump flipped in 2024. Those states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
What Was the Winning Margin in the Biggest 2026 Governor Flip?
Iowa had the widest flip margin. Rob Sand beat Zach Lahn 55.5% to 44.5%, an 11.0-point win, according to NBC News.
Did Republicans Flip Any Governor Seats in 2026?
No. Republicans had flipped 0 governor offices as of November 4, 2026. Kansas, a Democratic-held open seat, was the only race that could produce a Republican flip.
How Many Women Governors Will Serve After the 2026 Election?
NBC News reported that 15 states have elected women governors, a record. Women won 14 of the 35 called races in 2026 by this report’s count, and Kansas could add one.
Which 2026 Governor Flip Had the Narrowest Margin?
Nevada had the narrowest flip margin. Aaron Ford led Joe Lombardo 51.4% to 44.4%, a 7.0-point margin, with 87.4% of the vote counted. Texas followed at 7.1 points.
Where Can I Find Official 2026 Governor Election Data?
State election offices publish certified results. MultiState, Ballotpedia, and the National Governors Association track winners, and CAWP tracks women candidates.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
