State executive official elections
Ballotpedia covers state executive offices in all 50 states. These include:
Elections
2024
- See also: State executive official elections, 2024
State executive offices up for election in 2024 included 11 gubernatorial seats, nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10 attorney general seats, and seven secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 167 state executive seats up for election across 30 states in 2024.[1]
2023
- See also: State executive official elections, 2023
State executive offices up for election in 2023 included gubernatorial, lieutenant gubernatorial, attorney general, and secretary of state offices in three states. Including down-ballot races, there were 36 state executive offices up for election.[2]
The three states holding such elections in 2023 were Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The November 7 elections kept the number of state government trifectas at 40—23 Republican and 17 Democratic—which was the highest number since at least 1992. Louisiana changed from a divided government to a Republican trifecta after Jeff Landry (R) was elected governor on Oct. 14. Kentucky remained a divided government after Gov. Andy Beshear (D) was re-elected governor.
After the elections, 10 states had divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. Before the 2023 elections, there were 22 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control.
State executives act in many capacities according to the powers granted to them by their state's constitution. They are also charged with implementing and enforcing laws made by state legislatures. There are 748 executive seats spread across 13 distinct types of offices in the United States.[3] Of the 13 executive offices, only seven exist in all 50 states: governor, attorney general, superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner.
Other common offices include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, auditor, and natural resources commissioner.
2022
- See also: State executive official elections, 2022
State executive offices up for election in 2022 included 36 gubernatorial offices, 30 lieutenant gubernatorial offices, 30 attorney general offices, and 27 secretary of state offices. Including down-ballot races, there were 307 state executive offices up for election across 44 states in 2022.[4]
See below for information on:
- Offices up for election
- Total executive offices by party
- Current state government trifectas
- Current state government triplexes
For November 8, 2022, election results, see:
2021
- See also: State executive official elections, 2021
State executive offices up for election in 2021 included gubernatorial seats, lieutenant gubernatorial seats, and an attorney general seat. Including down-ballot races, there were seven state executive offices up for election across four states in 2021.[5]
Additionally, California held a recall election for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on September 14, 2021.
2020
- See also: State executive official elections, 2020
State executive offices up for election in 2020 included 11 gubernatorial seats, nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 10 attorney general seats, and seven secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 171 state executive offices up for election across 29 states in 2020.[6]
2019
- See also: State executive official elections, 2019
State executive offices up for election in 2019 included three gubernatorial seats, lieutenant gubernatorial seats, attorney general seats, and secretary of state seats. Kentucky and Mississippi held elections on November 5, 2019. Louisiana held elections October 12, and general elections for some races took place November 16. Including down-ballot races, there were 36 state executive offices up for election across three states in 2019.
2018
- See also: State executive official elections, 2018
State executive offices up for election in 2018 included 36 gubernatorial seats, 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats, 30 attorney general seats, and 26 secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there were 282 state executive seats up for election across 43 states and the District of Columbia in 2018. This surpassed the 225 state executive elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2014 and the 93 covered in 2016.
2017
- See also: State executive official elections, 2017
Three states held elections for six state executive seats in 2017. New Jersey held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on a joint ticket. Virginia held elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Wisconsin held an election for superintendent of public instruction.
2016
- See also: State executive official elections, 2016
Twenty-three states held elections for 93 state executive seats in 2016. The following 11 states held regularly scheduled elections for governor: Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. Oregon held a special election for governor, as well.
2015
- See also: State executive official elections, 2015
Three states held elections for 25 state executive seats in 2015. These states included Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi.
2014
- See also: State executive official elections, 2014
Forty-three states held elections for 225 state executive seats in 2014. That was more than double the number of positions elected in 2012.
2013
- See also: State executive official elections, 2013
Three states held elections for six state executive seats in 2013. Wisconsin held an election for superintendent of public instruction in April while both New Jersey and Virginia held November elections for governor and lieutenant governor. Virginia also held an election for attorney general.
2012
- See also: State executive official elections, 2012
Twenty-two states held elections for 94 state executive seats in 2012. Wisconsin also held a pair of recall elections for Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Lt. Gov Rebecca Kleefisch (R) on June 5, 2012.
2011
- See also: State executive official elections, 2011
Four states held elections for 26 state executive seats in 2011.
2010
- See also: State executive official elections, 2010
Thirty-seven states held elections for gubernatorial offices, 31 states held elections for lieutenant gubernatorial offices, 26 states held elections for secretary of state offices, and 30 states held elections for attorney general offices. Ballotpedia did not cover down-ballot state executive offices in 2010.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpedia defines the term, however there are other executive offices that Ballotpedia does not cover in some states.
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
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