As the Midterm Gubernatorial Elections come up in less than six weeks, Democrats have the opportunity to pick up some presently Republican held Governorships.
Altogether, there are 36 Gubernatorial elections in 2026, out of a total of 50 state Governorships.
Presently, there are 26 Republican Governorships, and 24 Democratic Governorships, and the odds are excellent that Democrats will likely be the majority of Governorships after these elections on November.
With so many Governors having term limits, and some choosing to retire, this means major changes in Governorships nationwide.
This massive turnover that is coming is a positive sign for Democrats, since Republicans at all levels, including Governorships, have to deal with the negative effects of Donald Trump’s policies, particularly the Iran War; inflationary prices on groceries, gasoline, and everything else; and the negative effects of Trump’s protective tariffs on most nations.
The best opportunities for Democrats to switch control of Governorships in their favor include:
Alabama–Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville vs former Democratic Senator Doug Jones.
Florida–Republican Congressman Byron Donalds vs former Democratic Congressman David Jolly.
Georgia–Republican Healthcare Executive Rick Jackson vs Democratic Former Mayor Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Iowa–Republican Businessman Zach Lahn vs Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand.
Nevada–Republican Governor Joe Lombardo vs Democratic State Attorney General Aaron Ford.
Ohio–Republican Entrepreneur and former Presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy vs Democratic Former Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.
Texas–Republican Governor Greg Abbott vs Democratic State Representative Gina Hinojosa.
So a total of seven states presently with Republican Governors now have a competitive race for the upcoming Gubernatorial elections in November.
Meanwhile, 16 Democratic held seats, with many Governors running for reelection, and newcomers in some states seen as likely to remain Democratic, including:
Arizona–Katie Hobbs
California–Xavier Becerra
Colorado–Phil Weiser
Connecticut–Ned Lamont
Hawaii–Josh Green
Illinois–JB Pritzker
Maryland–Wes Moore
Massachusetts–Maura Healey
Michigan–Jocelyn Benson
Minnesota–Amy Klobuchar
New Mexico–Deb Haaland
New York–Kathy Hochul
Oregon–Tina Kotek
Pennsylvania–Josh Shapiro
Rhode Island–Helena Foulkes
Wisconsin–David Crowley
Kansas is the only state with presently a Democratic Governor, Laura Kelly, who is term limited, and where it will be difficult to elect a Democratic successor.
It seems likely that Democratic nominee, State Senator Cindy Holscher, will have a tough battle to win over Republican State Senate President Ty Masterson, since Kansas is strongly Republican.
The two term Governor Kelly was considered an “outlier”, surprising everyone by winning two terms and battling the Republican majority Kansas state legislature.