There will be four Midwest Governorships up for election this fall of 2026.
Three of these states—Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota—have Democratic Governors, while Ohio has a Republican Governor.
In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is term limited, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is favored to be the party nominee, with her likely Republican opponent being African American Congressman John James, who has lost two US Senate races in the past.
However, three term Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, elected as an Independent, is a “wild card” in the race, and could win the Governorship.
In Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers has decided not to seek reelection, creating a race where former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who is African American, is the favored Democratic nominee against Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany.
In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 2024, belatedly decided not to seek reelection to a third term, and while the situation is fluid, it seems likely that Senator Amy Klobuchar will decide to run for Governor, with her Senate seat safe until 2030, were she to lose the Governorship.
Businessman Mike Lindell of MY PILLOW corporation, who has a reputation of being a lunatic, and continues to claim that Donald Trump won the Presidential Election in 2020, is perceived as the frontrunner for the Republicans, although Scott Jensen, who was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2022, is considered to be planning to run again.
Finally, in Ohio, Republican Governor Mike DeWine is term limited, and the clearcut favorite for the party is tech businessman and 2024 Presidential contender Vivik Ramaswamy, who gained an arrogant, confrontational image, but now is trying to tone it down.
His Democratic opponent will be Physician and former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, who took a strong stand for vaccinations during the COVID 19 Pandemic, causing many critics to arise who condemned her approach to the once in a century health crisis.
At this point, it would seem that Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are likely to remain Democratic in gubernatorial races, while Ohio, which has become more extreme right wing in recent elections, sadly, is likely to elect Republican Ramaswamy, who would immediately become a major nightmare figure in American politics!