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The United States has 50 states and 5 territories that each elect a governor to serve as chief executive of the state or territorial government. [1]
The sole federal district, the District of Columbia, elects a mayor to oversee their government in a similar manner. [2] [3]
Most states and territories also have a lieutenant governor who is the second-highest-ranking official and the first to succeed the governor in the event of a vacancy. [4]
As of January 9,2024 [update] , there are 27 states with Republican governors and 23 states with Democratic governors. Three territories have Democratic governors, while one has an independent governor. Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico is a member of the New Progressive Party, although he is also affiliated with the Democratic Party. [5] All 55 governors are members of the National Governors Association, a non-partisan organization which represents states and territories in discussions with the federal government. [6] The federal District of Columbia is governed by a Democratic mayor. [7]
The current gubernatorial term ends and new term begins in January of the given year for most states and territories; in Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, and Kentucky, the term ends in December of that year's election. [8] [9]
All 55 state and territorial governors are members of the non-partisan National Governors Association, which lobbies the federal government for governors' interests. Other organizations for governors include the partisan Democratic Governors Association and Republican Governors Association; and the three regional associations: Midwestern, Northeastern, and Western. [10]
The longest serving incumbent U.S. governor is Jay Inslee of Washington, who took office on January 16, 2013. [11] The most recently inaugurated governor is Jeff Landry of Louisiana, who took office on January 8, 2024. [5] A total of 15 current governors previously served as lieutenant governor, while ten previously served in the United States House of Representatives. [12]
The average age of governors at the time of their inauguration was 59.28 years old. Alabama governor Kay Ivey (born 1944) is the oldest current governor, and Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982) is the youngest. [13] As of the 2022 elections [update] , there are 12 female state governors currently serving. Of the 50 state governors, 46 are non-Hispanic white, two are Hispanic, one is Black, and one is Native American. [13]
The notation "(term limits)" after the year indicates that the governor is ineligible to seek re-election in that year; the notation "(retiring)" indicates that the governor has announced his or her intention not to seek re-election at the end of the term nor to run for another office.
Territory governors Democratic (3) Independent (1) New Progressive (1) | ||||||||||
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Territory | Image | Governor [5] | Party [5] | Born | Prior public experience | Inauguration [5] | End of term [5] | Ref. | ||
American Samoa (list) | Lemanu Peleti Mauga | Democratic | January 3, 1960 | Lieutenant Governor American Samoa Senate | January 3, 2021 [70] | 2025 | [71] | |||
Guam (list) | Lou Leon Guerrero | Democratic | November 8, 1950 | Guam Legislature | January 7, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | [72] | |||
Northern Mariana Islands (list) | Arnold Palacios | Independent | August 22, 1955 | Lieutenant Governor President of the CNMI Senate Speaker of the CNMI House | January 9, 2023 | 2027 | [73] | |||
Puerto Rico (list) | Pedro Pierluisi | New Progressive | April 25, 1959 | U.S. House Territorial Secretary of Justice | January 2, 2021 | 2025 | [74] | |||
U.S. Virgin Islands (list) | Albert Bryan | Democratic | February 21, 1968 | Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Labor | January 7, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | [75] |
The District of Columbia is a federal district that elects a mayor that has similar powers to those of a state or territorial governor. [2] From 1871 to 1874, the district had a governor that was appointed by the President of the United States. [76]
Federal district mayor Democratic (1) | |||||||||
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Federal district | Image | Mayor | Party | Born | Prior public experience | Inauguration | End of term | ||
District of Columbia (list) | Muriel Bowser | Democratic [77] | August 2, 1972 [77] | D.C. Council Advisory Neighborhood Commission [77] | January 2, 2015 [78] | 2027 |
Daniel Jackson Evans is an American politician from Washington. A member of the Republican Party, he served as governor of Washington from 1965 to 1977 and a member of the United States Senate from 1983 to 1989.
Jay Robert Inslee is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2012, and was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He is the longest-serving current governor in the United States.
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 12 states and two territories. Of the eight Democratic and four Republican seats contested, only that of North Carolina changed party hands, giving the Republicans a net gain of one governorship. These elections coincided with the presidential election on November 6, 2012. As of 2024, this marked the last time in which a Democrat won the governorship in Missouri and the last time in which a Republican won the governorship in North Carolina.
The 2012 Washington gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. Candidates in the election were chosen in an August 7, 2012 primary election, under the state's nonpartisan blanket primary system, which allows voters to vote for any candidate running in the race, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who received the most votes in the primary election qualified for the general election.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 2014, in 36 states and three territories, concurrent with other elections during the 2014 United States elections.
The 2014 Hawaii gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Hawaii, concurrently with a special election to Hawaii's Class III Senate Seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 12 states and two territories. The last regular gubernatorial elections for nine of the 12 states took place in 2012. The last gubernatorial elections for New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont took place in 2014, as Oregon held a special election due to the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber, while the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont both serve two-year terms. The 2016 gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, Senate, and House elections.
The 2016 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016.
The 2018 Iowa gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018. Incumbent Republican Governor Kim Reynolds ran for election to a full term, facing Democratic businessman Fred Hubbell, Libertarian Jake Porter, and independent candidate Gary Siegwarth.
The 2018 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Arkansas, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson won reelection to a second term, winning by more than 33 percentage points and carrying all but seven counties, marking the largest winning margin of any Republican gubernatorial candidate in Arkansas history.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 2020, in 11 states and two territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2016, except in New Hampshire and Vermont where governors only serve two-year terms. These two states elected their current governors in 2018. Nine state governors ran for reelection and all nine won, while Democrat Steve Bullock of Montana could not run again due to term limits and Republican Gary Herbert of Utah decided to retire at the end of his term.
The 2020 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020. It followed a top-two primary held on August 4. Incumbent governor Jay Inslee, the Democratic candidate, defeated Loren Culp, the Republican candidate by a wide margin. Inslee, who was eligible to run for a third term due to the lack of gubernatorial term limits, initially launched a campaign for president of the United States in the 2020 election. When he dropped out of that race in August 2019 due to extremely low polling numbers, he announced he would seek a third term as governor. Several other Democratic political figures considered entering the race if Inslee did not run, including Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson; no other major Democratic candidates entered the race. Republican Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, Washington, placed second in the top-two primary and advanced to the general election alongside Inslee.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2022, in 36 states and three territories. As most governors serve four-year terms, the last regular gubernatorial elections for all but two of the seats took place in the 2018 U.S. gubernatorial elections. The gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, as part of the 2022 midterm elections.
The 2020 presidential campaign of Jay Inslee began on March 1, 2019, when Inslee – the incumbent Governor of Washington – announced that he would be running for the Democratic nomination. He had been chair of the Democratic Governors Association for the 2018 election cycle and served as a co-chair of the United States Climate Alliance. He was the first governor to enter the 2020 race.
The 2020 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the lieutenant governor of Washington concurrently with the 2020 Washington elections. The top-two primary was held on August 4, and Democrats Denny Heck and Marko Liias advanced to the general election, which Heck won.
The 2024 Washington gubernatorial election will be held on November 5, 2024. The top-two primary will be held on August 6.
United States gubernatorial elections are scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024, in 11 states and two territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2020, except in New Hampshire and Vermont where governors only serve two-year terms and elected their governors in 2022. In addition to state gubernatorial elections, the territories of American Samoa and Puerto Rico will also hold elections for their governors.
United States gubernatorial elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, in 36 states and three territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2022, except in New Hampshire and Vermont, where governors serve two-year terms and will elect their governors in 2024. Many but some elections have an incumbent who is officially term-limited.