2022 United States gubernatorial elections

2022 United States gubernatorial elections

← 2021 November 8, 2022 2023 →

39 governorships
36 states; 3 territories
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Republican Democratic
Seats before 28 22
Seats after 26 24
Seat change Decrease 2 Increase 2
Popular vote 43,126,140 43,336,108
Percentage 49.05% 49.29%
Seats up 20 16
Seats won 18 18

2022 Alabama gubernatorial election2022 Alaska gubernatorial election2022 Arizona gubernatorial election2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election2022 California gubernatorial election2022 Colorado gubernatorial election2022 Connecticut gubernatorial election2022 Florida gubernatorial election2022 Georgia gubernatorial election2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election2022 Idaho gubernatorial election2022 Illinois gubernatorial election2022 Iowa gubernatorial election2022 Kansas gubernatorial election2022 Maine gubernatorial election2022 Maryland gubernatorial election2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election2022 Michigan gubernatorial election2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election2022 Nebraska gubernatorial election2022 Nevada gubernatorial election2022 New Hampshire gubernatorial election2022 New Mexico gubernatorial election2022 New York gubernatorial election2022 Ohio gubernatorial election2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election2022 Oregon gubernatorial election2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election2022 Rhode Island gubernatorial election2022 South Carolina gubernatorial election2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election2022 Texas gubernatorial election2022 Vermont gubernatorial election2022 Wisconsin gubernatorial election2022 Wyoming gubernatorial election2022 Guam gubernatorial election2022 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election2022 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election
     Democratic hold      Democratic gain
     Republican hold      Republican gain
     Independent gain
     No election

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.[a] The gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, as part of the 2022 midterm elections.

Democrats performed better than expected,[b] including in closely-watched races in Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and the party picked up the governorships of Arizona, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Republicans picked up the governorship of Nevada, making incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak the only incumbent to lose his seat, the first Democrat since the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election, and the first of any party since the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election.

This is the first midterm cycle since 1998 in which the non-incumbent party suffered net losses, the first since 1986 in which the incumbent party gained seats overall, and the first since 1934 in which Democrats did so.[1] Democrats won the popular vote in this gubernatorial election cycle by 0.24 points, making this the closest midterm gubernatorial election cycle since at least 1990.[2] However, the 2019 off-year elections were won by Democrats with a smaller margin of 0.01 points.

Partisan composition

[edit]

Going into the election, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors in the United States. This class of governors is made up of 20 Republicans and 16 Democrats. In contrast to 2018, where Republicans were defending eight seats in states won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Republicans held six seats in states won by Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election (Vermont, New Hampshire, Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Maryland). Meanwhile, Democrats were defending four governorships in states Trump had previously won (Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin in 2016, and Kansas in 2016 and 2020).

Election predictions

[edit]

Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive seats. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election), the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each state, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that seat.

Most election predictors use:

  • "tossup": no advantage
  • "tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
  • "lean": slight advantage
  • "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
  • "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory
State PVI[3] Incumbent[4] Last
race
Cook
Oct 28,
2022
[5]
IE
Nov 3,
2022
[6]
Sabato
Nov 7,
2022
[7]
Politico
Nov 3,
2022
[8]
RCP
Nov 2,
2022
[9]
Fox
Nov 1,
2022
[10]
538[c][d]
Nov 7,
2022
[11]
ED
Nov 7,
2022
[12]
Result
Alabama R+15 Kay Ivey 59.5% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Ivey
66.9% R
Alaska R+8 Mike Dunleavy 51.4% R Likely R Likely R Likely R Likely R Likely R Likely R Likely R Likely R Dunleavy
50.3% R
Arizona R+2 Doug Ducey (term-limited) 56.0% R Tossup Tossup Lean R Tossup Tossup Tossup Lean R Lean R Hobbs
50.3% D (flip)
Arkansas R+16 Asa Hutchinson (term-limited) 65.3% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Sanders
63.0% R
California D+13 Gavin Newsom 61.9% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Solid D Safe D Solid D Solid D Safe D Newsom
59.2% D
Colorado D+4 Jared Polis 53.4% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Likely D Likely D Likely D Solid D Safe D Polis
58.5% D
Connecticut D+7 Ned Lamont 49.4% D Solid D Solid D Likely D Lean D Lean D Likely D Solid D Safe D Lamont
56.0% D
Florida R+3 Ron DeSantis 49.6% R Likely R Likely R Safe R Likely R Lean R Likely R Solid R Safe R DeSantis
59.4% R
Georgia R+3 Brian Kemp 50.2% R Lean R Lean R Likely R Lean R Lean R Lean R Likely R Likely R Kemp
53.4% R
Hawaii D+14 David Ige (term-limited) 62.7% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Solid D Safe D Solid D Solid D Safe D Green
63.2% D
Idaho R+18 Brad Little 59.8% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Little
60.5% R
Illinois D+7 J. B. Pritzker 54.5% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Likely D Lean D Solid D Solid D Safe D Pritzker
54.9% D
Iowa R+6 Kim Reynolds 50.3% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Likely R Solid R Solid R Safe R Reynolds
58.0% R
Kansas R+10 Laura Kelly 48.0% D Tossup Tossup Lean R (flip) Tossup Tossup Tossup Lean D Lean D Kelly
49.5% D
Maine D+2 Janet Mills 50.9% D Lean D Lean D Lean D Lean D Tossup Lean D Likely D Lean D Mills
55.7% D
Maryland D+14 Larry Hogan (term-limited) 55.4% R Solid D (flip) Likely D (flip) Safe D (flip) Solid D (flip) Safe D (flip) Solid D (flip) Solid D (flip) Safe D (flip) Moore
64.5% D (flip)
Massachusetts D+15 Charlie Baker (retiring) 66.6% R Solid D (flip) Likely D (flip) Safe D (flip) Solid D (flip) Safe D (flip) Solid D (flip) Solid D (flip) Safe D (flip) Healey
63.8% D (flip)
Michigan R+1 Gretchen Whitmer 53.3% D Lean D Tilt D Lean D Lean D Tossup Lean D Likely D Lean D Whitmer
54.5% D
Minnesota D+1 Tim Walz 53.8% D Likely D Lean D Likely D Lean D Tossup Lean D Likely D Likely D Walz
52.3% D
Nebraska R+13 Pete Ricketts (term-limited) 59.0% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Pillen
59.7% R
Nevada R+1 Steve Sisolak 49.4% D Tossup Tossup Lean R (flip) Tossup Tossup Tossup Lean R (flip) Lean R (flip) Lombardo
48.8% R (flip)
New Hampshire D+1 Chris Sununu 65.1% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Likely R Solid R Safe R Sununu
57.1% R
New Mexico D+3 Michelle Lujan Grisham 57.2% D Lean D Tilt D Lean D Lean D Tossup Tossup Likely D Lean D Grisham
52.0% D
New York D+10 Kathy Hochul 59.6% D Likely D Likely D Likely D Likely D Tossup Lean D Solid D Safe D Hochul
53.2% D
Ohio R+6 Mike DeWine 50.4% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Likely R Safe R Likely R Solid R Safe R DeWine
62.4% R
Oklahoma R+20 Kevin Stitt 54.3% R Likely R Likely R Likely R Likely R Tossup Lean R Likely R Safe R Stitt
55.4% R
Oregon D+6 Kate Brown (term-limited) 50.1% D Tossup Tossup Lean D Tossup Tossup Tossup Lean D Lean D Kotek
47.0% D
Pennsylvania R+2 Tom Wolf (term-limited) 57.8% D Likely D Lean D Likely D Likely D Lean D Likely D Solid D Likely D Shapiro
56.5% D
Rhode Island D+8 Dan McKee 52.6% D Solid D Solid D Likely D Likely D Likely D Likely D Solid D Likely D McKee
58.1% D
South Carolina R+8 Henry McMaster 54.0% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R McMaster
58.1% R
South Dakota R+16 Kristi Noem 51.0% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Likely R Likely R Solid R Solid R Safe R Noem
62.0% R
Tennessee R+14 Bill Lee 59.6% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Lee
64.9% R
Texas R+5 Greg Abbott 55.8% R Likely R Solid R Likely R Likely R Lean R Likely R Solid R Likely R Abbott
54.8% R
Vermont D+16 Phil Scott 68.5% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Scott
70.9% R
Wisconsin R+2 Tony Evers 49.5% D Tossup Tossup Lean R (flip) Tossup Tossup Tossup Tossup Lean R (flip) Evers
51.2% D
Wyoming R+25 Mark Gordon 67.1% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Solid R Safe R Solid R Solid R Safe R Gordon
74.1% R

Race summary

[edit]

States

[edit]
States Governor Party First
elected
Status Candidates[13]
Alabama Kay Ivey Republican 2017[e] Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Kay Ivey (Republican) 66.9%
  • Yolanda Flowers (Democratic) 29.2%
  • Jimmy Blake (Libertarian) 3.3%
Alaska Mike Dunleavy Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Arizona Doug Ducey Republican 2014 Incumbent term-limited.
Democratic gain.
Arkansas Asa Hutchinson Republican 2014 Incumbent term-limited.
Republican hold.
  • Green tickY Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Republican) 63.0%
  • Chris Jones (Democratic) 35.2%
  • Ricky Harrington (Libertarian) 1.8%
California Gavin Newsom Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Colorado Jared Polis Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Others
  • Kevin Ruskusky (Libertarian) 1.2%
  • Danielle Neuschwanger (Constitution) 0.9%
  • Paul Noel Fiorino (Unity) 0.3%
Connecticut Ned Lamont Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Florida Ron DeSantis Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Ron DeSantis (Republican) 59.4%
  • Charlie Crist (Democratic) 40.0%
  • Carmen Gimenez (Independent) 0.4%
  • Hector Roos (Libertarian) 0.2%
Georgia Brian Kemp Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Hawaii David Ige Democratic 2014 Incumbent term-limited.
Democratic hold.
Idaho Brad Little Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Brad Little (Republican) 60.5%
  • Stephen Heidt (Democratic) 20.3%
  • Ammon Bundy (Independent) 17.2%
  • Paul Sand (Libertarian) 1.1%
  • Chantyrose Davison (Constitution) 0.9%
Illinois J. B. Pritzker Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Iowa Kim Reynolds Republican 2017[f] Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Kim Reynolds (Republican) 58.0%
  • Deidre DeJear (Democratic) 39.5%
  • Rick Stewart (Libertarian) 2.4%
Kansas Laura Kelly Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Maine Janet Mills Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Maryland Larry Hogan Republican 2014 Incumbent term-limited.
Democratic gain.
Others
  • David Lashar (Libertarian) 1.5%
  • David Harding (Working Class) 0.9%
  • Nancy Wallace (Green) 0.7%
Massachusetts Charlie Baker Republican 2014 Incumbent retired.
Democratic gain.
Michigan Gretchen Whitmer Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Others
  • Mary Buzuma (Libertarian) 0.9%
  • Donna Brandenburg (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.4%
  • Kevin Hogan (Green) 0.2%
  • Daryl Simpson (Natural Law) 0.1%
Minnesota Tim Walz DFL 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Others
Nebraska Pete Ricketts Republican 2014 Incumbent term-limited.
Republican hold.
  • Green tickY Jim Pillen (Republican) 59.7%
  • Carol Blood (Democratic) 36.3%
  • Scott Zimmerman (Libertarian) 4.0%
Nevada Steve Sisolak Democratic 2018 Incumbent lost re-election.
Republican gain.
Others
New Hampshire Chris Sununu Republican 2016 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Chris Sununu (Republican) 57.1%
  • Tom Sherman (Democratic) 41.6%
  • Kelly Halldorson (Libertarian) 0.8%
  • Karlyn Borysenko (Libertarian) 0.5%
New Mexico Michelle Lujan Grisham Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
New York Kathy Hochul Democratic 2021[g] Incumbent elected to full term.
Ohio Mike DeWine Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Oklahoma Kevin Stitt Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Oregon Kate Brown Democratic 2015[h] Incumbent term-limited.
Democratic hold.
Pennsylvania Tom Wolf Democratic 2014 Incumbent term-limited
Democratic hold.
Others
  • Matt Hackenburg (Libertarian) 1.0%
  • Christina DiGiulio (Green) 0.5%
  • Joe Soloski (Keystone) 0.4%
Rhode Island Dan McKee Democratic 2021[i] Incumbent elected to full term.
  • Green tickY Dan McKee (Democratic) 57.9%
  • Ashley Kalus (Republican) 38.9%
Others
  • Zachary Hurwitz (Independent) 1.3%
  • Paul Rianna Jr. (Independent) 0.9%
  • Elijah Gizzarelli (Libertarian) 0.8%
South Carolina Henry McMaster Republican 2017[j] Incumbent re-elected.
South Dakota Kristi Noem Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
Tennessee Bill Lee Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Bill Lee (Republican) 64.9%
  • Jason Martin (Democratic) 32.9%
Others
  • John Gentry (Independent) 0.9%
  • Constance Every (Independent) 0.6%
  • Deborah Rouse (Independent) 0.2%
  • Rick Tyler (Independent) 0.1%
  • Charles Morgan (Independent) 0.1%
  • Basil Marceaux (Independent) 0.1%
  • Alfred O'Neil (Independent) 0.1%
  • Michael Scantland (Independent) 0.1%
Texas Greg Abbott Republican 2014 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Greg Abbott (Republican) 54.8%
  • Beto O'Rourke (Democratic) 43.9%
  • Mark Tippetts (Libertarian) 1.0%
  • Delilah Barrios (Green) 0.4%
Vermont Phil Scott Republican 2016 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Phil Scott (Republican) 70.9%
  • Brenda Siegel (Democratic) 23.9%
Others
  • Kevin Hoyt (Independent) 2.1%
  • Peter Duval (Independent) 1.6%
  • Bernard Peters (Independent) 0.8%
Wisconsin Tony Evers Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Tony Evers (Democratic) 51.2%
  • Tim Michels (Republican) 47.8%
  • Joan Ellis Beglinger (Independent) 1.0%
Wyoming Mark Gordon Republican 2018 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Mark Gordon (Republican) 74.1%
  • Theresa Livingston (Democratic) 15.8%
  • Jared Baldes (Libertarian) 4.2%

Territories and federal district

[edit]
Territory Governor Party First
elected
Status Candidates[14][15]
District of
Columbia
Muriel Bowser Democratic 2014 Incumbent re-elected.[16]
  • Green tickY Muriel Bowser (Democratic) 74.7%
  • Red Grant (Independent) 14.9%
  • Stacia Hall (Republican) 5.9%
  • Dennis Sobin (Libertarian) 1.3%
Guam Lou Leon Guerrero Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.[17]
Northern Mariana
Islands
Ralph Torres Republican 2015[k] Incumbent lost re-election.[18]
New governor elected.
Independent gain.
U.S. Virgin
Islands
Albert Bryan Democratic 2018 Incumbent re-elected.

Closest races

[edit]

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

  1. Arizona, 0.66%

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

  1. Nevada, 1.51%
  2. Kansas, 2.21%
  3. Wisconsin, 3.40%
  4. Oregon, 3.42%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. New Mexico, 6.38%
  2. New York, 6.40%
  3. Georgia, 7.54%
  4. Minnesota, 7.67%
  5. Northern Mariana Islands, 8.28%

Blue denotes races won by Democrats. Red denotes races won by Republicans. Grey denotes races won by Independents.

Alabama

[edit]
2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →
Turnout38.50% Decrease
 
Nominee Kay Ivey Yolanda Flowers
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 946,932 412,961
Percentage 66.91% 29.18%

Ivey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Flowers:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

Governor before election

Kay Ivey
Republican

Elected Governor

Kay Ivey
Republican

Incumbent Republican governor Kay Ivey took office on April 10, 2017, upon the resignation of former governor Robert J. Bentley, and was elected to a full term in 2018. She ran for re-election to a second full term and won in a landslide.[19]

Primary elections in Alabama were held on May 24. Runoff elections for instances where no candidate received 50% plus one vote were scheduled for June 21. A runoff was avoided in the Republican primary, with Ivey winning outright. The Democratic primary advanced to a runoff between Malika Sanders-Fortier and Yolanda Flowers, with Flowers winning the Democratic nomination.

This was the first gubernatorial election in Alabama history in which both major party nominees were women. Flowers was also the first Black female gubernatorial nominee in Alabama.[20] Governor Ivey was re-elected and sworn in for her second full term on January 16, 2023.

This is the only gubernatorial election in the 2020s to be won by a member of the Silent Generation.

Republican primary results[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kay Ivey (incumbent) 357,069 54.45%
Republican Lynda Blanchard 126,202 19.25%
Republican Tim James 106,181 16.19%
Republican Lew Burdette 42,924 6.55%
Republican Dean Odle 11,767 1.79%
Republican Donald Trent Jones 3,821 0.58%
Republican Dave Thomas 2,886 0.44%
Republican Stacy Lee George 2,546 0.39%
Republican Dean Young 2,356 0.36%
Total votes 655,752 100.0%
Democratic primary results[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Yolanda Rochelle Flowers 56,991 33.88%
Democratic Malika Sanders-Fortier 54,699 32.52%
Democratic Patricia Jamieson Salter 19,691 11.71%
Democratic Arthur Kennedy 15,630 9.29%
Democratic Doug Smith 11,861 7.05%
Democratic Chad Martin 9,352 5.56%
Total votes 168,224 100.0%
Democratic primary runoff results[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Yolanda Rochelle Flowers 32,529 55.14%
Democratic Malika Sanders-Fortier 26,469 44.86%
Total votes 58,998 100.0%
2022 Alabama Gubernatorial Election[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Kay Ivey (incumbent) 946,932 66.91% +7.45%
Democratic Yolanda Rochelle Flowers 412,961 29.18% −11.21%
Libertarian James D. "Jimmy" Blake 45,958 3.25% N/A
Write-in 9,432 0.67% +0.52%
Total votes 1,411,756 100%
Turnout 1,419,718 38.50%
Registered electors 3,687,753
Republican hold

Alaska

[edit]
Alaska gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Candidate Mike Dunleavy Les Gara Bill Walker
Party Republican Democratic Independent
Running mate Nancy Dahlstrom Jessica Cook Heidi Drygas
Popular vote 132,632 63,851 54,668
Percentage 50.3% 24.2% 20.7%

Dunleavy:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Gara:      40–50%
Walker:      30–40%      40–50%

Governor before election

Mike Dunleavy
Republican

Elected Governor

Mike Dunleavy
Republican

Incumbent Republican governor Mike Dunleavy won re-election to a second term, becoming the first Republican governor to be re-elected to a second term since Jay Hammond in 1978 and the first governor, regardless of political affiliation, to be re-elected to a second term since Tony Knowles in 1998.

Primary election results[23][24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican 76,534 40.43
Democratic
43,660 23.06
Independent
43,111 22.77
Republican
  • Charlie Pierce
  • Edie Grunwald
12,458 6.58
Republican 7,307 3.86
Independence
  • John Howe
  • Shellie Wyatt
1,702 0.90
Republican
  • Bruce Walden
  • Tanya Lange
1,661 0.88
Libertarian
  • William S. Toien
  • Shirley Rainbolt
1,381 0.73
Republican
  • David Haeg
  • Waynette Coleman
1,139 0.60
Independent
  • William Nemec
  • Ronnie Ostrem
347 0.18
Total votes 188,626 100.00
2022 Alaska gubernatorial election[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican 132,632 50.29% −1.15%
Democratic
63,851 24.21% −20.20%
Independent
54,668 20.73% +18.70%
Republican
  • Charlie Pierce
  • Edie Grunwald (withdrew)[l]
11,817 4.48% N/A
Write-in 784 0.30% +0.09%
Total votes 263,752 100.0%
Turnout 266,472 44.33% −5.49%
Registered electors 601,161
Republican hold

Arizona

[edit]
Arizona gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Katie Hobbs Kari Lake
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,287,891 1,270,774
Percentage 50.3% 49.7%

County results
Hobbs:      50–60%      60–70%
Lake:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

Doug Ducey
Republican

Elected Governor

Katie Hobbs
Democratic

Incumbent Republican governor Doug Ducey was term-limited and ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs won the election against Republican former television anchor Kari Lake.[27]

Primaries were held on August 2 for both parties, with Lake winning the Republican nomination and Hobbs winning the Democratic nomination, making this the first gubernatorial election in Arizona history in which both major party candidates for governor were women. Hobbs became the fifth female governor of Arizona, with Arizona setting a record for the most female governors in American history.[28][29] With the concurrent passage of Proposition 131, this will be the last gubernatorial election in Arizona without a lieutenant governor on the ticket.[30]

Going into the election, most polling had Lake leading and analysts generally considered the race to either be a tossup or leaning towards the Republican. Nonetheless, Hobbs ultimately defeated Lake with 50.32% of the vote, becoming the first Democrat elected governor of Arizona since Janet Napolitano in 2006. Lake refused to concede and filed a post-election lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the results, with all her claims either being dismissed or ruled against for lack of evidence.[31]

This race was one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 taking place in a state that was carried by Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. With a margin of 0.67%, it was the closest election of the 2022 gubernatorial election cycle.

Republican primary results[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kari Lake 398,860 47.97%
Republican Karrin Taylor Robson 358,662 43.13%
Republican Matt Salmon (withdrawn) 30,704 3.69%
Republican Scott Neely 25,876 3.11%
Republican Paola Tulliani-Zen 17,281 2.08%
Write-in 105 0.01%
Total votes 831,508 100.0%
Democratic primary results[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Katie Hobbs 431,059 72.32%
Democratic Marco A. López Jr. 136,090 22.83%
Democratic Aaron Lieberman (withdrawn) 28,878 4.85%
Total votes 596,027 100.0%
2022 Arizona gubernatorial election[33]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Katie Hobbs 1,287,891 50.32% +8.48%
Republican Kari Lake 1,270,774 49.65% −6.35%
Write-in 820 0.03% +0.01%
Total votes 2,559,485 100.0%
Turnout 2,592,313 62.56%
Registered electors 4,143,929
Democratic gain from Republican

Arkansas

[edit]
Arkansas gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Sarah Huckabee Sanders Chris Jones
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 571,105 319,242
Percentage 63.0% 35.2%

County results

Sanders:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Jones:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Asa Hutchinson
Republican

Elected Governor

Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Republican

Incumbent Republican governor Asa Hutchinson was term-limited and could not seek a third term. Arkansas is one of the nine states and one territory of the United States that limit governors to two terms for life in their constitutions, along with California, Delaware, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Oklahoma. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was sworn in on January 10, 2023.[34][35]

Primary elections in Arkansas were held on May 24. Runoff elections for instances where no candidate receives over 50% of the vote were scheduled for June 21. Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the Republican nomination, while Chris Jones won the Democratic nomination.[36]

Leading up to the Republican primary, Sanders received many endorsements from key Republican figures, including Donald Trump, Mike Pence, incumbent Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas' entire U.S. Congressional delegation, and dozens of GOP representatives from the State House and State Senate. She cruised to a landslide victory in the primary, and as Arkansas is a GOP stronghold, her victory virtually guaranteed she would win the general election, in which she defeated Jones by 28 points. Jones became the first Democrat to win Washington County since 2010, and Sanders became the first Republican to win majority-Black Crittenden County since her father in 1998. This is the first time ever that a Republican won three straight gubernatorial elections in the state's history.

Sanders became the first female governor of Arkansas, as well as the first daughter of a former governor to take office in United States history. In addition, with the election of Leslie Rutledge as lieutenant governor, Arkansas, along with Massachusetts, became the first two U.S. states to have both a female governor and female lieutenant governor serving at the same time.

Republican primary results[37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders 289,249 83.14%
Republican Francis "Doc" Washburn 58,638 16.86%
Total votes 347,887 100.0%
Democratic primary results[37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Jones 66,540 70.43%
Democratic Anthony Bland 9,055 9.58%
Democratic Jay Martin 7,731 8.18%
Democratic James "Rus" Russell 6,421 6.80%
Democratic Supha Xayprasith-Mays 4,725 5.00%
Total votes 94,472 100.0%
2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders 571,105 62.96% −2.37%
Democratic Chris Jones 319,242 35.20% +3.43%
Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. 16,690 1.84% −1.06%
Total votes 907,037 100.00% N/A
Turnout 907,037 50.81%
Registered electors 1,799,136
Republican hold

California

[edit]
California gubernatorial election

 
Candidate Gavin Newsom Brian Dahle
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 6,470,104 4,462,914
Percentage 59.2% 40.8%

County results
Newsom:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Dahle:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Gavin Newsom
Democratic

Elected Governor

Gavin Newsom
Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Party Governor Gavin Newsom ran and won re-election to a second term after surviving a recall election in 2021, during his first term.[38]

The elections featured universal mail-in ballots; in-person voting was also available.[39] All statewide elected offices are currently held by Democrats. Newsom won 61.9% of the vote in both the 2018 gubernatorial election and the 2021 recall election. He received 55.9% of the top-two primary vote and faced Republican Party state senator Brian Dahle, who received 17.7% of the primary vote, in the general election.[40] Newsom easily won re-election with 59.2% of the vote to Dahle's 40.8%, but with a smaller margin of victory than in 2018. Dahle flipped five counties that Newsom carried in 2018, namely Lake, Merced (although Merced voted to recall Newsom), Orange, San Bernardino, and San Joaquin. Dahle received 32% of the vote in Los Angeles County, a respectable performance for a Republican in the Democratic stronghold.

Primary results[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gavin Newsom (incumbent) 3,945,728 55.9
Republican Brian Dahle 1,252,800 17.7
No party preference Michael Shellenberger 290,286 4.1
Republican Jenny Rae Le Roux 246,665 3.5
Republican Anthony Trimino 246,322 3.5
Republican Shawn Collins 173,083 2.5
Green Luis J. Rodriguez 124,672 1.8
Republican Leo S. Zacky 94,521 1.3
Republican Major Williams 92,580 1.3
Republican Robert C. Newman II 82,849 1.2
Democratic Joel Ventresca 66,885 0.9
Republican David Lozano 66,542 0.9
Republican Ronald A. Anderson 53,554 0.8
No party preference Reinette Senum 53,015 0.8
Democratic Armando Perez-Serrato 45,474 0.6
Republican Ron Jones 38,337 0.5
Republican Daniel R. Mercuri 36,396 0.5
Green Heather Collins 29,690 0.4
Democratic Anthony Fanara 25,086 0.4
Republican Cristian Raul Morales 22,304 0.3
Republican Lonnie Sortor 21,044 0.3
No party preference Frederic C. Schultz 17,502 0.2
No party preference Woodrow Sanders III 16,204 0.2
No party preference James G. Hanink 10,110 0.1
No party preference Serge Fiankan 6,201 0.1
No party preference Bradley Zink 5,997 0.1
American Independent Jeff Scott (write-in) 13 0.0
Republican Gurinder Bhangoo (write-in) 8 0.0
Total votes 7,063,868 100.0
2022 California gubernatorial election[42][43]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gavin Newsom (incumbent) 6,470,104 59.18% −2.77%
Republican Brian Dahle 4,462,914 40.82% +2.77%
Total votes 10,933,018 100.0% N/A
Turnout 10,933,018 50.80%
Registered electors 21,940,274
Democratic hold

Colorado

[edit]
Colorado gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Jared Polis Heidi Ganahl
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Dianne Primavera Danny Moore
Popular vote 1,468,481 983,040
Percentage 58.5% 39.2%

County results
Polis:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Ganahl:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Jared Polis
Democratic

Elected Governor

Jared Polis
Democratic

Incumbent Democratic governor Jared Polis won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican University of Colorado regent Heidi Ganahl. The primary election was held on June 28.[44]

Polis's 2022 victory marked the first time in American history that an openly gay politician was re-elected governor of a state.[45] Polis had the best performance for a re-elected Colorado governor since Bill Owens in 2002, the best for a Democrat since Roy Romer in 1990, and the highest raw vote total ever in a Colorado gubernatorial race.

Democratic primary results[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jared Polis (incumbent) 523,489 100.00%
Total votes 523,489 100.00%
Republican primary results[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Heidi Ganahl 341,157 53.87%
Republican Greg Lopez 292,187 46.13%
Total votes 633,344 100.0%
2022 Colorado gubernatorial election[47]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic
1,468,481 58.53% +5.11%
Republican
983,040 39.18% −3.62%
Libertarian
  • Kevin Ruskusky
  • Michele Poague
28,939 1.15% −1.60%
American Constitution
  • Danielle Neuschwanger
  • Darryl Gibbs
21,623 0.86% N/A
Unity
6,687 0.27% −0.75%
Write-in 60 0.0% N/A
Total votes 2,508,830 100.0% N/A
Turnout 2,540,680 66.28%
Registered electors 3,833,360
Democratic hold

Connecticut

[edit]
Connecticut gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Ned Lamont Bob Stefanowski
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Susan Bysiewicz Laura Devlin
Popular vote 709,482 546,209
Percentage 56.0% 43.1%

County results
Lamont:      50–60%
Stefanowski:      50–60%

Governor before election

Ned Lamont
Democratic

Elected Governor

Ned Lamont
Democratic

Governor Ned Lamont was elected in 2018 with 49.4% of the vote and ran for re-election for a second term. The race simultaneously took place with the election to the state's Class III Senate seat. This election featured a rematch of the previous 2018 gubernatorial election, pitting Lamont against Republican Bob Stefanowski, who he previously defeated by 3.2% of the vote.[48] This time Lamont won re-election by a wider margin, becoming the first Democrat to win a gubernatorial election by more than 5 points in the state since 1986. This is the first time since 1994 that Tolland County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election.

2022 Connecticut gubernatorial election[49][50]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic
710,186 55.97% +6.60%
Republican 546,209 43.05% −3.16%
Independent Party
  • Robert Hotaling
  • Stewart "Chip" Beckett
12,400 0.98% N/A
Green
  • Michelle Louise Bicking (write-in)
  • Cassandra Martineau (write-in)
98 0.0% N/A
Total votes 1,268,893 100.0%
Turnout 1,292,847 57.57%
Registered electors 2,245,844
Democratic hold

Florida

[edit]

Florida gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Ron DeSantis Charlie Crist
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Jeanette Nuñez Karla Hernandez-Mats
Popular vote 4,614,210 3,106,313
Percentage 59.37% 39.97%

County results
DeSantis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Crist:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Ron DeSantis
Republican

Elected Governor

Ron DeSantis
Republican

Governor Ron DeSantis was elected in 2018 with 49.6% of the vote and ran for reelection to a second term.[51] Andrew Gillum, former mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, did not run against DeSantis again.[52][53]

U.S. representative and former Republican governor of Florida Charlie Crist was the Democratic nominee.[54] Also seeking the Democratic nomination was Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.[55]

DeSantis won re-election by a sizable margin due to the state as a whole swinging further Republican than it voted in the 2020 United States presidential election and continuing the state's rightward shift since the 2008 United States presidential election. County flips by DeSantis were Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, and Osceola counties, all of which were previous Democratic Party strongholds; these counties, notably, have relatively high Latino populations, for which their growth in support for the Republican Party was further cemented.[56][57] This election was seen by many to more firmly assert Florida's status as a red state and not a swing state.[58][57]

Democratic primary results[59]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Charlie Crist 904,524 59.71%
Democratic Nicole "Nikki" Fried 535,480 35.35%
Democratic Cadance Daniel 38,198 2.52%
Democratic Robert L. Willis 36,786 2.43%
Total votes 1,513,180 100.0%
2022 Florida gubernatorial election[60][61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Ron DeSantis (incumbent)
Jeanette Nuñez (incumbent)
4,614,210 59.37% +9.78%
Democratic Charlie Crist
Karla Hernandez
3,106,313 39.97% −9.22%
Independent Carmen Jackie Gimenez
Kyle "KC" Gibson
31,577 0.41% N/A
Libertarian Hector Roos
Jerry "Tub" Rorabaugh
19,299 0.25% N/A
Total votes 7,771,399 100.0% N/A
Turnout 7,796,916 53.76%
Registered electors 14,503,978
Republican hold

Georgia

[edit]
Georgia gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Brian Kemp Stacey Abrams
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,111,572 1,813,673
Percentage 53.41% 45.88%

County results
Kemp:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Abrams:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Brian Kemp
Republican

Elected Governor

Brian Kemp
Republican

Incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in a rematch. Abrams conceded on election night.[62] The primary occurred on May 24, 2022.[63] Kemp was sworn in for a second term on January 12, 2023.

Kemp was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence. He faced a primary challenge from former U.S. Senator David Perdue, who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump after Kemp refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.[64]

Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and founder of Fair Fight Action who was narrowly defeated by Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election, was once again the Democratic nominee for the governorship. This was Georgia's first gubernatorial rematch since 1950.[65]

Libertarian Shane T. Hazel, the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, also declared he would run.[66] This race was one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 in a state carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Despite Kemp's narrow 55,000-vote victory in 2018, which was Georgia's closest gubernatorial election since 1966, he went on to win by 300,000 votes (7.5%) – the largest raw vote victory for a Georgia governor since 2006. The race was seen as a potential benefit to Herschel Walker, who ran in the concurrent Senate race, as it was speculated Kemp's strong performance could help Walker avoid a runoff. He vastly underperformed compared to Kemp, however, and lost to incumbent Democratic senator Raphael Warnock in the December 6 runoff election.[67][68]

Republican primary results[69]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brian Kemp (incumbent) 888,078 73.72%
Republican David Perdue 262,389 21.78%
Republican Kandiss Taylor 41,232 3.42%
Republican Catherine Davis 9,778 0.81%
Republican Tom Williams 3,255 0.27%
Total votes 1,204,742 100.0%
Democratic primary results[69]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stacey Abrams 727,168 100.0%
Total votes 727,168 100.0%
2022 Georgia gubernatorial election[70]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Brian Kemp (incumbent) 2,111,572 53.41% +3.19%
Democratic Stacey Abrams 1,813,673 45.88% −2.95%
Libertarian Shane T. Hazel 28,163 0.71% −0.24%
Total votes 3,953,408 100.00%
Turnout 3,964,926 57.02%
Registered electors 6,953,485
Republican hold

Hawaii

[edit]
Hawaii gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Josh Green Duke Aiona
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Sylvia Luke Seaula Tupa'i Jr.
Popular vote 261,025 152,237
Percentage 63.2% 36.8%

County results
Green:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

David Ige
Democratic

Elected Governor

Josh Green
Democratic

Incumbent Democratic governor David Ige was term-limited and ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. Incumbent lieutenant governor Josh Green was the Democratic nominee, and faced former lieutenant governor Duke Aiona, the Republican nominee. This marked the third time Aiona had been the Republican gubernatorial nominee, having previously run unsuccessfully in 2010 and 2014. Green won the election with 63.2% of the vote with Aiona receiving 36.8% of the vote.[71][72]

Green's performance was the highest percentage of the vote ever received by any gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. Despite this, Aiona performed 3 points better and received 20,000 more raw votes than Andria Tupola did in 2018.

Democratic primary results[73]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Josh Green 158,161 62.91%
Democratic Vicky Cayetano 52,447 20.86%
Democratic Kai Kahele 37,738 15.01%
Democratic Van Tanabe 1,236 0.49%
Democratic Richard Kim 991 0.39%
Democratic David Bourgoin 590 0.23%
Democratic Clyde Lewman 249 0.10%
Total votes 251,412 100.0%
Republican primary results[73]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Duke Aiona 37,608 49.57%
Republican B.J. Penn 19,817 26.12%
Republican Gary Cordery 8,258 10.88%
Republican Heidi Haunani Tsuneyoshi 7,255 9.56%
Republican Lynn Barry Mariano 903 1.19%
Republican Paul Morgan 796 1.05%
Republican Keline Kahau 469 0.62%
Republican Walter Woods 438 0.58%
Republican Moses Paskowitz 189 0.25%
Republican George Hawat 140 0.18%
Total votes 75,873 100.0%
2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election[74]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic 259,901 63.21% +0.54
Republican
151,258 36.79% +3.09
Total votes 411,159 100.00%
Turnout 417,215 48.44% –4.24
Registered electors 861,358
Democratic hold

Idaho

[edit]
Idaho gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Brad Little Stephen Heidt Ammon Bundy
Party Republican Democratic Independent
Popular vote 358,598 120,160 101,835
Percentage 60.5% 20.3% 17.2%

County results
Little:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Heidt:      50–60%

Governor before election

Brad Little
Republican

Elected Governor

Brad Little
Republican

Governor Brad Little was elected in 2018 with 59.8% of the vote and ran for re-election to a second term. Little won his re-election bid by a landslide, defeating his Democratic challenger Stephen Heidt.

Incumbent lieutenant governor Janice McGeachin announced a primary challenge to Little, but Little won the Republican primary.[75] Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy also announced a run for the Republican nomination, but switched to an independent on February 17, 2022.[76]

The Democratic nominee is Stephen Heidt.[77]

Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brad Little (incumbent) 148,831 52.8
Republican Janice McGeachin 90,854 32.2
Republican Ed Humphreys 30,877 11.0
Republican Steve Bradshaw 5,470 1.9
Republican Ashley Jackson 3,172 1.1
Republican Lisa Marie 1,119 0.4
Republican Ben Cannady 804 0.3
Republican Cody Usabel 680 0.2
Total votes 281,807 100
Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephen Heidt 25,088 78.8
Democratic Write-ins 6,757 21.2
Total votes 31,845 100
2022 Idaho gubernatorial election[78][79]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Brad Little (incumbent) 358,598 60.52% +0.76%
Democratic Stephen Heidt 120,160 20.28% −17.91%
Independent Ammon Bundy 101,835 17.19% N/A
Libertarian Paul Sand 6,714 1.13% +0.05%
Constitution Chantyrose Davison 5,250 0.89% −0.07%
Total votes 592,557 100.0% N/A
Turnout 599,353 57.18% –4.24
Registered electors 1,048,263
Republican hold

Illinois

[edit]
Illinois gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee J. B. Pritzker Darren Bailey
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Juliana Stratton Stephanie Trussell
Popular vote 2,253,748 1,739,095
Percentage 54.9% 42.4%

County results
Pritzker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Bailey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

J. B. Pritzker
Democratic

Elected Governor

J. B. Pritzker
Democratic

Governor J. B. Pritzker was elected in 2018 with 54.5% of the vote and ran for a second term.[80] In the general election, Pritzker won re-election with 54.9% of the vote.

Republican candidates who announced their candidacy included Richard Irvin, Darren Bailey, Gary Rabine, Paul Schimpf, and Jesse Sullivan. Bailey won the primary on June 28.[81]

Democratic primary results[82][83]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic
810,989 91.88%
Democratic
  • Beverly Miles
  • Karla Shaw
71,704 8.12%
Total votes 882,693 100.0%
Republican primary results[82][84]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican
458,102 57.48%
Republican
  • Jesse Sullivan
  • Kathleen Murphy
125,094 15.70%
Republican 119,592 15.00%
Republican
  • Gary Rabine
  • Aaron Del Mar
52,194 6.55%
Republican
34,676 4.35%
Republican
  • Max Solomon
  • Latasha H. Fields
7,371 0.92%
Total votes 797,029 100.0%
2022 Illinois gubernatorial election[85]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic
2,253,748 54.91% +0.38%
Republican
1,739,095 42.37% +3.54%
Libertarian
  • Scott Schluter
  • John Phillips
111,712 2.72% +0.32%
Write-in 81 0.0% −0.01%
Total votes 4,104,636 100.0%
Turnout %
Registered electors
Democratic hold

Iowa

[edit]
Iowa gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Kim Reynolds Deidre DeJear
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Adam Gregg Eric Van Lancker
Popular vote 709,198 482,950
Percentage 58.0% 39.5%

County results
Reynolds:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
DeJear:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Kim Reynolds
Republican

Elected Governor

Kim Reynolds
Republican

Governor Kim Reynolds took office on May 24, 2017, upon the resignation of Terry Branstad and was elected to a full term in her own right in 2018 with 50.3% of the vote. She ran for re-election to a second full term.[86] In the general election, incumbent Republican governor Kim Reynolds won re-election in a landslide, defeating Democratic nominee Deidre DeJear.

Democrat Deidre DeJear, who announced her candidacy in August 2021,[87] was the Democratic nominee.[88]

Republican primary results[89]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kim Reynolds (incumbent) 185,293 99.03%
Write-in 1,808 0.97%
Total votes 187,101 100.0%
Democratic primary results[89]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deidre DeJear 145,555 99.45%
Democratic Write-ins 801 0.55%
Total votes 146,356 100.0%
2022 Iowa gubernatorial election[90]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican
709,198 58.04% +7.78%
Democratic
  • Deidre DeJear
  • Eric Van Lacker
482,950 39.53% −8.00%
Libertarian
  • Rick Stewart
  • Marco Battaglia
28,998 2.37% +0.84%
Write-in 718 0.06% +0.02%
Total votes 1,221,864 100.00
Turnout 1,230,416 55.06%
Registered electors 2,234,666
Republican hold

Kansas

[edit]
Kansas gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Laura Kelly Derek Schmidt
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate David Toland Katie Sawyer
Popular vote 499,849 477,591
Percentage 49.5% 47.3%

County results
Kelly:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Schmidt:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Laura Kelly
Democratic

Elected Governor

Laura Kelly
Democratic

Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, was elected in 2018 with 48% of the vote and ran for re-election to a second term.[91] On the Republican side, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt ran against her.[92]

Kelly narrowly won re-election, defeating Schmidt by 49.4% of the vote to 47.4% and by a margin of 20,614 votes in a minor upset.

Laura Kelly won the election by a margin of 2.2 percentage points over Derek Schmidt, similar to the percentage of votes that independent Dennis Pyle received. Kansas Republican Party Chair Mike Kuckelman pointed to this as evidence that Pyle was somewhat responsible for Schmidt's defeat. However, Pyle insisted that "Kansas needed a strong conservative candidate" and instead highlighted Schmidt's underperformance compared to other Republican candidates in Kansas.[93]

Kelly's personal popularity was also a factor in her victory, where a majority of voters approved of Kelly's job performance, while only a third did so for President Joe Biden.[94][95] Her win was also propelled by Democratic candidates' increased strength in suburban areas, such as Johnson County, in spite of Schmidt's increased vote share from 2018 in the Republican strongholds of rural Kansas.[96]

Democratic primary results[97]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic
270,968 93.84
Democratic
  • Richard Karnowski
  • Barry Franco
17,802 6.16
Total votes 288,770 100
Republican primary results[97]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican
373,524 80.60
Republican
  • Arlyn Briggs
  • Lance Berland
89,898 19.40
Total votes 463,422 100
2022 Kansas gubernatorial election[98]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic
499,849 49.54% +1.53%
Republican
477,591 47.33% +4.35%
Independent
20,452 2.03% N/A
Libertarian
  • Seth Cordell
  • Evan Laudick-Gains
11,106 1.10% −0.80%
Total votes 1,008,998 100.0%
Turnout 47.94%
Democratic hold

Maine

[edit]
Maine gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Janet Mills Paul LePage
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 376,934 287,304
Percentage 55.69% 42.45%

County results
Mills:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
LePage:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Janet Mills
Democratic

Elected Governor

Janet Mills
Democratic

Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, was first elected in 2018 with 50.9% of the vote. Mills easily won re-election, soundly defeating Paul LePage by over 13 points, 55.7%–42.4%.[99] Hunkler took 1.9%. Mills's margin of victory was the largest for any Maine gubernatorial candidate since Angus King won re-election in 1998, and the largest victory for a statewide Democratic candidate since George J. Mitchell won re-election to the US Senate in 1988.

Democratic primary results[100]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Janet Mills (incumbent) 69,422 93.42%
Democratic Blank ballots 4,889 6.58%
Total votes 74,311 100.0%
Republican primary results[100]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul LePage 59,713 90.91%
Republican Blank ballots 5,971 9.09%
Total votes 65,684 100.0%
2022 Maine gubernatorial election[101]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Janet Mills (incumbent) 376,934 55.69% +4.80%
Republican Paul LePage 287,304 42.45% −0.73%
Independent Sam Hunkler 12,581 1.86% N/A
Total votes 676,819 100.0% N/A
Turnout %
Registered electors
Democratic hold

Maryland

[edit]
Maryland gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Wes Moore Dan Cox
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Aruna Miller Gordana Schifanelli
Popular vote 1,293,944 644,000
Percentage 64.5% 32.1%

Moore:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Cox:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

Larry Hogan
Republican

Elected Governor

Wes Moore
Democratic

Incumbent governor Larry Hogan, the two-term Republican, was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.

The Democratic and Republican primaries were held on July 19,[102] with state delegate Dan Cox securing the Republican nomination, while author and former nonprofit CEO Wes Moore won the Democratic nomination. Political observers gave Moore a strong chance of defeating Cox in the general election in this reliably Democratic state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1. Shortly after polls closed, several national news organizations called the election for Moore. Moore became the first African-American governor of Maryland after being sworn in on January 18, 2023.[103]

This race was also one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 in a state carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, and one of three that voted for Biden by double-digits. Moore flipped six counties that had voted for Hogan in 2018, and his electoral strength largely came from densely populated Prince George's County and Baltimore, where he improved on the margins of 2018 Democratic nominee Ben Jealous by roughly 20 percent. Moore's margin of victory was the highest of any gubernatorial candidate in the state since William Donald Schaefer in 1986.[104]

Republican primary results[105][106][107]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican
153,423 52.00%
Republican
128,302 43.48%
Republican
8,268 2.80%
Republican
  • Joe Werner
  • Minh Thanh Luong
5,075 1.72%
Total votes 295,068 100.0%
Democratic primary results[105]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic 217,524 32.41%
Democratic
202,175 30.12%
Democratic
141,586 21.10%
Democratic
26,594 3.96%
Democratic
25,481 3.80%
Democratic
24,882 3.71%
Democratic
  • Ashwani Jain
  • LaTrece Hawkins Lytes
13,784 2.05%
Democratic
  • Jon Baron
  • Natalie Williams
11,880 1.77%
Democratic
4,276 0.64%
Democratic
  • Ralph Jaffe
  • Mark Greben
2,978 0.44%
Total votes 671,160 100.0%
2022 Maryland gubernatorial election[108]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic 1,293,944 64.53% +21.02%
Republican
644,000 32.12% −24.23%
Libertarian
  • David Lashar
  • Christiana Logansmith
30,101 1.50% +0.93%
Working Class
  • David Harding
  • Cathy White
17,154 0.86% N/A
Green
  • Nancy Wallace
  • Patrick Elder
14,580 0.73% +0.25%
Write-in 5,444 0.27% +0.19%
Total votes 2,005,223 100.0% N/A
Turnout 2,031,635 49.26% −9.80%
Registered electors 4,124,156
Democratic gain from Republican

Massachusetts

[edit]
Massachusetts gubernatorial election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →
Turnout51.4% Decrease 8.75%[109]
 
Nominee Maura Healey Geoff Diehl
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Kim Driscoll Leah Cole Allen
Popular vote 1,584,403 859,343
Percentage 63.7% 34.6%

Healey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Diehl:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Charlie Baker
Republican

Elected Governor

Maura Healey
Democratic

Governor Charlie Baker was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 66.6% of the vote. Because Massachusetts does not have gubernatorial term limits in its Constitution, he was eligible to run for re-election for a third term. However, in December 2021, Baker announced he would not be running for re-election.[110][111]

Geoff Diehl, a former state representative and Chris Doughty were running for the Republican nomination. Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey and state senator Sonia Chang-Díaz were running for the Democratic nomination.

Diehl and Healey won their respective primaries on September 6.

Due to Massachusetts's strong liberal lean and Diehl's conservative political views, Healey was widely expected to win the election. The general election was called for the Democrat shortly after polls closed, with Healey becoming the first woman ever elected governor of Massachusetts and the first openly lesbian governor to take office in United States history.[112]

Republican primary results[113]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Geoff Diehl 149,800 55.44%
Republican Chris Doughty 120,418 44.56%
Total votes 270,218 100.0%
Democratic primary results[113]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Maura Healey 642,092 85.54%
Democratic Sonia Chang-Díaz (withdrawn) 108,574 14.46%
Total votes 750,666 100.0%
2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election[114]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic 1,584,403 63.74% +30.62%
Republican 859,343 34.57% −32.03%
Libertarian
  • Kevin Reed
  • Peter Everett
39,244 1.58% N/A
Write-in 2,806 0.11% −0.17%
Total votes 2,485,796 100.0%
Turnout 2,511,461 51.4% −9.37%
Registered electors
Democratic gain from Republican

Michigan

[edit]
Michigan gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Gretchen Whitmer Tudor Dixon
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Garlin Gilchrist Shane Hernandez
Popular vote 2,430,505 1,960,635
Percentage 54.5% 43.9%

County results
Whitmer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Dixon:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

Gretchen Whitmer
Democratic

Elected Governor

Gretchen Whitmer
Democratic

Incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer ran for re-election to a second term and faced former political commentator Tudor Dixon in the general election.[115] Whitmer defeated Dixon by a vote margin of nearly 11 percentage points, a larger victory than when she was first elected four years prior.

Democratic primary results[116]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer (incumbent) 938,382 100.0%
Total votes 938,382 100.0%
Republican primary results[116]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tudor Dixon 436,350 39.69%
Republican Kevin Rinke 236,306 21.50%
Republican Garrett Soldano 192,442 17.51%
Republican Ryan Kelley 165,587 15.06%
Republican Ralph Rebandt 45,046 4.10%
Write-in 23,542 2.14%
Total votes 1,099,273 100.0%
2022 Michigan gubernatorial election[117]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic
2,430,505 54.47% +1.16%
Republican 1,960,635 43.94% +0.19%
Libertarian
  • Mary Buzuma
  • Brian Ellison
38,800 0.87% −0.46%
Constitution
  • Donna Brandenburg
  • Mellissa Carone
16,246 0.36% −0.33%
Green
  • Kevin Hogan
  • Destiny Clayton
10,766 0.24% −0.44%
Natural Law
  • Daryl M. Simpson
  • Doug Dern
4,973 0.11% −0.13%
Write-in 47 0.00% ±0.0%
Total votes 4,461,972 100.0%
Turnout
Registered electors
Democratic hold

Minnesota

[edit]
Minnesota gubernatorial election

← 2018
2026 →
 
Nominee Tim Walz Scott Jensen
Party Democratic (DFL) Republican
Running mate Peggy Flanagan Matt Birk
Popular vote 1,312,349 1,119,941
Percentage 52.3% 44.6%

Walz:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Jensen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

Tim Walz
Minnesota DFL

Elected Governor

Tim Walz
Minnesota DFL

Incumbent Democratic (DFL) Governor Tim Walz defeated the Republican nominee, former state senator Scott Jensen,[118] winning a second term.[119]

In the end, Jensen's advantage in rural Greater Minnesota could not overcome Walz's large lead in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, with Walz going on to win the election with a comfortable 7.7% margin. However, this was the first time ever in Walz's career that he lost Minnesota's 1st congressional district, the district that he used to represent in Congress and prior to this election, carried seven times in a row. This election was also the first time ever that Walz failed to carry the following counties in any election which he ran in: Freeborn County, Houston County, Mower County, and Winona County. Winona County was significant given the fact that President Joe Biden carried the county in 2020.

Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary results[120]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Tim Walz (incumbent) 416,973 96.54%
Democratic (DFL) Ole Savior 14,950 3.46%
Total votes 431,923 100.0%
Republican primary results[120]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Scott Jensen 288,499 89.31%
Republican Joyce Lynne Lacey 21,308 6.60%
Republican Bob "Again" Carney Jr. 13,213 4.09%
Total votes 323,020 100.0%

2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election[121][122]
Party Candidate Votes %