Governor News & Analysis
By Jacob Rubashkin & Nathan L. Gonzales
The biggest potential for turnover in the 2026 midterms isn’t in Congress. It’s not even in Washington, DC, but in the states hosting 38 gubernatorial races over the next two years, including at least 14 open seats.
The 36 races taking place in…
ALABAMA. Open; Kay Ivey (R), term-limited. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth appears the likeliest to run out of a deep bench of Alabama Republicans that also includes state Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, former state Secretary of State John Merrill, and former Veterans Affairs commissioner Kent Davis. But looming over the entire…
NEW YORK. Kathy Hochul, assumed office August 2021, elected 2022 (52%). Hochul escaped an upset loss to Rep. Lee Zeldin in 2022 but remains in a difficult political position after 2024, a mixed bag of a year for New York Democrats that saw Trump make significant gains but Democrats also…
Democrats reeling from Donald Trump’s election and the GOP sweep of Congress will have their first chance to bounce back this fall, when voters in Virginia will choose a successor to term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Old Dominion’s gubernatorial races always attract a national spotlight, both because of the commonwealth’s…
Alabama Governor. Gov. Kay Ivey is term-limited, setting up a competitive GOP primary to replace her. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth had said he’d make up his mind in February or March, but now says he’ll wait until the upcoming legislative session ends in May. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate said he’d…
California’s 9th District. Strength coach John McBride, a Republican who placed third in the 2024 all-party primary with 13 percent, filed to run against Rep. Josh Harder a second time in this northern California seat.
California’s 40th District. Art gallery owner Esther Kim Varet filed paperwork to run as a…
Florida’s 7th District. The House Ethics Committee is investigating GOP Rep. Cory Mills, but it’s not clear what he potentially did wrong. Mills just won re-election by 14 points in the Central Florida seat, and Donald Trump finished ahead of Kamala Harris by 12.5 points, according to elections analyst Matt…
Nathan Gonzales and Jacob Rubashkin talk about what they got right (and wrong) in the 2024 elections, do a deep dive into one of the most competitive House races in the country and how Rep. Don Bacon was able to survive, and look ahead to the 2026 fight for the…
Nathan Gonzales, Jacob Rubashkin, and Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss the 2024 election results including the fights for the White House, Senate, and House. In addition, Jacob finally gets around to watching L.A. Confidential, Amy talks about the hottest ticket in Washington, D.C. and…
Delaware. Open; John Carney Jr. (D) term-limited. New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer will be the First State’s next governor after defeating former state Rep. Mike Ramone by 12 points, 56-44 percent. Carney was elected mayor of Wilmington after running unopposed in the general election.
Indiana. Open;…