Voters Pick 36 Governors Today as Democrats Aim for First Majority of Governorships in Two Decades

Thirty-six states are electing governors today, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Nineteen of those offices are open. The states hold about 80% of the U.S. population.

Republicans go in with 26 of the 50 governorships. Democrats hold 24, though Democratic governors preside over roughly 60% of the country's population.

Democrats last won a majority of governors' offices in 2006, when they flipped six seats in the midterm under a second-term Republican president. Republicans took the majority back four years later.

What the final forecast shows

The Cook Political Report's final ratings, released ahead of Election Day, have 13 races as Solid Democrat, six as Lean Democrat, four as Toss Up, three as Lean Republican, three as Likely Republican and seven as Solid Republican.

Cook said Republicans could fall to as few as 22 governorships. Democrats could climb as high as 28. The forecaster described Democrats as well positioned to gain two to four seats.

Three of the six Lean Democrat races are in states Republicans now control: Alaska, Iowa and Ohio. Cook called Iowa, where State Auditor Rob Sand faces Republican Zach Lahn, the Democrats' surest bet.

In Alaska, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is the only Democrat on a four-candidate ranked-choice ballot. Cook said Republicans are worried that the three Republicans in the race will split the vote.

Cook moved Ohio from Toss Up to Lean Democrat on Oct. 23. It cited reaction to a Vivek Ramaswamy campaign ad that featured Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother criticizing her. Cook still called Ohio the hardest of the three for Democrats to flip.

Georgia and Alaska haven't elected a Democratic governor since 1998. Iowa and Ohio haven't since 2006.

The toss-ups

Cook's four toss-ups are Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin and Kansas.

In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson. Cook wrote that it "may end up being the closest contest on election night."

In Nevada, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is defending his seat against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford. In Wisconsin's open race, Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, faces Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Kansas moved from Lean Republican to Toss Up late. Democratic Sen. Cindy Holscher is running against Republican Ty Masterson, the state Senate president, to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Trump carried Kansas by 16 points in 2024. Cook still calls it the Republicans' best shot at flipping a Democratic-held seat.

Republicans also have their eyes on Michigan's open seat and on Oregon, where Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek faces a second challenge from Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan. Cook rates Oregon Lean Democrat and said the national environment is likely to carry Kotek.

Nebraska moved from Likely Republican to Lean Republican. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen faces Democrat Lynne Walz. Cook has Republicans favored in Florida as well. Democrats say they see openings in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

The Republican argument

Republicans are not conceding the environment. They went into the final stretch with a large money advantage and hoped it would blunt Democratic momentum. Trump held several dozen rallies in the closing weeks, many in deep-red territory with GOP gubernatorial candidates on stage.

At the last one, in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday, Trump told the crowd: "I really want you to pretend I'm on the ballot." The stop fit a pattern of visits to Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, states where Republicans are on defense.

Democrats argue that voter anger over the economy, inflation and healthcare is driving the map. Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said: "Our goal is not just the majority of the population, but the majority of states."

Why governors matter to Washington

The stakes go beyond statehouses. Trump has clashed mostly with Democratic-led states over National Guard call-ups, immigration operations, conditions on federal aid and federal efforts to control election rules, including restrictions on mail voting.

More Democratic governors would mean more state executives positioned to fight, or simply ignore, administration directives. More than 57 million people had cast ballots before Election Day, according to figures cited Monday, with turnout in many closely watched states above the early vote four years ago.

Cook's forecast has Democrats reaching as high as 28 governorships, a figure that would give them a majority of the nation's governors. Cook's toss-ups, Kansas and Georgia in particular, will likely help decide how far they get. Georgia's count may be the first real test of whether the forecast holds.