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Out of all top state executive offices, only the governor and attorney general exist in all 50 states, and only the governor is elected in all 50 states. As the chief executive officer, the governor is among the most powerful figures in state government. There are 36 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2022.
Of those 36 governor's offices, 20 are held by Republicans and 16 are held by Democrats before the November 2022 elections.
On this page, you will find:
Click here for more on the Democratic gubernatorial primaries in 2022.
Click here for more on the gubernatorial general elections in 2022.
The following table details 2022 gubernatorial filing deadlines and primary dates in each state. The signature filing deadline was the date by which candidates had to file nominating signatures with election officials in order to have their name placed on the ballot. We will add names of primary winners as primaries take place.
2022 Election Dates | ||||||
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State | Filing deadline | Primary election | Primary winner | |||
Alabama | January 28 | May 24 | Kay Ivey | |||
Alaska | June 1 | August 16 | Pending | |||
Arizona | April 4 | August 2 | Pending | |||
Arkansas | March 1 | May 24 | Sarah Huckabee Sanders | |||
California | March 11 | June 7 | Brian Dahle | |||
Colorado | March 15 | June 28 | Heidi Ganahl | |||
Connecticut | June 7 | August 9 | Pending | |||
Florida | June 17 | August 23 | Pending | |||
Georgia | March 11 | May 24 | Brian Kemp | |||
Hawaii | June 7 | August 13 | Pending | |||
Idaho | March 11 | May 17 | Brad Little | |||
Illinois | March 14 | June 28 | Darren Bailey | |||
Iowa | March 18 | June 7 | Kim Reynolds | |||
Kansas | June 1 | August 2 | Pending | |||
Maine | March 15 | June 14 | Paul LePage | |||
Maryland | April 15 | July 19 | Dan Cox | |||
Massachusetts | June 7 | September 6 | Pending | |||
Michigan | April 19 | August 2 | Pending | |||
Minnesota | May 31 | August 9 | Pending | |||
Nebraska | February 15 (incumbent) March 1 (non-incumbent) |
May 10 | Jim Pillen | |||
Nevada | March 18 | June 14 | Joe Lombardo | |||
New Hampshire | June 10 | September 13 | Pending | |||
New Mexico | March 24 | June 7 | Mark Ronchetti | |||
New York | April 7 | June 28 | Lee Zeldin | |||
Ohio | February 2 | May 3 | Richard Michael DeWine | |||
Oklahoma | April 15 | June 28 | Kevin Stitt | |||
Oregon | March 8 | May 17 | Christine Drazan | |||
Pennsylvania | March 15 | May 17 | Doug Mastriano | |||
Rhode Island | July 15 | September 13 | Pending | |||
South Carolina | March 30 | June 14 | Henry McMaster | |||
South Dakota | March 29 | June 7 | Kristi L. Noem | |||
Tennessee | April 7 | August 4 | Pending | |||
Texas | December 13 | March 1 | Greg Abbott | |||
Vermont | May 26 | August 9 | Pending | |||
Wisconsin | June 1 | August 9 | Pending | |||
Wyoming | May 27 | August 16 | Pending |
There are 20 Republican and 16 Republican seats up for election in 2022. The table and map below show which states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2022.
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The following are reprinted from Ballotpedia's The Heart of the Primaries newsletter, which captures stories related to conflicts within each major party.
Dan Cox won the Republican primary for Maryland governor, defeating Robin Ficker, Kelly Schulz, and Joe Werner. With 80% of the expected vote in, Cox led Schulz 56% to 40%. (Mail ballot counting didn't begin until Thursday morning, but outlets didn't believe there were enough of those ballots to affect the outcome.)
Cox is an attorney who has served in the state House of Delegates since 2018. Schulz, who has worked in the defense and cybersecurity industries, served as Maryland’s secretary of commerce from 2019 through January of this year.
Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Cox, while outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan (R) endorsed Schulz. Media observers referred to the primary as a proxy battle between Trump and Hogan. Hogan said in 2020 he wrote in Ronald Reagan for president rather than voting to re-elect Trump. Hogan said Wednesday he would not support Cox in the general election.
The Cook Political Report shifted its general election race rating from Lean Democratic to Solid Democratic on Wednesday.
Politico and The Wall Street Journal wrote about factional conflict in the gubernatorial primary and the Democratic Governors Association ads about Cox.
Politico wrote:
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The win for Cox … who has full-throatedly embraced Trump’s repeated falsehoods about fraud in the 2020 election, scored the former president a victory in his fight with Hogan over the direction of the party both in the state and nationally. Hogan had backed Kelly Schulz, a former state lawmaker who served in his Cabinet until earlier this year. The Hogan political machine mobilized for Schulz, with prominent advisers to the governor lending a hand to Schulz’ campaign. "Get rid of Shutdown RINO Larry Hogan who is trying to get another RINO into office, Kelly Schulz," Trump said in a statement on Monday. The closing weeks of the race were dominated by the Democratic Governors Association, which dropped a multi-million ad campaign "attacking" Cox as too loyal to Trump. The DGA has insisted it was merely getting a head start on the general election, casting Cox as the frontrunner — despite public polling in the run-up to Tuesday showing Cox and Schulz deadlocked. But the campaign was widely seen as an attempt to boost the more extreme candidate in the Republican primary, in hopes that Cox would be easier to beat in the general election.[1] |
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The Wall Street Journal wrote:
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The primary election outcome sets up what political analysts predict will be an uphill battle for Mr. Cox in the November general election, given that registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in Maryland and that President Biden defeated Mr. Trump 65% to 32% in 2020. Maryland, whose incumbent is outgoing moderate Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, is one of the few largely Democratic states where the GOP currently holds the governor’s office. … Mr. Cox pledged to cut taxes, stop what he calls gender indoctrination of schoolchildren and "end the blood running in our streets with high crime and drug deaths." He has said he thinks the 2020 presidential election was stolen and would order a "forensic audit" of that year’s election. … Ms. Schulz had hoped to follow Mr. Hogan’s playbook by assembling a coalition of Republicans, independents and Democratic voters in the general election had she won the primary. Political analysts say Mr. Cox likely benefited from the roughly $1.2 million in advertising that the Democratic Governors Association was projected to air in the primary. The DGA ran an ad highlighting Mr. Cox’s antiabortion and gun-rights stances, his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, and Mr. Trump’s endorsement. It also labeled him as too conservative for Maryland.[1] |
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In the last couple of weeks, former Vice President Mike Pence and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have added to their lists of endorsements countering those of former President Trump.
Pence endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson for Arizona governor. This is Pence's fourth gubernatorial endorsement of 2022 and the second in which he has clashed with Trump. Trump backed Kari Lake for Arizona governor. Earlier this year, Pence endorsed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who defeated Trump-endorsed David Perdue in the primary.
AZCentral reported that Pence is scheduled to attend events for Taylor Robson in Phoenix and elsewhere on Friday, while Trump is holding a rally for Lake that day in Prescott Valley.
As we wrote last week, Ducey also endorsed Taylor Robson. Ducey is term-limited.
Ducey recently endorsed Beau Lane for secretary of state. Lane faces Mark Finchem, whom Trump endorsed, and two others in the GOP primary.
Ducey said, "The 2022 elections haven’t even been held yet, and already we’re seeing speculation doubting the results — especially if certain candidates lose. … It’s one of the most irresponsible things I can imagine."
AZCentral reported,
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Late last month, at a campaign stop in Chandler, Finchem said he would not concede his race if there was any suggestion of wrongdoing. "There ain’t gonna be no concession speech coming from this guy," Finchem said. "I’m going to demand 100% hand count (of ballots) if there’s the slightest hint of any impropriety. And I would urge the next governor to do the same thing."[1] |
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Arizona's secretary of state, Katie Hobbs (D), is running for re-election.
President Joe Biden defeated Trump 49.4% to 49.1% in Arizona in 2020. Three forecasting outlets rate the gubernatorial general election a Toss-up.
The primaries are Aug. 2.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson in the gubernatorial primary. In his endorsement video, Ducey said, "Karrin is the real deal: pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-wall – and she'll stand up to Joe Biden and the radical left." Ducey is term-limited.
A recent OH Predictive Insights poll of likely voters shows Taylor Robson with 35% to Kari Lake's 40%. Twenty-one percent of respondents were undecided. The margin of error was +/- 4.3 percentage points.
Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Lake. We wrote last week about the candidates' differing views on the 2020 presidential election.
12 News wrote, "Ducey has more at stake in the governor's race than simply clearing the way for a preferred successor. As chair of the Republican Governors' Association, Ducey has worked across the country to elect governors who aren't cut from the Trump mold."
The primary is Aug. 2.
The Republican primary for Wisconsin governor is now a four-person contest.
On July 5, Kevin Nicholson suspended his campaign. Nicholson’s name will still appear on the primary ballot.
Nicholson, a Marine Corps veteran, had positioned himself as the political outsider in the race. Nicholson said, "It has become clear to me and my team the only path forward for our campaign is attacking the other candidates in the race on the airwaves and running a very negative campaign … [T]hat is not something I want to do." Nicholson said he would not make an endorsement.
On July 8, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) endorsed Tim Michels, an army veteran and construction company owner. Thompson served as governor from 1987 to 2001. Trump endorsed Michels in June.
Also on July 8, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch announced that 58 Republican state legislators endorsed her. On July 11, Kleefisch released a new ad featuring former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who endorsed Kleefisch in February.
The primary is on Aug. 9.
Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday for GOP candidates in three battleground elections: Gov. Mike Dunleavy, At-Large House candidate Sarah Palin, and U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka.
Top-four primaries will be held Aug. 16, the same day as a ranked-choice voting special general election for U.S. House. Candidates of all affiliations will appear on the same ballot in each race.
Dunleavy faces four Republicans, one Democrat, two independents, and two third-party candidates. That includes former Gov. Bill Walker (I), who withdrew from the 2018 gubernatorial race that Dunleavy ultimately won; former state Rep. Les Gara (D); Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce (R); and state Rep. Christopher Kurka (R).
Nineteen candidates are running for U.S. Senate, including incumbent Lisa Murkowski (R). Tshibaka, a former commissioner of the state Department of Administration, is one of seven Republicans challenging Murkowski. Three Democrats, three third-party candidates, and five independent or nonpartisan candidates are also running. Murkowski is the only GOP senator running for re-election this year who voted guilty during Trump's 2021 impeachment trial. Of the seven Republican senators who voted guilty, three have seats up for election this year. North Carolina's Richard Burr and Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey aren't seeking re-election.
Palin, a former governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate, is running in both the special general election and the regular top-four primary for U.S. House on Aug. 16. Palin advanced from the 48-candidate special primary field with 27% of the vote. She joins investor Nick Begich III (R) and former state Rep. Mary Peltola (D) in the special general election. Al Gross (I) also advanced from the June 11 primary but withdrew from the race on June 20. Former incumbent Don Young (R) died in March. Twenty-two candidates are running in the top-four regular primary, including Begich, Palin, and Peltola.
The Alaska Republican Party has endorsed both Dunleavy and Pierce in the gubernatorial election, Tshibaka in the Senate election, and Begich in the House election.
Alaska voters approved the new top-four primary/ranked-choice voting general election system in 2020. Click here for more information.
Maryland gubernatorial candidate Kelly Schulz criticized a Democratic Governors Association (DGA) ad, saying the group intended it to help Dan Cox, her Republican primary opponent.
The DGA ad said, "Cox worked with Trump trying to prove the last election was a fraud. 100% pro life. He's fighting to end abortion in Maryland, and Cox will protect the Second Amendment at all costs, refusing to support any federal restrictions on guns. Even pushing to put armed guards in every school."
Schulz said, "Two weeks ago, our campaign predicted that national Democrats would spend millions of dollars to prop up fringe candidate Dan Cox so they would not … have to face me in the general election. … They’re afraid of losing four out of the last six governor’s races here in Maryland. And because of this, they’re willing to support a lying conspiracy theorist like Dan Cox[.]"
Cox said, "I am being attacked now by both moderate ‘do-nothing’ Kelly Shulz’s failing campaign and by the Democratic Governors Association who views me as the frontrunner they intend to tear down in the eyes of Maryland’s voters."
DGA spokesman Sam Newton said, "As Maryland’s MAGA primary for governor is heating up and recent polls show Kelly Schulz is failing to gain any momentum against Trump-endorsed Dan Cox, it’s telling that her campaign is already looking for excuses."
Politico wrote, "The committee reserved at least $1.2 million worth of airtime, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact — more than what Cox and Schulz have spent on advertising combined."
Cox was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018. Former President Trump endorsed him. Schulz was Maryland’s secretary of commerce from 2019 to January 2022. Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is term-limited, endorsed her.
The primary is July 19. Race forecasters view the general election as Lean or Likely Democratic. This is one of six governorships Republicans are defending in states President Biden won in 2020. Biden defeated Trump by a margin of 33 percentage points in the state.
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon withdrew from the gubernatorial primary in Arizona. Salmon said that "the path to a first-place victory is no longer a realistic possibility. Republican primary voters deserve more than having their votes split[.]"
Salmon endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson the next day. Salmon’s name will still appear on the ballot due to the timing of his withdrawal.
Salmon was trailing Kari Lake, a former news anchor for Fox 10 News in Phoenix, and Taylor Robson, a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents and founder of a land-use strategy firm, in recent polls.
Club for Growth and FreedomWorks had endorsed Salmon, along with U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). As of July 5, none of those organizations or individuals had endorsed another candidate in the race.
On June 29, Lake, Taylor Robson, Scott Neely, and Paola Tulliani Zen participated in a televised debate hosted by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
Arizona Republic’s Stacey Barchenger said the debate was an "hourlong throw down between the contenders."
Lake said she would not have certified the 2020 presidential election results: "We had a corrupt election. I'd actually like to ask everybody on this stage if they would agree we had a corrupt stolen election? Raise your hand."
Neely and Tulliani Zen raised their hands, while Taylor Robson didn't. Taylor Robson said the election wasn't fair because new policies were implemented shortly before the election and tech companies suppressed conservative voices. Robson also referenced donations from Zuckerberg to nonprofits that provided funding to election offices in 2020. Taylor Robson said, "But I am focused on 2022 because the left is 10 steps ahead of us."
Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is term-limited. Three race forecasters view the general election as a Toss-up. This is another one of the six governorships Republicans are defending in states Biden won in 2020. Biden defeated Trump by a margin of 0.3 percentage points.
The primary is Aug. 2.
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