This post will highlight the most competitive Governor races in 2022.
Go here to see more information on all the Governor races.

United States gubernatorial elections will be held on November 8, 2022, in 36 states and three territories. Special elections may also take place (depending on state law) if other gubernatorial seats are vacated.

As most governors serve four-year terms, the last regular gubernatorial elections for all but two of the seats took place in 2018. The governors of New Hampshire and Vermont, each of whom serves two-year terms, ran in the 2020 elections. The 2022 gubernatorial elections will take place concurrently with several other federal, state and local elections.

Once the 2022 primaries are completed, this post will have a summary of all 34 US Senate races and links to more information.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Alaska gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next governor of Alaska. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy is running for re-election to a second term. As of 2022, no incumbent Republican has been re-elected to a second term since Jay Hammond in 1978 and no incumbent governor, regardless of political affiliation, has been re-elected to a second term since Tony Knowles in 1998.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term. Arkansas is one of the eight 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, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Oklahoma. The winner of the 2022 gubernatorial election is scheduled to be sworn in on January 10, 2023.

Primary elections in Arkansas were held on May 24. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the Republican candidate and Chris Jones is the Democratic candidate

The 2022 Colorado gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jared Polis is running for reelection to a second term. The primary election was held on June 28.

Polis won election to the governorship in the 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election by a double-digit margin when he defeated State Treasurer Walker Stapleton of the Republican Party. Polis’s victory marked the fourth straight election in which Colorado elected a Democratic governor. The victory of Jared Polis marked the first time in American electoral history that an openly gay politician was elected governor of a state.

The 2022 California gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of California, with the statewide top-two primary election taking place on June 7, 2022. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is running for re-election to a second term after surviving a recall election in 2021, during his first term.

The elections will feature universal mail-in ballots and in-person voting on election day, following legislation which made the pandemic-era election format (used in all 2020 and 2021 elections in California) permanent. All statewide elected offices are currently held by Democrats. In his most recent gubernatorial race in 2018 and recall election in 2021, Newsom won with 62% of the vote and survived his recall attempt with 62% voting against the recall.

Newsom and Republican state senator Brian Dahle advanced from the “top two” primary to the general election.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Tom Wolf was re-elected in 2018 with 57.8% of the vote. He is term-limited in 2022 by the Pennsylvania Constitution and was therefore ineligible to seek election to a third consecutive term. Primary elections were held on May 17. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro won the Democratic nomination unopposed. State Senator Doug Mastriano won the crowded Republican primary in a landslide, with the support of former president Donald Trump.[186] State representatives Austin Davis and Carrie DelRosso won competitive lieutenant gubernatorial primaries of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, and will appear on tickets with their parties’ gubernatorial nominees in the general election. Shapiro had endorsed Davis in the primary and Mastriano had endorsed Teddy Daniels.

The Libertarian Party nominated Matt Hackenburg and Tim McMaster, the Green Party nominated Christina DiGiulio and Michael Bagdes-Canning, and the newly formed Keystone Party nominated Joe Soloski and Nicole Shultz for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 New Hampshire gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of New Hampshire. As New Hampshire does not have gubernatorial term limits, incumbent Republican Governor Chris Sununu is eligible to run for re-election to a fourth 2-year term in office.

Sununu had ‘expressed interest’ in running for the U.S. Senate in 2022 against incumbent Democrat (and former governor) Maggie Hassan. However, on November 9, 2021, he announced that he would instead run for a fourth term as governor.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Phil Scott was re-elected in 2020 with 68.5% of the vote and is running for reelection to a fourth term. Activist Brenda Siegel is challenging Scott as a Democrat.

The 2022 Vermont gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Vermont. Incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott is seeking a fourth 2-year term.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Ned Lamont was elected in 2018 with 49.4% of the vote and is running for reelection for a second term. Republican nominee for governor in 2018, Bob Stefanowski declared his intent to run for governor on January 19, 2022.

Lamont and Stefanowski won their respective primaries, setting up a rematch of the 2018 election.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Alabama.

Incumbent Republican Governor Kay Ivey took office on April 10, 2017, upon the resignation of Robert J. Bentley, and was elected to a full term in 2018. She is running for re-election to a second full term. The winner of the 2022 gubernatorial election is scheduled to be sworn in on January 16, 2023.

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.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Doug Ducey was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 56% of the vote. He will be term-limited by the Arizona Constitution in 2022, and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term.

The first Republican candidate to declare was State Treasurer of Arizona Kimberly Yee, who announced her intention to seek the Republican nomination for governor on May 17, 2021.[79] However, on January 15, 2022, Yee announced that she would be withdrawing from the race to instead run for reelection.[80] Former Fox 10 television anchor Kari Lake announced on June 1 that she is running for governor.[81] Former 5th district Congressman and 2002 Republican gubernatorial nominee Matt Salmon announced his bid for governor on June 16.[82] On June 25, Karrin Taylor Robson, member of the Arizona Board of Regents, entered the race[83] and Steve Gaynor, 2018 Republican Secretary of State nominee, also declared his candidacy.[84]

U.S. Representative David Schweikert was considered a possible candidate, however, Schweikert declined to run and endorsed Salmon.[85][86]

Former Nogales mayor Marco A. López Jr. was the first Democrat to announce running for governor.[87] On June 2, Democratic Secretary of State of Arizona Katie Hobbs announced that she will run for governor.[88] On June 29, Arizona State Representative for the 28th district Aaron Lieberman announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination.[89]

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican Governor Kristi Noem is running for a second term.

Governor Kristi Noem was elected in 2018 with 51% of the vote, and is running for re-election to a second term. The Democratic nominee is state representative Jamie Smith.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Daniel McKee took office on March 2, 2021, after the resignation of two-term Democratic governor Gina Raimondo. Raimondo, who was term-limited by the Rhode Island Constitution from running for a third consecutive term, took President Joe Biden’s offer to become his secretary of commerce, and resigned the day of her confirmation by the Senate.

McKee has stated that he intends on running for a full term. Also running for the Democratic nomination are Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and perennial candidate Luis Daniel Muñoz.

Source: Wikipedia

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 is running for reelection to a second full term.

Democrat Deidre DeJear, who announced her candidacy in August 2021, is the Democratic nominee.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor David Ige was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 62.7% of the vote. He will be term-limited by the Hawaii Constitution in 2022 and cannot seek re-election for a third consecutive term. Democratic candidates include Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, former First Lady of Hawaii Vicky Cayetano, and U.S. Representative Kai Kahele.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Steve Sisolak was elected in 2018 with 49.4% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Former Senator Dean Heller ran for the Republican Nomination as did North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee,[and Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo.

Lombardo won the Republican primary and will face Sisolak in November.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Kansas gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Kansas. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is running for re-election to a second term.

Governor Pete Ricketts was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 59% of the vote. He will be term-limited by the Nebraska Constitution in 2022 and cannot seek re-election for a third consecutive term.

In the Republican primary, a variety of candidates sought to succeed Ricketts, including state senator Brett Lindstrom,[ UNL Board of Regents member Jim Pillen, business executive Charles Herbster, and former Douglas County GOP chair Theresa Thibodeau. Although Herbster received the endorsement of former President Trump, he came in second to Pillen, who won the Republican nomination with a little over a third of the vote. Pillen’s running mate is Joseph P. Kelly, a former U.S. Attorney.

State senator Carol Blood is running as the Democratic nominee. Her running mate is former state senator Al Davis.Also running is the Libertarian nominee Scott Zimmerman, a businessman and comedian.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Wyoming gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Wyoming. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Gordon is running for a second term.

The 2022 Oregon gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Oregon. Incumbent Democratic Governor Kate Brown took office on February 18, 2015, upon the resignation of John Kitzhaber. She was subsequently elected in the gubernatorial special election in 2016and was re-elected to a full term in 2018. Due to term limits, she cannot seek re-election in 2022.

The Oregonian anticipated the election to have “the first competitive Democratic primary in more than a decade and potentially the closest such race since 2002.”Willamette Week anticipated a “wide open field of Democrats”, citing the lack of an incumbent. Almost 20 Republicans ran for the office, including two previous nominees for governor in 1998 and 2016, as well as 15 Democrats and some non-affiliates/third-party members.

Oregon is a solid Democratic state at the presidential level, and has not elected a Republican governor since 1982; however, recent margins of victory in percentage points in the state’s gubernatorial elections have been within single digits, and Republicans are predicted to do well nationally in the 2022 elections.

In the May 17 primary elections, former House Speaker Tina Kotek was declared the winner of the Democratic primary half an hour after the ballot deadline. The next day, former House Minority Leader Christine Drazan was determined to have won the Republican primary.Notably, the general election will feature three prominent female candidates, including former State Senator Betsy Johnson running as an independent.

From Wikipedia entry

Source: Wikipedia

he 2022 Wisconsin gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Wisconsin. Incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers will seek a second term in office. As Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes is running for the U.S. Senate in 2022, a new running mate will be nominated in the partisan primary. Barnes is the second lieutenant governor to not run with the incumbent governor since the state constitution was amended in 1967. The partisan primary is scheduled for August 9, 2022.

The 2022 Texas gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott is running for re-election to a third term. Gubernatorial primaries were held on March 1, 2022. Abbott won the Republican primary, while former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke won the Democratic primary.

Texas does not have gubernatorial term limits. All statewide elected offices are currently held by Republicans. In his most recent gubernatorial race in 2018, Abbott won with 55.8% of the vote.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Ron DeSantis was elected in 2018 with 49.6% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term.[100] Andrew Gillum, former mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, will not run against DeSantis again.

Seeking the Democratic nomination are U.S. Representative Charlie Crist, (a former Republican governor of Florida). Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, and Florida State Senator Annette Taddeo, Crist’s running mate in the 2014 Florida gubernatorial election.

Governor Mike DeWine was elected in 2018 with 50.4% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term.

DeWine faced a primary challenge from former US Representative and 2018 Ohio Republican Senate Nominee Jim Renacci and farmer Joe Blystone.

Former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley ran for the Democratic nomination.

DeWine and Whaley won their respective primaries on May 3.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Andrew Cuomo was re-elected to a third term in 2018 with 59.6% of the vote. Because New York does not have gubernatorial term limits in its Constitution, he was eligible to run for re-election for a fourth term. On May 28, 2019, Cuomo announced that he would run for re-election for a fourth term in 2022.

Cuomo was expected to face a primary challenge for the Democratic nomination as a result of allegations of sexual harassment involving Cuomo and a simultaneous investigation into his administration’s cover-up of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo resigned as governor at the end of August 23, 2021, upon which Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul became governor. Hochul has said she is running for a full gubernatorial term.[167] Current New York Attorney General Letitia James was previously running against Hochul in the primary, but later changed her mind to run for re-election. Current New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams announced he would run against Hochul in the primary, as did current U.S representative Thomas Suozzi. Hochul won the primary on June 28.

Republicans running for the gubernatorial nomination include former Westchester County executive Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani (the son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani), businessman and former Obama administration official Harry Wilson, and congressman and former state senator Lee Zeldin. Zeldin is the official designee of both the New York Republican Party and the New York Conservative Party. Zeldin won the primary on June 28.

Larry Shape is the Libertarian nominee for governor. He was also the Libertarian nominee in the 2018 election.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer is running for re-election to a second term. The deadline for candidates to file for the August 2 primary was April 19.

Governor Larry Hogan was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 55.4% of the vote. He will be term-limited by the Maryland Constitution in 2022 and cannot seek re-election for a third consecutive term.

Despite previous speculation, lieutenant governor Boyd Rutherford announced in April 2021 that he would not run for governor in 2022. Seeking the Republican nomination are state delegate Daniel L. Cox, former state delegate and perennial candidate Robin Ficker,  Maryland Secretary of Commerce Kelly M. Schulz, and the Democratic nominee in the 2016 House of Representatives election in Maryland’s first district Joe Werner. Cox’s candidacy was later endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele launched an exploratory committee into running for governor, but decided against running in January 2022.

Seeking the Democratic nomination are former nonprofit executive Jon Baron, Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Attorney General of Maryland Doug Gansler (who also ran in the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial election), perennial candidate Ralph Jaffe, former Obama administration official Ashwani Jain, former United States Secretary of Education John King Jr., author Wes Moore, former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez, and former Bread and Roses Party chair Jerome Segal. Other candidates who entered the race and suspended their campaigns before the primary elections include businessman Mike Rosenbaum, former Prince George’s County executive Rushern Baker (who also ran in the 2018 Maryland gubernatorial election),and former Republican Anne Arundel County executive Laura Neuman.

Wes Moore will be the Democratic candidate for governor and Dan Cox the Republican candidate.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2022 Illinois general election. Gubernatorial candidates will run on tickets with candidates for lieutenant governor.

The incumbent governor and lieutenant governor, first-term Democrats J. B. Pritzker and Juliana Stratton, are seeking reelection together. They are being challenged by Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey who is the Republican Nominee.

The 2022 New Mexico gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New Mexico. The election will coincide with various other federal and state elections. Primary elections are to be held on June 7. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was elected in 2018 with 57.2% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. The Republican nominee is former meteorologist Mark Ronchetti.

Incumbent Democratic governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is running for re-election to a second term. She was first elected in 2018 with 57.2% of the vote.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Lee will be eligible to seek a second term, and has announced his intent to do so. The winner of the 2022 gubernatorial election is scheduled to be sworn in on January 21, 2023.

For more information, see this Wikipedia entry.

Governor Brad Little was elected in 2018 with 59.8% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Incumbent lieutenant governor Janice McGeachin announced a primary challenge to Little, but Little won the Republican primary. Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy also announced a run for the Republican nomination, but switched to an Independent on February 17, 2022.

The Democratic nominee is Stephen Heidt.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican Governor Kristi Noem is running for a second term.

Governor Kristi Noem was elected in 2018 with 51% of the vote, and is running for re-election to a second term. The Democratic nominee is state representative Jamie Smith.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Georgia. The primary occurred on May 24, 2022.

Incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp is running for re-election and is 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 because Kemp refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

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, is once again seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. This will be Georgia’s first gubernatorial rematch since 1950.

Libertarian Shane T. Hazel, the Libertarian nominee for US Senate in 2020, has also declared that he will run.[Independent Al Bartell has filed campaign paperwork.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Henry McMaster took office on January 24, 2017, upon the resignation of Nikki Haley, and was elected to a full term in his own right in 2018, with 54% of the vote. He is running for re-election for a second full term.

Democratic challengers who announced their campaigns included Former U.S. Representative Joe Cunningham; South Carolina State Senator Mia McLeod; and health care and social justice advocate Gary Votour. Votour switched to the Labor Party in February. Joe Cunningham won the Democratic nomination.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Tim Walz was elected in 2018 with 53.8% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Physician and former state senator Scott Jensen won the Republican convention and will challenge Walz in November.

The 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Minnesota. Incumbent Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Governor Tim Walz has announced he will seek a second term in office.

Minnesota’s primary elections will be held on August 9, 2022.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Brad Little was elected in 2018 with 59.8% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Incumbent lieutenant governor Janice McGeachin announced a primary challenge to Little, but Little won the Republican primary.Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy also announced a run for the Republican nomination, but switched to an Independent on February 17, 2022.

The Democratic nominee is Stephen Heidt.

Source: Wikipedia

Governor Kevin Stitt was elected in 2018 with 54.3% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term.Former state senator and physician Ervin Yen filed paperwork to challenge Stitt in the Republican Primary.Stitt won the primary on June 28.

On October 7, 2021, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced she would be switching to the Democratic Party and subsequently announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor. Hofmeister won the nomination on June 28, defeating former state senator Connie Johnson in the primary.

Natalie Bruno has filed to run for the Libertarian Party’s nomination. Paul Tay has filed with the state ethics commission to run as an independent.

Source: Wikipedia

The 2022 Maine gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Democratic Governor Janet Mills is seeking a second term, having faced no primary opposition.

The only Republican to file to run for the GOP nomination was former governor Paul LePage, so Mills and LePage will face each other in the November general election.

Source: Wikipedia