2022 US Governor Elections

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.

Arizona
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. However, on January 15, 2022, Yee announced that she would be withdrawing from the race to instead run for reelection. Former Fox 10 television anchor Kari Lake announced on June 1 that she is running for governor. Former 5th district Congressman and 2002 Republican gubernatorial nominee Matt Salmon announced his bid for governor on June 16. On June 25, Karrin Taylor Robson, member of the Arizona Board of Regents, entered the race and Steve Gaynor, 2018 Republican Secretary of State nominee, also declared his candidacy.

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

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

Arkansas
Governor Asa Hutchinson was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 65.3% of the vote. He will be term-limited by the Arkansas Constitution in 2022 and cannot seek re-election for a third term. Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin, former White House Press Secretary and the daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced campaigns, although Griffin eventually dropped out of the race and decided to run for Attorney General instead while Rutledge also dropped out and decided to run for Lieutenant Governor instead.

The Democratic nominee is Chris Jones, who defeated four other candidates in the Democratic primary.

California
Governor Gavin Newsom was elected in 2018 with 61.9% of the vote and is running for re-election for a second term. On September 14, 2021, a recall election was held. Newsom defeated the recall, being allowed to complete his full term in office and become eligible to run for re-election.

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

Colorado
Governor Jared Polis was elected in 2018 with 53.4% of the vote and is running for reelection for a second term.

Heidi Ganahl, a member of the Regents of the University of Colorado, is the Republican nominee.

Connecticut
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.

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

U.S. Representative and former Republican governor of Florida Charlie Crist is the Democratic nominee. Also seeking the Democratic nomination was Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

Georgia
Governor Brian Kemp was elected in 2018 with 50.2% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term.

Former U.S. Senator David Perdue announced on December 6, 2021, that he would challenge Kemp in the Republican primary. Perdue's candidacy was later endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Former state representative, and Democrat turned Republican, Vernon Jones announced he would also challenge Kemp in the primary. Former U.S. representative and 2020 Senate candidate Doug Collins had considered challenging Kemp, but on April 26, he announced that he would not do so. Kemp won the primary with 73.7% of the vote on May 24.

On December 1, 2021, Fair Fight Action founder and former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives Stacey Abrams confirmed that she would run for governor after suffering a narrow defeat in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Hawaii
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.

Idaho
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.

Illinois
Governor J. B. Pritzker was elected in 2018 with 54.5% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term.

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. Erich "Mancow" Muller has stated he intends to run as an Independent.

Iowa
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.

Kansas
Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, was elected in 2018 with 48% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. On the Republican side, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is running against her.

Maine
Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, was elected in 2018 with 50.9% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Former Republican governor Paul LePage has announced that he will run again. Both candidates won their primaries uncontested.

Maryland
Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, 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 Dan 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.

Cox and Moore won their respective primaries on July 19, 2022. Also running is the Libertarian nominee David Lashar, Green nominee Nancy Wallace, and Working Class Party nominee David Harding.

Massachusetts
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.

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

Michigan
Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was elected in 2018 with 53.3% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term.

Republican candidates include Tudor Dixon, conservative commentator who declared on May 20, and businessman Kevin Rinke who declared on November 22. Former Detroit police chief James E. Craig was previously a candidate, but was disqualified due to submitting fraudulent signatures.

Minnesota
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.

Nebraska
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.

Nevada
Governor Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, 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.

New Hampshire
Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, was re-elected in 2020 with 65.1% of the vote and is running for reelection to a fourth term.

New Mexico
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.

New York
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. 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.

Ohio
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.

Oklahoma
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.

Oregon
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 2016 and was re-elected to a full term in 2018 with 50.1% of the vote. She will be term-limited by the Oregon Constitution in 2022 and cannot seek re-election for a second consecutive full term.

Pennsylvania
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. 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.

Rhode Island
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.

South Carolina
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.

South Dakota
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.

Tennessee
Governor Bill Lee was elected in 2018 with 59.6% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. The Democratic nominee is pulmonologist Jason Martin. There are also a number of independent candidates.

Texas
Governor Greg Abbott was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 55.8% of the vote. Because Texas does not have gubernatorial term limits in its Constitution, he is eligible to run for re-election for a third term and has announced he will do so. On 2 July 2020, comedian and talk show host Chad Prather confirmed his gubernatorial challenge to incumbent Greg Abbott, claiming his mandates and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic had been unconstitutional. Former 2020 presidential, former U.S. representative, and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 Beto O'Rourke declared his candidacy. Actor and producer Matthew McConaughey was subject to some speculation on running for governor, but officially stated on his Instagram account he would not do so.

Abbott and O'Rourke won their respective primaries on March 1.

Vermont
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.

Wisconsin
Incumbent Democrat Governor Tony Evers was elected in 2018 with 49.5% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Former Republican Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch is running.

Wyoming
Governor Mark Gordon was elected in 2018 with 67.1% of the vote and is running for reelection to a second term. Perennial candidate Rex Rammell and truck driver Aaron Nab are primary challenging Gordon. Gordon and Livingston won their primaries on August 16th, 2022