Nathan Gonzales, Jacob Rubashkin, and Jessica Taylor of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter analyze the top three biggest races for governor in the 2026 cycle, the three most difficult races to rate at this early stage, and what’s ahead for the 2025 races for governor in Virginia and New…
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 2026 are…
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.…
IOWA. Kim Reynolds (R), assumed office 2017, elected 2018 (50.3%), 2022 (58%). Reynolds hasn’t said if she’s running for re-election though former state Rep. Brad Sherman has said he’ll challenge her for the nomination from her right flank. Reynolds reported raising $1.8 million over 2024. State…
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 flip three…
Arizona’s 6th District. Democratic single-mom/retired Marine JoAnna “Jo” Mendoza announced her challenge to GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani in a competitive, suburban district southeast of Phoenix. Ciscomani won re-election by 2.5 points in one of the most competitive races in the country with help from…
Nathan Gonzales, Jacob Rubashkin, and Melissa Nann Burke of the Detroit News analyze Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ decision not to run for re-election in the battleground state of Michigan, discuss the candidates who might run, and the impact of the Senate race on the race for governor and key House…
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…
Republicans held onto their narrow majority in 2024, but President Donald Trump’s cabinet selections made the margin in the House even closer.
Matt Gaetz only spent a week as President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee before withdrawing from consideration, but he still resigned his Florida…
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