In March, the filing deadline for candidates passed in 17 states: Nebraska (March 2nd), Montana (March 4th), California, Georgia (March 6th), Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee (March 10th), Iowa, Nevada, Utah (March 13th), Maine (March 16th), Colorado (March 18th), Arizona, New Jersey (March 23rd), South Carolina (March 30), Missouri, and South Dakota (March 31).
According to Ballotpedia’s data, state executives are retiring in 13 out of 17 states. No incumbents are retiring in Missouri, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, and New Jersey is not holding any state executive elections in 2026. The state with the most executive elections open is California, where eight offices are open, including the governor, lieutenant governor, and insurance commissioner. Other states with multiple state executive offices opening include Colorado (six offices) and Georgia (five offices). Four states have three offices open, one state has two offices open, and four states have one office open.
In total, 42 state executives announced their retirements in March. Nineteen of these officials are Democrats, and 23 are Republicans. This brings the total partisan balance of retiring incumbents in the 2026 election cycle to 23 Democratic officials and 42 Republicans.
The total number of retirements by offices includes:
- 11 members of a state board of education
- Nine governors
- Eight attorney generals
- Eight lieutenant governors
- Six treasurers
- Five secretaries of state
- Five public utility commissioners
- Three auditors
- Three members of a board of equalization
- Two agriculture commissioners
- Two comptrollers
- One commissioner of lands
- One insurance commissioner
- One state superintendent