In 2026, a total of 49 state financial offices are up for election, as are four state insurance commissioners.
State financial officers include three positions: state treasurers, state auditors, and state comptrollers/controllers. Broadly, these officials are responsible for things like auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds.
There are 25 treasurers, 14 auditors, and 10 comptrollers on the ballot this year. The partisan breakdown of those offices is as follows:
- Ten Democratic treasurers and 15 Republican treasurers
- Six Democratic auditors and eight Republican auditors
- Six Democratic comptrollers and four Republican comptrollers
Ballotpedia identified two of these races as battlegrounds:
- Illinois Comptroller (Democratic primary): Held on March 17th, four Democrats ran to succeed retiring incumbent Susana Mendoza (D). Margaret Croke (D) won the nomination, defeating second-place finisher Karina Villa (D) 35% to 32%.
- Ohio Treasurer (Republican primary): Jay Edwards (R) and Kristina Daley Roegner (R) are running in the Republican primary for Ohio Treasurer on May 5, 2026. Politico's Jacob Wendler wrote, "The otherwise sleepy battle between two native sons of Ohio is one of many divides bubbling up in the Republican Party that is tentatively charting a post-Trump future, with both Ramaswamy and Vance jockeying to put their stamp on the GOP." Vice President J.D. Vance (R) endorsed Edwards, while gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) endorsed Roegner.
In many states, the governor or state legislature chooses the state financial officers, meaning this year’s gubernatorial and state legislative elections will affect who is appointed. An additional 26 state financial offices are at stake this year (meaning either the appointing person or all or part of the appointing body is up for election). Of those state executive offices, there are:
- Five Democratic treasurers, two Republican treasurers, and two unaffiliated treasurers
- Five Democratic auditors, five Republican auditors, and one unaffiliated auditor
- One Democratic comptroller, four Republican comptrollers, one unaffiliated comptrollers
Among elections for appointing officers, Ballotpedia identified the following battlegrounds:
- California governor (general election): Appoints California auditor
- Michigan governor (general election): Appoints Michigan treasurer
- Minnesota governor (general election): Appoints Minnesota treasurer
- Arizona House of Representatives: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee appoints the Arizona Auditor General
- Both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly: Appoints Georgia Auditor
- Both chambers of the Michigan Legislature: Appoints Michigan Auditor General
- Both chambers of the New Hampshire Legislature: Appoints New Hampshire Treasurer
- Both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature: The Joint Committee on Legislative Organization appoints the Wisconsin Auditor
Heading into the 2026 elections, the partisan breakdown of state financial officers was as follows:
- 19 Democratic treasurers, 27 Republican treasurers, and two unaffiliated treasurers
- 14 Democratic auditors, 23 Republican auditors, and one unaffiliated auditor
- Nine Democratic comptrollers, eight Republican comptrollers, and three unaffiliated comptrollers
Insurance Commissioners
Four insurance commissioners are also up for election in California, Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Currently, California has a Democratic commissioner, while Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma have Republican commissioners.
All 50 states have an insurance commissioner who serves as the state's chief regulator of insurance markets in the state. The duties of the position vary from state to state, but their general role is as a consumer protection advocate and insurance regulator. The position is elected in 11 states and appointed in 39. Of the commissioners whose partisan affiliations are known, nine are Republicans, and four are Democrats.
Ballotpedia has considered one insurance commissioner election as noteworthy:
- California Insurance Commissioner (top-two primary): Eleven candidates are running in the top-two primary for insurance commissioner of California on June 2, 2026. Leading candidates include Ben Allen (D), Steven Bradford (D), Jane Kim (D), Stacy Korsgaden (R), and Patrick Wolff (D). The race has centered on wildfires, which have affected the state and increased premiums, and how to keep insurers in the state and lower premiums.
In 37 states, the governor appoints the insurance commissioner. Thirty-two of those states are holding gubernatorial elections this year. Some of the most competitive gubernatorial elections this year include contests in Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
To read more about state financial officers in 2026, click here. To read more about state insurance commissioner elections in 2026, click here.