Thirty-six states are holding elections for governor in 2026. Of those, Ballotpedia has identified seven as general election battlegrounds:

• California- Incumbent Gavin Newsom (D) is term-limited. As of Feb. 11, 24 candidates had filed to run in the top-two primary on June 2.
• Iowa- Incumbent Kim Reynolds (R) is not running for re-election. As of Feb. 11, the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the election as Lean Republican. Inside Elections rated the election Likely Republican.
• Kansas- Incumbent Laura Kelly (D) is term-limited. As of Feb. 11, the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the election Lean Republican. Inside Elections rated the election as a toss-up.
• Michigan- Incumbent Gretchen Whitmer (D) is term-limited. As of Feb. 11, the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections all rated the election as a toss-up.
• Minnesota- Incumbent Tim Walz (D) is not running for re-election. As of Feb. 11, three Democrats and 12 Republicans had filed to run in the primaries on Aug. 11.
• Nevada- As of Feb. 11, three candidates, including incumbent Joe Lombardo (R), are running. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the elections as a toss-up. Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the election as Lean Republican.
• Wisconsin- Incumbent Tony Evers (D) is not running for re-election. As of Feb. 11, the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections rated the elections as a toss-up.

These battleground races were selected using the following criteria. For more information on our methodology, click here:

• The results of the 2024 presidential election in each state
• Whether the incumbent was seeking re-election,
• Whether the governor's office changed partisan control the last time it was up for election, and
• How the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales rated the race.

In addition to the competitiveness data above, races were included if they were particularly compelling or meaningful to the balance of power in governments for other reasons.

In 2024, Ballotpedia identified two gubernatorial battleground races: New Hampshire and North Carolina. No gubernatorial offices changed party hands in 2024.

In 2022, the last time this set of offices was up, Ballotpedia identified 13 gubernatorial battleground races: nine Democratic-held governorships and four Republican-held governorships. Of these, Democrats gained control of the governor's office in Arizona and Republicans gained control of the governor's office in Nevada.