In June, the filing deadline passed in ten states: Alaska, Kansas, Wisconsin (June 1), Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota (June 2), Connecticut (June 9), Florida, New Hampshire (June 12), and Rhode Island (June 24).
According to Ballotpedia’s data, state executives are retiring in seven of these states: Alaska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Minnesota, Florida, and Rhode Island. No state executives are retiring in Massachusetts, Connecticut, or New Hampshire.
Of the three states, Kansas has the most state executive retirements with nine, while Hawaii has the fewest with just one retirement. In Kansas, retirements include Gov. Laura Kelly (D), Lt. Gov. David Toland (D), both of whom are retiring from public office, Secretary of State Scott Schwab (R), Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt (R), both of whom are running in the Republican primary for governor, and five Republican members of the state board of education. The board has ten members, three of whom are Democrats not up until 2028, meaning this election could decide the balance of power.
Other notable retirements include Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), who announced his retirement in January, Lt Gov. Peggy Flannigan (D-Minn.), who is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov Sylvia Luke (D-Hawaii), who dropped out in April, and Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wisc.), who last July announced he would not seek a third term. Evers was one of six governors eligible to run for a third term.
In total, 21 state executives declined to seek re-election by letting the June deadline pass. Ten of these officials are Democrats, and 11 are Republicans. This brings the total partisan balance of retiring incumbents in the 2026 election cycle to 42 Democratic officials and 64 Republicans.
The total number of retirements by offices includes:
- 19 members of a state board of education
- 17 governors
- 17 lieutenant governors
- 11 attorney generals
- Nine secretaries of state
- Seven treasurers
- Five auditors
- Five public utility commissioners
- Three insurance commissioners
- Three members of a board of equalization
- Three state superintendents
- Two agriculture commissioners
- Two comptrollers
- One commissioner of corporations
- One commissioner of labor
- One commissioner of lands