Author: Lara Bonatesta
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Six battleground districts could determine majority control of the Wisconsin Senate on Nov. 3
Seventeen seats in the Wisconsin Senate are up for election on Nov. 3. Heading into the election, Republicans have an 18-15 majority. Democrats need to win at least two Republican districts, while maintaining their own, to gain a majority in the Senate. Republicans can lose no more than one district to maintain their majority. Republicans…
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26 states are holding elections for secretary of state this year, in 23 of those that person oversees the states elections
There are 26 secretary of state elections in 2026. Of these, Democrats and Republicans each control 13. Heading into the 2026 elections, there are 25 Republican secretaries of state and 22 Democratic secretaries of state nationally. Democrats would need to gain two offices to control a majority of secretary of state offices nationally. Republicans can…
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Thirty attorney general offices are on the ballot in 2026; Democrats hold 16 and Republicans hold 14
Thirty states are holding elections for attorney general this year. Of those, Democrats currently control 16 offices and Republicans 14. Nationally, there are 27 Republican attorneys general and 22 Democratic attorneys general. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) appointed Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, whose office is officially nonpartisan. This means Democrats would need to gain…
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Republicans lead Democrats 24-20 in lieutenant governor offices with 31 seats on the 2026 ballot
Of the 31 lieutenant gubernatorial offices up for election this year, Democrats and Republicans each hold 15. The other office on the ballot is a new one. Arizona is holding its first election for lieutenant governor after voters created the office in 2022. This means the total number of offices is increasing from 45 to…
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Democrats are defending five governorships in states Trump won in 2024, Republicans are defending two in states Harris won
Welcome to the next installment of our series previewing the Nov. 3 elections by office. Next up: Governors. Thirty-six states are holding gubernatorial elections this year. Of the governorships on the ballot, Democrats and Republicans each hold 18. Democrats are defending five governorships in states President Donald Trump (R) won in the 2024 presidential election:…
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This year has the most open state executive elections since 2018
In the 2026 elections, 118 out of the 296 state executive offices up for election have no incumbent running, meaning those positions are open. This is the largest number of open offices since 2018, when we started collecting this data. One contributing factor to this year’s number of open offices is term limits. Fifty-seven offices…
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Arizona one of five Trump-won states where Democrats defend governorships in 2026
Incumbent Katie Hobbs (D), Andy Biggs (R), Risa Lombardo (G), and Teri Hourihan (No Labels Party) are running for governor. In 2022, Hobbs was elected 50.3% to 49.6%. In the 2024 presidential election, President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 52.2% to 46.7% in the state. As a result, this is one of five…
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Incumbent Tom Barrett and William Lawrence are running in battleground Michigan's 7th Congressional District on Nov. 3
Incumbent Tom Barrett (R), William Lawrence (D), and Shane Dedrick (G) are running in the general election for Michigan's 7th Congressional District on Nov. 3. In the 2024 general election, Barrett defeated Curtis Hertel (D) 50.3% to 46.6%. In the presidential election that year, President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) in the district…
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U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D) is the second-oldest U.S. Senator to win a contested primary this year
Incumbent Ed Markey defeated Seth Moulton in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts on Sept. 1. Markey’s win makes him the second-oldest senator, after 83-year-old Jim Risch (R-Idaho), to defeat a primary challenger this year. This was one of several primaries in 2026 in which age was an issue. At the time of…