Democrats are contesting gubernatorial elections across 36 states as Republicans defend their majority. The outcomes could reshape state resistance to Trump’s agenda and oversight of the 2028 election.
Democrats are hoping to secure a majority of US governors’ offices for the first time in two decades in Tuesday’s midterm elections, amid voter discontent over the economy, inflation, healthcare and the future of democracy, according to a report by news agency Press Trust of India.
Governors will be elected in 36 states that account for about 80 per cent of the US population. Competitive contests are under way in populous states such as Texas and Florida, presidential battlegrounds including Michigan and Wisconsin, and Republican strongholds such as Iowa and Ohio.
The large number of competitive races reflects President Donald Trump’s poor approval ratings and their impact on Republican candidates. In the run-up to Election Day, Trump held rallies in heavily Republican areas alongside party candidates for governor seeking his support.
Nineteen states have no incumbent seeking re-election. Democratic governors currently represent 60 per cent of the country’s population, but Republicans hold 26 of the 50 governors’ offices.
“Our goal is not just the majority of the population, but the majority of states,” Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, told The Associated Press, according to the PTI report.
Democrats last won a majority of governors’ offices in 2006, when they gained six such posts during the final midterm elections under a second-term Republican president. Republicans regained the majority four years later.
More Democratic-led states could also mean more governors opposing or ignoring Trump’s agenda. Trump has clashed mainly with Democratic-led states over the deployment of National Guard troops, immigration operations, conditions attached to federal aid and attempts to increase federal control over election rules, including restrictions on postal voting.
About a dozen races are considered especially competitive. Democrats’ best chances of gaining governors’ offices are in Alaska, Georgia, Iowa and Ohio, where the incumbents cannot seek another term, and Nevada, where state Attorney General Aaron Ford is challenging Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.
Georgia and Alaska have not elected a Democratic governor since 1998, while Iowa and Ohio have not done so since 2006. Republicans’ best opportunity to gain a governor’s office is in Kansas, a traditionally Republican state where Democratic Governor Laura Kelly cannot seek another term.
In Wisconsin, Republican US Representative Tom Tiffany is contesting against Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive who narrowly won his party’s primary. Republicans are also targeting the open governor’s office in Michigan and Oregon, where Democratic Governor Tina Kotek faces a second challenge from Republican state Senator Christine Drazan.
Democrats also believe they have opportunities in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
The Ohio race drew national attention after Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign released an advertisement featuring criticism of Democrat Amy Acton by her estranged mother. Acton’s mother lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband, Acton’s stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton when she was a child.
The advertisement was criticised by members of both parties, including Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Trump praised it, while Vice-President JD Vance, who is from Ohio, defended it.
In Texas, where no Democrat has won statewide office since 1994, Democratic state Representative Gina Hinojosa has mounted a competitive challenge against Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is seeking a third term.
Hinojosa was initially seen as an unlikely winner after emerging from the primary with only a fraction of Abbott’s campaign funds. In September, Latino politicians and political figures asked the Democratic Governors Association for USD 10 million in campaign support, saying she had made the contest close.
The association provided USD 1 million, much less than it spent in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin. Abbott did not attend Trump’s rally in Texas, which was seen as a sign of the president’s unpopularity.
In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra is expected to win comfortably, as is New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. Republicans are seeking to retain control in Florida, the country’s third-most populous state, where Republican US Representative Byron Donalds is contesting against Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman.
Governors’ offices are also at stake in all six battleground states from the 2024 presidential election: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The winners could have considerable influence over the administration of the 2028 presidential election, particularly given Trump’s efforts to expand federal control over elections.
Several Democratic governors seeking re-election are also considered possible presidential candidates in 2028. They include Wes Moore of Maryland, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Analysts say a large victory margin, strong fundraising and the ability to help other Democrats win could send a significant message to donors and party workers.
The 2026 elections could also produce several firsts. Hinojosa is seeking to become Texas’ first Latina governor, while Deb Haaland of New Mexico hopes to become the first Native American woman to lead a state.
More states could also elect Black governors. Seven Black candidates nominated by the two major parties are on the ballot, apart from Maryland’s Moore. Only three elected governors have been Black in the past 250 years.
Overall, the contests across 36 states could allow Democrats to win a majority of governors’ offices after two decades, while determining control in major states and key presidential battlegrounds ahead of the 2028 election.
With PTI Inputs
