Democratic incumbent Republican incumbent Term-limited Democrat Retiring Republican New Progressive incumbent Term-limited non-partisan No election
The 2020 United States gubernatorial elections will be held on November 3, 2020, in 11 states and two territories. In addition, special elections may take place (depending on state law) if other gubernatorial seats are vacated. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2016, except in New Hampshire and Vermont where governors only serve two-year terms, so their previous elections were in 2018. Nine state governors are running for reelection,[a] while Steve Bullock of Montana can not run again due to term limits and Gary Herbert of Utah is retiring. The 2020 gubernatorial elections will take place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, Senate elections, and House elections.
Predictions
Montana is considered the most competitive race in this cycle and is rated a tossup by all major pundits. Incumbent Democratic governor Steve Bullock is term-limited, but his lieutenant governor, Mike Cooney, a longtime political figure in the state, is the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee is Montana at-large congressman Greg Gianforte, who is a controversial figure because he was arrested for body slamming a reporter the day of a 2017 special election.[1]North Carolina is the next most competitive race, as it is a Republican-leaning state with a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, meaning that Cooper faces a tough reelection, though most forecasters give the race a Democratic lean as Cooper has high approval ratings.
Vermont and New Hampshire are both races that could become competitive seeing as they are Democratic states with Republican governors in a presidential year. Republican incumbents Phil Scott and Chris Sununu are ranked among the most popular governors in the United States; however, Phil Scott has said he will not be voting for President Trump, while Chris Sununu has welcomed the President to New Hampshire[2][3]. In Missouri, Republican incumbent Mike Parson assumed office after the resignation of Eric Greitens, and his lack of name recognition and unpopularity could make his race against state auditor Nicole Galloway, Missouri’s only Democratic statewide office holder, competitive, though most forecasters still rate the race as likely Republican due to Missouri’s heavy Republican lean. West Virginia’s gubernatorial race was seen as safe for Republicans because the state heavily leans Republican, but recent forecasts now rate it as likely Republican due to corruption allegations against incumbent Jim Justice[4][5][6] that have lead to rising unpopularity. Justice will face centrist Democrat Ben Salango, who is endorsed by U.S. senator Joe Manchin.
Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive seats. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election), the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each seat, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that seat.
Most election predictors use:
"tossup": no advantage
"tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
"lean": slight advantage
"likely" or "favored": significant, but surmountable, advantage
One-term incumbent Democrat John Carney is running for re-election to a second term.[43][16] Carney will face community activist David Lamar Williams Jr in the Democratic primary. Multiple candidates are running in the Republican primary. Primary elections will take place on September 15.
One-term incumbent Republican Eric Holcomb is running for re-election in 2020. Former health Indiana commissioner Woody Myers is the Democratic nominee. Donald Rainwater is the Libertarian nominee. Primary elections were held on June 2, though both Holcomb and Myers ran uncontested.
One-term incumbent Republican Mike Parson, who took office upon Eric Greitens' resignation, is running for election to a full term in 2020 and won the Republican primary. State auditorNicole Galloway, Missouri's only Democratic statewide office holder, won the Democratic primary, defeating pastor Eric Morrison and multiple other candidates.[46] Primary elections took place on August 4.
Two-term incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock is term-limited in 2020, making him the only incumbent governor in the United States (not counting U.S. territories) who is term-limited in that election year. This means that this is an open seat election, and this race is the most competitive of this year’s gubernatorial elections. Bullock’s lieutenant governor, Mike Cooney, a longtime local politician, is the Democratic nominee, defeating businesswoman and daughter of former U.S. representative Pat Williams, Whitney Williams.[1][47][48] The Republican nominee is Montana at-large congressman Greg Gianforte, who defeated Attorney General Tim Fox and state senator Albert Olszewski.[1][49][50][51] Gianforte is a controversial figure, as he was arrested for body slamming a reporter the day of a 2017 special election, and he’s an out of state businessman. Primary elections were held on June 2, with both parties featuring competitive primaries.
In December 2019, two-term incumbent Republican Chris Sununu announced that he would run for a third term in 2020, ending speculation he would choose to run for the U.S. Senate instead. Sununu is running against talk show host Karen Testerman for the Republican nomination.[53] New Hampshire Senate majority leader Dan Feltes and Executive Council of New Hampshire member Andru Volinsky are seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Sununu.[54] Primary elections will take place on September 8.
One-term incumbent Democrat Roy Cooper is running for re-election in 2020. Lieutenant GovernorDan Forest is the Republican nominee for the election.[55] Primary elections were held on March 3, with both nominees winning by wide margins.
One-term incumbent Republican Doug Burgum is running for re-election in 2020. The Democratic nominee is veterinarian and school board member Shelly Lenz. Primary elections were held on June 9, with Burgum winning by a wide margin and Lenz running uncontested.
Two and a half-term incumbent Republican Gary Herbert is eligible for re-election in 2020, as Utah does not have gubernatorial term limits. However, he announced shortly after being re-elected in 2016 that he will not run for a third full term. Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox defeated multiple other high profile Republicans in the competitive Republican primary on June 30, while Chris Peterson was uncontested for the Democratic nomination.[60][61]
Two-term incumbent Republican Phil Scott has confirmed he is seeking a third term in 2020, however, he is not campaigning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Scott was re-elected with 55% of the vote in 2018. Scott defeated multiple challengers in the Republican primary. Lt Governor David Zuckerman defeated former education secretary Rebecca Holcombe and others in the Democratic primary.[63] Primary elections were held on August 11.
Two-term incumbent Democrat Jay Inslee is eligible to run for re-election in 2020, as Washington does not have gubernatorial term limits. Inslee is running for re-election to a third term after dropping out of the presidential race on August 21, 2019.[64][65] He will face Republican Loren Culp. A top-two primary took place on August 4, meaning that all candidates appeared on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation and the top two (Inslee and Culp) are advancing to the general election in November.
One-term incumbent Republican Jim Justice is running for re-election in 2020. Justice was elected as a Democrat, but later switched to the Republican Party.[67] Justice will face centrist Democrat Ben Salango, who is endorsed by U.S. senator Joe Manchin. Primary elections were held on June 9, with Justice defeating Woody Thrasher by a large margin and Salango narrowly defeating community organizer Stephen Smith by a slim margin.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, retired Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton,[67] and Secretary of State Mac Warner were mentioned as potential general election challengers, prior to Justice's decision to re-join the Republican Party.
Two-term incumbent governorLolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga is term-limited in 2020. Announced candidates include territorial senator Nuanuaolefeagaiga Saoluaga T. Nua, executive director of the American Samoa Government Employees’ Retirement Fund I’aulualo Fa’afetai Talia, and Fatumalala L.A. Al-Shehri.[71]
^Note: Mike Parson of Missouri, who took office in 2018 after the resignation of Eric Greitens, is seeking election to his first full-term.
^Governor Jim Justice was orginially elected as a Democrat before switching back to a Republican in 2017. Justice is currently running for reelection as a Republican.[15]
^Mike Parson took office in 2018 after his predecessor (Eric Greitens) resigned.
^Gary Herbert took office in 2009 after his predecessor (Jon Huntsman Jr.) resigned.
^The governor of American Samoa is elected on a non-partisan basis, although individuals do affiliate with national parties, in Lolo's case with the Democratic Party
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