State executive official elections, 2023
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State executive offices up for election in 2023 include three gubernatorial seats, lieutenant gubernatorial seats, attorney general seats, and secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there are 36 state executive offices up for election across three states in 2023.[1]
The three gubernatorial races on the ballot in 2023 are in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The offices
State executives act in many capacities according to the powers granted to them by their state's constitution. They are also charged with implementing and enforcing laws made by state legislatures. There are 748 executive seats spread across 13 distinct types of offices in the United States.[2] Of the 13 executive offices, only seven exist in all 50 states: governor, attorney general, superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner.
Other common offices include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, auditor, and natural resources commissioner.
Offices up for election
Governor
There are three gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2023.
Out of all the state executive offices, only the governor is elected in all 50 states. As the chief executive officer, the governor is among the most powerful figures in state government. Other executive offices ordinarily report to him or her.
Lieutenant Governor
There are three lieutenant gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2023.
In 45 states, the lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive office, behind the governor. Although the powers and duties of the lieutenant governor vary from state to state, lieutenant governors are responsible for filling vacancies in the office of governor. In many states, lieutenant governors often sit on boards or commissions, and they are often involved in the proceedings of the state Senate.
- Kentucky (on the gubernatorial ballot)
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
Attorney General
There are three attorney general seats on the ballot in 2023.
As the state's chief legal officer, the attorney general is responsible for enforcing state law and advising the state government on legal matters. In many states, attorneys general play a large role in the law enforcement process.
Secretary of State
There are three secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2023.
Although the duties and powers of the secretary of state vary from state to state, a common responsibility is management and oversight of elections and voter rolls, which are assigned to the secretary of state in 41 states. Other common responsibilities include registration of businesses, maintenance of state records, and certification of official documents.
Down-ballot
There are 24 down-ballot state executive seats on the ballot in 2023.
Agriculture Commissioner
Auditor
Insurance Commissioner
Public Service Commissioner
State Board of Education
Transportation Commissioner
Treasurer
Historical election data
Ballotpedia covers America's 748 state executive seats across all 50 states. The following sections look at incumbency and partisanship in state executive elections from 2011 to 2021.
Incumbency
From 2011 to 2021, 64.2% of incumbents sought re-election. From 2011 to 2021, 85.0% were successful. The first chart below shows the number of incumbents who sought election each year compared to the number of seats up for election. The second chart shows the number of incumbents who were re-elected compared to the number of incumbents who ran for re-election.
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The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of offices up for election, the number and percentage of incumbents who sought re-election, and the number and percentage of incumbents who won another term.
| State executive incumbents who sought re-election, 2011-2021 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Incumbents who sought re-election |
% incumbents who sought re-election |
Incumbents who were re-elected |
% incumbents who were re-elected |
Partisanship
The table below details how many state executive seats changed parties from 2011 to 2021. The largest single-year gain by a party was in 2018, when Democrats gained 41 net seats. That year also had the highest number of seats up for election, with 303. The lowest net change was in 2011, when no parties gained or lost any seats. Twenty-six seats were on the ballot that year. The table is organized by year and shows the number of seats held by each party before the election and after the election and the net change each party saw.
| State executive partisanship, 2011-2021 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Before election | After election | Net change | ||||||
 Democrats |
 Republicans |
 Other |
Democrats |
Republicans |
Other |
Democrats |
Republicans |
Other | ||
Partisan control of governorships
The chart below looks at the number of governorships held by the Democratic and Republican parties between 1977 and 2021. The biggest difference between the number of seats held by Democrats compared to those held by Republicans was in 1977 and 1978, when Democrats held 37 seats and Republicans held 12. The lowest difference between the number of seats held by Democrats compared to those held by Republicans was in 1987, 2003, and 2019. In 1987, Democrats held 26 governorships and Republicans held 24; in both 2003 and 2019, Democrats held 24 governorships and Republicans held 26.
See also
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2023 elections: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia describes the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state as top-ballot state executive offices. Down-ballot state executive offices that exist in all 50 states include superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, and public service commissioner. Examples of other down-ballot state executive offices include treasurer, auditor, and comptroller.
- ↑ There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpedia defines the term, however there are other executive offices that Ballotpedia does not cover in some states.
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