Politics

Rating the 2026 gubernatorial contests, from Alabama to Wyoming

We start with which contests are deemed safe for either party.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is off to a fast start. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Voters in 36 states will elect governors this year in one of the most wide-open cycles in recent memory: Governors in 19 states face term limits or have opted against seeking re-election.

We talked with dozens of strategists over more than a month in states across the nation to grasp where these races are headed, how much federal issues are playing a role versus in-state factors, and how candidates who once looked good on paper are faring on the campaign trail.

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