A whopping three dozen gubernatorial elections are on the ballot this year, contests that will help reveal the mood of the broader electorate in the middle of President Donald Trump's second term and the direction both parties are going in.

Democrats will look to pick up where they left off in 2025, when they scored victories in the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races by leaning heavily on affordability and the economy. But they will need to navigate crowded primaries in some key states where thorny issues could arise.

Meanwhile, Trump will loom large on the Republican side — both in primaries, where he's already been active with endorsements, and in general elections, as he and his party are in control in Washington.

“Most of these races across the map are going to be a referendum on Trump and his economy,” said Mike Noble, CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, a nonpartisan polling and research firm that focuses on Nevada, Arizona and other Southwestern states. “I just can’t see how they won’t be.”

“The setting is good for Democrats. The big question for them is, can they really dial in their messaging and figure out who they are?”

Six of the seven key presidential battleground states are among the 36 holding races for governor in 2026, and more than a half-dozen others are likely to be competitive.

The year’s slate of races also includes 17 open contests — where incumbents are term-limited or retiring — and the tussling among declared and potential candidates is already in progress.

Here are 10 big races for governor to watch in 2026.

Arizona is one of five states Trump won in 2024 where a Democratic-controlled governorship is on the ballot this year (the others are Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin).

It’s one of several dynamics that underscore the challenges facing Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who won her 2022 election by just 17,000 votes. Hobbs, whose approval rating has been under water, recently called her race “the toughest in the country.”

But a competitive — and possibly unwieldy — primary is unfolding on the Republican side.

The GOP field includes Rep. Andy Biggs, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Rep. David Schweikert, and Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2022.

Trump has endorsed both Biggs and Taylor Robson in the race, which could complicate the path for either to fully claim the president’s “MAGA” base. It could also create a messy primary ahead of the general election — a bane for Republicans in Arizona, who, with the notable exception of Trump’s 2024 win, have lost a string of statewide races in recent cycles.

“Candidate quality matters a lot,” veteran Republican strategist Alex Conant said. “We’re already seeing a lot of very contested primaries; the key for both parties is to end up with electable nominees.”

The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in the biggest blue state in the country has no shortage of candidates.

The list of Democrats includes Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, billionaire activist Tom Steyer, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., have both said they will not run.

At least 10 lower-profile Republicans have said they’re running, with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco leading the pack.

Such crowded fields could create complex dynamics in a state that used a “jungle primary” system, where candidates from all parties appear on the same primary ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.

Both Porter and Swalwell have so far put countering Trump and boosting affordability at the center of their early messaging. Swalwell gained prominence during Trump’s first term, having been heavily involved in both impeachment proceedings.

Porter, a staunch progressive and former student of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., rose to prominence as a member of Congress for her sharp questioning of Trump administration officials at hearings during his first term. Her campaign got off to a rocky start after a tense interview with a local TV reporter made waves nationally earlier this year.

With GOP Gov. Brian Kemp facing term limits, a number of fellow Republicans in state government have lined up to try to replace him.

They include Attorney General Chris Carr, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who rejected Trump’s plea to “find” more votes in Georgia after he lost the state to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Jones has already secured an endorsement from Trump, who carried Georgia in 2024.

The Democratic slate of candidates includes Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta who also worked in the Biden administration, as well as former Lt. Gov Geoff Duncan, a former Republican who switched parties.

While Georgia has two Democratic senators, the state's voters haven't elected a Democratic governor since 1998.

It's been a solidly red state during the Trump era, but if the GOP is facing particularly strong headwinds this year, Iowa's governor race could be more competitive that expected.

Multiple candidates on both sides have entered the race to succeed GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds, who declined to seek a third term. State Auditor Rob Sand is seen as the Democratic front-runner, while Rep. Randy Feenstra is the favorite in the GOP primary.

Iowa voters last elected a Democratic governor in 2026, but the party has been buoyed by a string of strong performances in recent special legislative elections.

Kansas was an especially bright spot for Democrats four years ago, when Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won re-election in the Republican stronghold.

This year, with Kelly term-limited, the state is one of Republicans’ best opportunities to flip control of a governorship: In Kansas, registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats nearly 2 to 1.

A full slate of Republicans has already lined up for the open seat, including former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, state Senate President Ty Masterson, and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.

On the Democratic side, a pair of state senators — Cindy Holscher and Ethan Cordon — are vying for the nomination.

While Democrats are sure to attack Trump’s cuts to the social safety net, another big part of their message may be serving as a check on the GOP supermajorities in the Legislature.

The gubernatorial race in Michigan features not only competitive primaries for both parties, but a well-known independent candidate.

The Democratic primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer includes Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, as well as Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

The Republican primary includes Rep. John James, a former Senate candidate who has cast himself as a loyal Trump ally, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former state Attorney General Mike Cox and former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard.

The winner of the primaries will face an interesting three-way race: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who’s led the city as a Democrat for more than a decade, is running for governor as an independent, which is likely to scramble the general election in the key state.

Unlike many other battlegrounds on this list, the general election in Nevada is already more or less set: State Attorney General Aaron Ford is the clear Democratic favorite to take on Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

While the "big, beautiful bill" Trump signed into law will hang over all the marquee gubernatorial contests, it will be especially notable in Nevada.

Approximately 1 in 3 Nevadans are on Medicaid, according to data from the state and KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. Inflation and tariffs have had an outsized impact on business owners and Las Vegas tourism, and the casino-laden state’s economy relies almost exclusively on gaming and hospitality, areas with big tax changes in the law.

Ford has already signaled his intention to aggressively tie Lombardo to Trump. But Lombardo has proven an ability throughout his first term to distance himself from the president without triggering Trump’s ire.

As is the case elsewhere, the economy will be top of mind for voters of all stripes in the Silver State. But the issue will also help illustrate whether Latinos, who make up about one in five voters in Nevada, will stick with Republicans after they helped power Trump to victory in 2024 in Nevada.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is widely viewed as a 2028 White House contender. But he'll have to get through a re-election campaign in this battleground state first.

Even after Trump flipped the state in 2024, Shapiro is still viewed as the favorite in the general election. That's due to the fact that he's maintained high approval ratings in Pennsylvania after winning in 2022 by 15 points.

Part of that lopsided victory was the result of Republicans nominating a flawed candidate in state Sen. Doug Mastriano. This time around, they think they've identified a more mainstream contender and have rallied around state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

Another big win for Shapiro would only add fuel to the presidential speculation, but it could also help Democrats gain control of the Legislature, which has been politically split throughout the governor’s time in office.

The general election for governor here won’t be competitive: South Carolina voters last elected a Democrat to lead the state in 1998. But the crowded Republican primary for state’s first open governor’s race could provide major clues about the future of the party.

Given that Trump's endorsement has long been a major, if not decisive, factor in GOP primaries, securing it has become the top priority for the South Carolina Republican candidates. The leading contenders are Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell also in the mix. But Trump has yet to weigh in.

The race has already turned bitter in other ways. In a February speech on the House floor, Mace accused four men of rape, sex trafficking and other sex crimes against her and other women. And she accused Wilson, the state’s top law enforcement officer, of delaying and failing to prosecute the men. Wilson has called that “categorically false.”

The process could end up being drawn out: In South Carolina, primaries go to a runoff between the top two vote-getters if no candidate wins majority support.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' decision not to run for a third term in this perennial battleground has sparked packed primaries for both parties.

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who lost a tight 2022 race to Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., last month became the latest Democrat to enter the race. He joins a field that includes current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, who ran for governor in 2018, and state Rep. Francesca Hong, who identifies as a democratic socialist.

On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents a rural and solidly GOP area of the state, and Josh Schoemann, the county executive of Washington County, an exurban area northwest of Milwaukee, are the main contenders.

Democrats are aiming to hang on to the governorship in Wisconsin after Trump narrowly carried it in the 2024 presidential contest.

Veteran Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson said the party's candidates are wise to continue hammering affordability in swing states like Wisconsin, but that they must remain agile in their messaging given how far away the races still are.

“I don’t think you win the next war by refighting the last one — this isn’t about replicating [the wins in New Jersey and Virginia], it’s about building on the path they laid out,” he said. “People feel like Washington is just lighting their wallets on fire. Governors have the chance to step forward with the fire extinguisher.”