Fast Facts About America’s Governors
Overview
While 2022 was a busy year for gubernatorial elections, 2023 was much quieter. Only three states elected governors last year: Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Incumbent governors continued their recent successes as both governors running for reelection–Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R)–won. The only open seat available was in Louisiana, where incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards (D) was term limited. State Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) won that seat, giving the Republicans one pickup in the cycle and making Landry this year’s only new governor.
Below are some fast facts about the nation’s 50 governors.
Party
27 Republicans
23 Democrats
The Republican Party picked up one seat in the 2022 elections, in Louisiana. That was the only seat to change parties last year. There are currently no Independent or third party governors in the U.S.
Partisan Control of Government
| State Legislature | ||||
| Governor | Democratic | Republican | Divided | Total |
| Democratic | 17 | 5 | 1 | 23 |
| Republican | 3 | 22 | 1** | 26* |
| Total: | 20 | 27 | 2** | 49* |
| * Nebraska has a unicameral, legally non-partisan legislature
** In Alaska, Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives, but a coalition of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans have gained effective control |
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Gender
Coming into the 2022 election cycle, nine women served as governors of U.S. states, tying a pre-existing record. Eight of those governors–Kay Ivey (AL); Kim Reynolds (IA); Laura Kelly (KS); Janet Mills (ME); Gretchen Whitmer (MI); Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM); Kathy Hochul (NY); and Kristi Noem (SD)–successfully ran for reelection, while Kate Brown (OR) was term-limited. In addition, four women–Katie Hobbs (AZ); Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AR); Maura Healey (MA); and Tina Kotek (OR)–won first terms as governor in 2022. As a result, a record 12 women now serve as governors of U.S. states. Eight are Democrats (Hobbs, Kelly, Healey, Mills, Whitmer, Lujan Grisham, Hochul, and Kotek) and four are Republicans (Ivey, Huckabee Sanders, Reynolds, and Noem). Healey and Kotek are also the first openly lesbian governors in U.S. history. These numbers did not change in the 2023 election cycle.
For information about all women governors in the nation’s history, please view the Center on American Women and Politics fact sheet on women governors here.
Race
Forty-six of the nation’s governors are non-Hispanic white. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) is Hispanic–the first Democratic Hispanic woman to be elected governor in U.S. history. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) is a member of the Cherokee Nation and Chris Sununu’s (R-NH) father was born in Cuba.* In 2022, Wes Moore (D-MD) became the third Black man elected governor in U.S. history and is now the only currently serving Black governor.
*Sununu’s family background is Lebanese; his paternal grandmother was born and raised in El Salvador to a Greek Orthodox Lebanese family. His father (former New Hampshire Governor John H. Sununu) was born in Cuba and speaks fluent Spanish and his brother (former U.S. Senator John E. Sununu) was a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference.
Religion
16 Catholic
8 No religion listed*
7 Christian
4 Protestant
3 Baptist
3 Jewish
2 Presbyterian
2 Methodist
2 Episcopalian
1 Evangelical
1 Lutheran
1 Mormon
*Note: Governors who have not declared a specific religious denomination have been categorized as “no religion listed.” This does not necessarily indicate that they are agnostic or atheist.
Military Service
Eight governors have served in the Armed Forces.
42 No military service
4 Army (Wes Moore, MD; Mike Parson, MO; Joe Lombardo, NV; Henry McMaster, SC (Army Reserve))
2 National Guard (Jeff Landry, LA; Tim Walz, MN)
2 Navy (Ron DeSantis, FL; Eric Holcomb, IN)
Age
(age at most recent inauguration/swearing in)
Average: 59.30
Youngest (current age): 40 (Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-AR; born on August 13, 1982)
Oldest (current age): 78 (Kay Ivey, R-AL; born on October 15, 1944)
Marital Status
45 currently married
5 not currently married
Children
4 have no children
3 have 1 child
18 have 2 children
12 have 3 children
9 have 4 children
2 have 5 children
1 has 6 children
1 has 8 children
Average 2.72 children
Education
33 Advanced degree
49 Bachelors degree
1 Attended college but did not receive degree (Mike Parson, MO)
1 Doctorate (Ph.D.) (Tony Evers, WI – Educational Administration)
1 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (Scott Pillen, NE)
11 Masters degree (MA/MS) (Mike Dunleavey, AK – Education; Katie Hobbs, AZ – Social Work; John Carney, DE – Public Administration; Laura Kelly, KS – Therapeutic Recreation; Wes Moore, MD – International Relations (Rhodes Scholar); Tim Walz, MN – Education; Greg Gianforte, MT – Computer Science; Joe Lombardo, NV – Crisis Management; Tina Kotek, OR – International Studies and Comparative Religion; Daniel McKee, RI – Public Administration; Tony Evers, WI – Educational Administration)
5 Masters in Business (MBA) (Ned Lamont, CT; Phil Murphy, NJ; Doug Burgum, ND; Glenn Youngkin, VA; Jim Justice, WV)
16 Law degree (JD)
Previous Elected Experience
The nation’s governors bring a variety of past professional experiences with them into the office. Many have served in the legislative branch of state and federal government, as well as in a variety of executive positions.
The number of governors who have served in selected offices is below. For a more extensive look at the prior experience of governors, see the 2023 Governors’ Previous Experience Chart. Some governors are counted in more than one category, as they have served in more than one office.
12 in the lower chamber of their state government
12 in the upper chamber of their state government
11 in the United States House of Representatives
1 in the United States Senate (Ohio)
15 lieutenant governor*
9 state attorney general
3 state treasurer
2 state secretary of state
1 state Supreme Court Justice
*Note: Eric Holcomb (R-IN) was appointed lieutenant governor under then-Governor Mike Pence (R) when the previous lieutenant governor resigned to take another position. Holcomb was never elected to the position, instead running for governor in 2016 when Pence chose to run for Vice President of the United States rather than a second term as governor.
10 no prior elective office
2 of the 10 previously held non-elected government or political offices (Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-AR (White House Press Secretary); Phil Murphy, D-NJ (U.S. Ambassador to Germany))
8 of the 10 did not hold a governmental or political office before becoming governor (J.B. Pritzker, D-IL; Wes Moore, D-MD; Jim Pillen, R-NE; Doug Burgum, R-ND; Kevin Stitt, R-OK; Bill Lee, R-TN; Glenn Youngkin, VA; Jim Justice, R-WV)*
*Note: Pritzker previously ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and founded Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century and was involved in Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. Pillen was on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
Place of Birth
14 not born in the state they now lead
1 born outside the United States (Joe Lombardo, R-NV; born in Japan)
Looking Ahead to 2024
Eleven states will hold gubernatorial elections in 2024: Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. Only three–Montana, Utah, and Vermont–will involve incumbents as the current governors in the eight other states are all either term limited or retiring.
For more on this year’s races, see our elections page.