Democratic incumbentTerm-limited or retiring Democrat Republican incumbentRepublican term-limited, retiring, or lost renomination No election
The 2026 United States secretary of state elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the secretary of state of twenty-six U.S. states.
The previous secretary of state elections for this group of states took place in 2022. The secretary of state of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2024.
Going into these elections, this class of secretaries of state is made up of 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans. Democrats are defending four states won by Donald Trump in 2024 (Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin), while Republicans do not hold any states won by Kamala Harris.
Several sites and individuals published predictions of competitive seats. These predictions looked at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent was running for reelection) and the other candidates, and the state's partisan lean (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assigned ratings to each seat, indicating the predicted advantage that a party had in winning that seat. In 2025, Republicans appeared to have the advantage, with most competitive seats being Democratic-held.[1] By the time of the general election, however, a number of races shifted towards Democrats, both due to their improving national standings as well as Republicans' nominations of election deniers in several states.[2] Most election predictors used:
"tossup": no advantage
"tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
"lean": slight advantage
"likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was elected in 2022 with 52.4% of the vote. He is running for re-election to a second term in office.[8] Fontes hinted at a potential primary challenge to Arizona governor Katie Hobbs, but ultimately decided against it.[67] Republican state representative Alexander Kolodin announced his campaign on March 31.[9]
Secretary of State John Thurston resigned after being elected as state treasurer in a 2024 special election. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Cole Jester to fill the remainder of his term. However, he is ineligible to run for a full term per the state constitution. Republican candidates include state senator Kim Hammer.[68] Marketing specialist Kelly Grappe is running as a Democrat.[69]
Secretary of State Jena Griswold was re-elected in 2022 with 55.1% of the vote. She will be term limited by the Colorado Constitution and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term.[70] Democratic candidates include Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez.[15]
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas was elected in 2022 with 55.2% of the vote. She is running for re-election.
Republican perennial candidate Peter Lumaj has created an exploratory committee, though has not specified which office he may run for.[71]
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was re-elected in 2022 with 53.2% of the vote. In September 2025, he decided to run for governor instead of seeking reelection as Secretary of State.[19] Republican state representative Tim Fleming, businessman Kelvin King, and former elections official Gabriel Sterling have announced plans to run for the position.[72][73]
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was elected in 2022 with 54.3% of the vote. He is running for re-election. Republicans Walter Adamczyk and Joliet Junior College trustee Diane Harris are running against him.[76][77][78]
Secretary of State Diego Morales was elected in 2022 with 54.1% of the vote. He ran for re-election to a second term. He was defeated by Congressional Staffer Max Engling. Beau Bayh, an attorney and the son of former Indiana governor Evan Bayh, is running for the office as a Democrat.[79] Former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, formerly a Republican, announced his intention to run for the office as an Independent in March of 2026.[80]
Secretary of State Paul Pate was re-elected in 2022 with 60.1% of the vote. He is running for re-election.[24] Democratic Navy veteran Ryan Peterman is running against him.[25]
Secretary of State Scott Schwab was re-elected in 2022 with 58.4% of the vote. He is retiring to run for governor.[26] State representatives Pat Proctor is the presumptive Republican nominee.[29] Former state representative Jennifer Day and construction inspector Samuel Lane are running as Democrats.[27][81]
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin was re-elected in 2022 with 67.7% of the vote. He is running for re-election to a ninth term.[30] Republican former Wayland select boardmember Anne Brensley is challenging Galvin after an apparently successful write-in campaign, pending official certification.[31]
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was re-elected in 2022 with 54.5% of the vote. She is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. On June 2, Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin won the Democratic primary with 53% of the vote.[88]
Secretary of State Frank LaRose was re-elected in 2022 with 59.3% of the vote. He is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. Ohio State Treasurer Robert Sprague has launched a bid for the Republican nomination, as has former Air Force officer Marcell Strbich.[89] On the Democratic side, oncologist Bryan Hambley and former House minority leader Allison Russo have announced runs.[90][91]
Secretary of State Monae Johnson was elected in 2022 with 63.9% of the vote. She was eligible to run for re-election but was defeated by state representative Heather Baxter in the convention.[92][52] Democratic former state trooper Terrence Davis is running against her.[54]
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski was appointed in 2023 after Doug La Follette resigned. She is retiring to run for lieutenant governor.[94] On August 2, Milwaukee alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa won the Democratic primary unopposed.[95]
Activist Jay Schroeder won the Republican primary. Schroeder was the party's nominee in 2018 for the office, losing to longtime incumbent Doug La Follette.[96]
Secretary of State Chuck Gray was elected in 2022 with 91.6% of the vote, without major party opposition. He is retiring to run for U.S. House. Robert Short is the Republican nominee to replace Gray.
↑Seat tallies and popular vote do not include states that do not elect secretaries of state.
↑The last elections for this group of secretary of states, with the exception of Vermont, were in 2022, except for those who became secretary of states after their predecessor's resignation.
↑Pazniokas, Mark (April 2, 2026). "CT GOP gubernatorial rivals ignore Trump at meet-and-mingle". CT Mirror. Retrieved April 15, 2026. Several down-ballot candidates briefly addressed the crowd of about 150: Matt Corey, lieutenant governor; Peter Lumaj, secretary of the state; Jen Tooker, comptroller; and Fred Wilms, treasurer.
↑Kapos, Shia (June 6, 2025). "Conway's big money moves". Politico. Retrieved July 21, 2025. Walter Adamczyk... has announced he's running for Illinois secretary of state.
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