State executive official elections, 2021

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State Executive Officials
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State executive offices up for election in 2021 included gubernatorial seats, lieutenant gubernatorial seats, and an attorney general seat. Including down-ballot races, there were seven state executive offices up for election across four states in 2021.[1]

Additionally, California held a recall election for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on September 14, 2021.

As a result of the 2021 elections, Republicans gained the governorship, lieutenant governorship, and attorney's general office in Virginia.

The party changes in Virginia also changed the state's trifecta status from Democratic to split control. A trifecta exists when one party controls the governorship and both state legislative chambers. In the 2021 elections, Republicans won control of the governorship and state House in Virginia, while Democrats controlled the state Senate.

The 2021 elections also changed Virginia's triplex status from Democratic to Republican control. A triplex is defined as one political party holding the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Republicans won control of the governorship and attorney's general office in Virginia. Since the governor is responsible for appointing the secretary of state, Republicans gained a triplex in the state.

This page includes the following:

Battleground elections

Ballotpedia designated certain 2021 elections as battleground races, due to those races being either particularly competitive, interesting, or meaningful to the future balance of power in that jurisdiction.

Of the seven state executive official seats up for election in 2021, Ballotpedia identified six races at battlegrounds. To view election results for these six battleground races, expand the section below.

Offices that changed party control

Three state executive offices changed partisan control, with all three switching from Democratic to Republican control, giving Republicans a net gain of three offices.

The table below shows the direction and totals of these flips.

Party flips of state executive offices, 2021
To Democrats To Republicans To Independent/
third parties 		Total
From Democrats - 3 0 3
From Republicans 0 - 0 0
From Independent/
third parties		 0 0 - 0
Total 0 3 0 3
Net change, 2021 -3 +3 0 -



All three partisan changes took place in Virginia in 2021, with Republicans winning control of the governorship, lieutenant governorship, and office of attorney general.

List of offices that changed party control

State executive offices that changed party control, 2021 elections
Office Pre-election incumbent Election winner
Governor of Virginia Democratic Party Ralph Northam Republican Party Glenn Youngkin
Lieutenant governor of Virginia Democratic Party Justin Fairfax Republican Party Winsome Sears
Attorney General of Virginia Democratic Party Mark Herring Republican Party Jason Miyares

Incumbents defeated

One state executive incumbent sought re-election and was defeated, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D), as shown below.

State executive defeated incumbents, 2021
Office Pre-election incumbent Election winner Partisan switch?
Virginia Attorney General Democratic Party Mark Herring Republican Party Jason Miyares Yes

Offices up for election

Governor

There were two gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2021.

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.

California also held a recall election for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on September 14, 2021.

Lieutenant Governor

There were two lieutenant gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2021.

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.

Attorney General

There was one attorney general seat on the ballot in 2021.

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 were no secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2021.

Down-ballot

There were two down-ballot state executive seats on the ballot in 2021.

Education officials

Total executive officials by party

Of the seven state executive positions up in 2021, five were held by Democrats, one was held by a Republican, and one was a nonpartisan office. The chart below shows how many officials of both parties were serving in each position.

Competitiveness

Races with one major party candidate

See also: State executive official elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate, 2021

All state executive races in the 2021 elections featured at least one Democratic and Republican candidate. In 2017—the previous time a comparable number of state executive offices were up for election—the Public Service Commission race in Louisiana did not feature a Democratic candidate.

Primary competitiveness

See also: 2021 primary election competitiveness in state government

State executive primaries were less competitive in 2021 than in 2017—the previous time a comparable number of state executive offices were up for election.[2] The number of open seats where the incumbent did not seek re-election decreased from four to three, while the number of incumbents facing a primary challenger also decreased from two to one. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) was the only incumbent facing a contested primary in 2021.

The number of overall contested primaries also decreased. In 2017, there were nine contested state executive primaries—three Democratic, three Republican, and three top-two primaries. In 2021, this number decreased to five—three Democratic primaries, one Republican, and one top-two. The decrease in total primaries was driven by state executive elections in Virginia. In 2017, the Virginia Republican Party held primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. In 2021, the party chose to hold nominating conventions for these offices. Ballotpedia does not include convention statistics in its primary election competitiveness analysis.


State government trifectas

See also: State government trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term used to describe when a single party controls the governorship and both chambers of a state's legislature.


State government triplexes

See also: State government triplexes

A state government triplex is a term used to describe when a state's governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same party.

As of November 26, 2024, there are 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and 5 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

Important dates and deadlines

New Jersey

Primary election

  • April 5, 2021: Candidate filing deadline.
  • May 18, 2021: Voter registration deadline.
  • June 1, 2021: Absentee voting application deadline (if applying by mail).
  • June 4, 2021: Early voting begins.
  • June 6, 2021: Early voting ends.
  • June 7, 2021, 3:00 p.m.: Absentee voting application deadline (if applying in person).
  • June 8, 2021: Primary election in New Jersey.

General election

  • October 12, 2021: Voter registration deadline.
  • October 23, 2021: Early voting begins.
  • October 26, 2021: Absentee voting application deadline (if applying by mail).
  • October 31, 2021: Early voting ends.
  • November 1, 2021, 3:00 p.m.: Absentee voting application deadline (if applying in person).
  • November 2, 2021: General election in New Jersey.

Virginia

Primary election

  • March 25, 2021: Candidate filing deadline.
  • April 24, 2021: Early voting begins.
  • May 8, 2021: Republican convention.
  • May 17, 2021: Voter registration deadline.
  • May 28, 2021: Absentee voting application deadline.
  • June 5, 2021: Early voting ends.
  • June 8, 2021: Democratic primary election in Virginia.

General election

  • September 18, 2021: Early voting begins.
  • October 11, 2021: Voter registration deadline.
  • October 22, 2021: Absentee voting application deadline.
  • October 30, 2021: Early voting ends.
  • November 2, 2021: General election in Virginia.

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 2020.

Incumbency

From 2011 to 2020, 63.9% of incumbents sought re-election. Of the incumbents who sought re-election during that period, 86.4% 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.

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, 2011-2020
Year Total seats Incumbents who
sought re-election 		% incumbents who
sought re-election 		Incumbents who
were re-elected 		% incumbents who
were re-elected
2020
171
113
66.1%
98
86.7%
2019
36
21
58.3%
20
95.2%
2018
303
186
61.4%
151
81.2%
2017
8
3
37.5%
2
66.7%
2016
93
51
54.8%
40
78.4%
2015
25
16
64.0%
15
93.8%
2014
226
152
67.3%
139
91.4%
2013
6
3
50.0%
3
100.0%
2012
94
67
71.3%
59
88.1%
2011
26
19
73.1%
18
94.7%
Total
988
631
63.9%
545
86.4%

Partisanship

The table below details how many state executive seats changed parties from 2011 to 2020. 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, 2011-2020
Year Total seats Before election After election Net change
Democratic Party
Democrats 		Republican Party
Republicans 		Grey.png
Other 		Democratic Party
Democrats 		Republican Party
Republicans 		Grey.png
Other 		Democratic Party
Democrats 		Republican Party
Republicans 		Grey.png
Other
2020
171
59
71
41
56
75
40
-3
+4
-1
2019
36
8
28
0
7
29
0
-1
+1
0
2018
303
81
184
38
122
143
38
+41
-41
0
2017
8
3
4
1
5
2
1
+2
-2
0
2016
93
50
39
3
37
53
2
-13
+14
-1
2015
25
8
16
1
6
19
0
-2
+3
-1
2014
226
79
144
3
67
156
3
-12
+12
0
2013
6
0
5
1
3
2
1
+3
-3
0
2012
94
50
38
6
49
42
3
-1
+4
-3
2011
26
9
17
0
9
17
0
0
0
0

Partisan control of governorships

The chart below looks at the number of governorships held by the Democratic and Republican parties between 1977 and 2020. 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. Republicans gained one governorship in the 2020 elections.


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.[3] 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.

Analysis of state elections

See also: Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2021

In 2021, six states held elections for executive, legislative, or judicial seats, including elections for three of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers, 15 appellate court seats, and two gubernatorial offices.

All state elections:
2021 primary election competitiveness in state government
Top 15 elections to watch
Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection report
Trifectas
Trifecta vulnerability in the 2021 elections
Election results, 2021: State government trifectas
State executive elections:
State executive official elections, 2021
Gubernatorial elections, 2021
Secretary of State elections, 2021
Attorney General elections, 2021
State executive official elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate, 2021
Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2021
Election results, 2021: State government triplexes
State legislative elections:
State legislative elections, 2021
State legislative special elections, 2021
Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report
Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2021
Open seats in state legislative elections, 2021
2021 primary election competitiveness in state government
State legislative incumbents in contested primaries, 2021
Major party competition in state legislative elections, 2021
State legislative elections without a Democratic or Republican candidate, 2021
Margin of victory analysis for the 2021 state legislative elections
Election results, 2021: State legislative veto-proof majorities
Election results, 2021: State legislative seats that changed party control
Election results, 2021: State legislative races decided by fewer than 100 votes
Other state elections:
State judicial elections, 2021
2021 ballot measures
Rematches in 2021 general elections
Ballotpedia's Mid-Year Recall Report (2021)
2021 election analysis: Incumbent win rates by state
Results of elected officials seeking other offices, 2021
Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024


See also

2021 elections:

Previous elections:

Ballotpedia exclusives:

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education election in 2021 was excluded from this analysis because it was not a regularly-scheduled election.
  3. ↑ There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpedia defines the term, however there are other executive offices in some states that are not covered by Ballotpedia.
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