The midterm elections are less than six months out and control of the U.S. House and Senate hangs in the balance. While much of the focus in 2022 will center on the balance of power on Capitol Hill, this year could also be pivotal for state-level politics.
A total of 36 states are holding gubernatorial elections this year, and in 28 of those states, sitting governors are running for reelection. Their success or failure rests entirely on voter sentiment, and based on recent polling, some governors appear much better positioned to win than others.
Using public opinion data from research company Morning Consult, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most popular governors. States are ranked by the approval rating of their sitting governor. All approval ratings are based on data collected between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022 among a representative sample of over 600 registered voters in each state.
In keeping with low approval of the Biden Administration, Republican governors are generally more popular than their Democratic counterparts. All of the 10 most popular governors are Republican, while seven of the 10 least popular governors are Democratic. On average, Republican governors enjoy a 58% approval rating, compared to 51% among Democratic governors. (Here is a look at the final approval rating of every president since Harry Truman.)
According to a report by the independent, nonpartisan election research organization Cook Political Report, the closest races – those in which either party stands a good chance of winning – are in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Only two of those states – Arizona and Georgia – have a Republican governor.
At a time when many states are imposing voting restrictions and a leaked Supreme Court opinion suggests that abortion rights could soon be decided at the state level, the stakes of the 2022 gubernatorial elections could be higher than they have been in recent memory. Here is a look at the states where democracy is under siege.
Click here to see America’s most popular governors
50. Oregon
> Governor: Governor Kate Brown (D)
> Popularity: 41% approve, 54% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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49. Hawaii
> Governor: Governor David Ige (D)
> Popularity: 41% approve, 50% disapprove
> In office since: 2014
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
48. Rhode Island
> Governor: Governor Daniel McKee (D)
> Popularity: 42% approve, 40% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
47. Wisconsin
> Governor: Governor Tony Evers (D)
> Popularity: 45% approve, 48% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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46. Pennsylvania
> Governor: Governor Tom Wolf (D)
> Popularity: 46% approve, 46% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
45. Arizona
> Governor: Governor Doug Ducey (R)
> Popularity: 47% approve, 45% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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44. New Mexico
> Governor: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
> Popularity: 48% approve, 45% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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43. Mississippi
> Governor: Governor Tate Reeves (R)
> Popularity: 49% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2020
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
42. Michigan
> Governor: Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 46% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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41. Iowa
> Governor: Governor Kim Reynolds (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 43% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
40. Georgia
> Governor: Governor Brian Kemp (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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39. Alaska
> Governor: Governor Mike Dunleavy (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2018
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
38. Missouri
> Governor: Governor Mike Parson (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2018
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
37. Illinois
> Governor: Governor J.B. Pritzker (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 43% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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36. Nevada
> Governor: Governor Steve Sisolak (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
35. Louisiana
> Governor: Governor John Bel Edwards (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2016
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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34. Virginia
> Governor: Governor Glenn Youngkin (R)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2022
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
33. Washington
> Governor: Governor Jay Inslee (D)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 43% disapprove
> In office since: 2013
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
32. Nebraska
> Governor: Governor Pete Ricketts (R)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 39% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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31. North Carolina
> Governor: Governor Roy Cooper (D)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
30. New York
> Governor: Governor Kathy Hochul (D)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 34% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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29. Maine
> Governor: Governor Janet T. Mills (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 44% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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28. Texas
> Governor: Governor Greg Abbott (R)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
27. Minnesota
> Governor: Governor Tim Walz (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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26. New Jersey
> Governor: Governor Phil Murphy (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 39% disapprove
> In office since: 2018
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
25. Oklahoma
> Governor: Governor Kevin Stitt (R)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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24. South Carolina
> Governor: Governor Henry McMaster (R)
> Popularity: 54% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
23. Kansas
> Governor: Governor Laura Kelly (D)
> Popularity: 55% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
22. Florida
> Governor: Governor Ron DeSantis (R)
> Popularity: 56% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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21. Idaho
> Governor: Governor Brad Little (R)
> Popularity: 56% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
20. Indiana
> Governor: Governor Eric Holcomb (R)
> Popularity: 56% approve, 33% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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19. California
> Governor: Governor Gavin Newsom (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 37% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
18. Connecticut
> Governor: Governor Ned Lamont (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
17. Colorado
> Governor: Governor Jared Polis (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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16. Montana
> Governor: Governor Greg Gianforte (R)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 34% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
15. South Dakota
> Governor: Governor Kristi L. Noem (R)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 40% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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14. Tennessee
> Governor: Governor Bill Lee (R)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
13. Delaware
> Governor: Governor John C. Carney Jr. (D)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
12. Kentucky
> Governor: Governor Andy Beshear (D)
> Popularity: 59% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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11. Ohio
> Governor: Governor Richard Michael DeWine (R)
> Popularity: 60% approve, 33% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
10. North Dakota
> Governor: Governor Doug Burgum (R)
> Popularity: 60% approve, 29% disapprove
> In office since: 2016
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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9. Wyoming
> Governor: Governor Mark Gordon (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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8. Alabama
> Governor: Governor Kay Ivey (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
7. Utah
> Governor: Governor Spencer Cox (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 24% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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6. New Hampshire
> Governor: Governor Chris Sununu (R)
> Popularity: 63% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
5. Arkansas
> Governor: Governor Asa Hutchinson (R)
> Popularity: 63% approve, 29% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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4. West Virginia
> Governor: Governor Jim Justice (R)
> Popularity: 65% approve, 27% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
3. Maryland
> Governor: Governor Larry Hogan (R)
> Popularity: 71% approve, 22% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
2. Vermont
> Governor: Governor Phil Scott (R)
> Popularity: 72% approve, 23% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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1. Massachusetts
> Governor: Governor Charles D. Baker (R)
> Popularity: 74% approve, 21% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No
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