Special Report

America's Most Popular Governors

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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

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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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Mario Tama / Getty Images News via Getty Images

49. Hawaii
> Governor: Governor David Ige (D)
> Popularity: 41% approve, 50% disapprove
> In office since: 2014
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)

Public Domain / White House / Wikimedia Commons

48. Rhode Island
> Governor: Governor Daniel McKee (D)
> Popularity: 42% approve, 40% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Mark Makela / Getty Images News via Getty Images

46. Pennsylvania
> Governor: Governor Tom Wolf (D)
> Popularity: 46% approve, 46% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images

44. New Mexico
> Governor: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
> Popularity: 48% approve, 45% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Pool / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

Bill Pugliano / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

whitehouse / Flickr

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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Ethan Miller / Getty Images News via Getty Images

36. Nevada
> Governor: Governor Steve Sisolak (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Courtesy of the Governor of Virginia via governor.virginia.gov

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

David Ryder / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Sara D. Davis / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

29. Maine
> Governor: Governor Janet T. Mills (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 44% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Erich Schlegel / Getty Images News via Getty Images

28. Texas
> Governor: Governor Greg Abbott (R)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

whitehouse45 / Flickr

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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Sean Rayford / Getty Images

24. South Carolina
> Governor: Governor Henry McMaster (R)
> Popularity: 54% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Photo by Mark Reinstein / Corbis via Getty Images

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

Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

Bonnie Biess / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

18. Connecticut
> Governor: Governor Ned Lamont (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Rick T. Wilking / Getty Images

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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Drew Angerer / Getty Images

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

Handout / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

14. Tennessee
> Governor: Governor Bill Lee (R)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Public Domain via United States Congress / Wikimedia Commons

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

Jon Cherry / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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Justin Merriman / Getty Images News via Getty Images

11. Ohio
> Governor: Governor Richard Michael DeWine (R)
> Popularity: 60% approve, 33% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Stephen Yang / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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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usdagov / Flickr

9. Wyoming
> Governor: Governor Mark Gordon (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

8. Alabama
> Governor: Governor Kay Ivey (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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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hudopa / Public Domain / Flickr

6. New Hampshire
> Governor: Governor Chris Sununu (R)
> Popularity: 63% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes

Alex Wong / Getty Images

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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Justin Merriman / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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)

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

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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Isaac Brekken / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

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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