As Donald Trump once again seeks to subvert America’s elections, voters in three dozen states will have the opportunity next month to elect officials who can stand as a bulwark against these efforts.
Democrats in particular have as many as 10 opportunities to flip authority over election administration from Republicans, including in major states like Georgia, Ohio, and even Texas. Victories in places like these would deal a major blow to MAGA-driven attempts to corrupt democracy.
Many of these 36 states will directly elect their top election administrators, a post typically held by secretaries of state. Some, meanwhile, will host races for offices tasked with selecting those officials, such as Florida, whose governor appoints the secretary of state. Others still take hybrid approaches.
Below, we explore the 14 states that are most likely to have competitive contests between the parties in the key races that will determine who runs each state’s elections.
Competitive States
In 2026, 14 states have potentially competitive elections for these offices. Ten of these have a directly elected secretary of state, and two of those have a hybrid system with election boards. Other elected offices are determinative in the remaining four states. Current partisan control is shown on the map at the top of this post and is also denoted after each state’s name.
Alaska (R)
Election that matters: Governor
Elections run by: Lieutenant governor
The lieutenant governor is chosen by the governor as their running mate. That person subsequently appoints a director of the state’s elections division, who is in charge of day-to-day operations. Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom is not seeking reelection.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins faces three Republicans—Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson, and Treg Taylor—in a ranked-choice election that appears highly competitive. Limited polling has shown Kreiss-Tomkins leading, including one that simulated the ranked-choice process.
Kreiss-Tomkins’ nominee for lieutenant governor is Zac Johnson, an independent who serves on Anchorage’s city council. His opponents have all tapped fellow Republicans: Wilson is running alongside Mike Shower; Bronson’s running mate is Josh Church; and Taylor’s nominee is Candice English.
Arizona (D)
Election that matters: Secretary of state
Elections run by: Secretary of state
Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is seeking a second term and faces Republican state Rep. Alex Kolodin, an election denier. In 2022, Fontes earned the highest vote share among Arizona Democrats running statewide because he ran against a different election denier whose views proved unpopular. Fontes is favored to win again.
Florida (R)
Election that matters: Governor
Elections run by: Secretary of state
