2018 Governor's Chairs by State

The Green Papers: 2018 General Election

2018 Governor's Chairs
by State

36 Governor's Chairs up for election in 2018

14 Governor's Chairs not up for election in 2018

18 Open Governor's Chairs (voluntary retirement, seeking other political office, term limits)

3 Incumbents renominated by same party

17 Incumbent Governors - election status not yet determined (primaries and/or nominating conventions yet to be held)

635 Candidates seeking a Governor's Chair (Candidates may run under the banner of multiple parties. Hence, the number of parties may be greater than the number of candidates.)

This is a list of the current Governors' chairs, the incumbents occupying them, and the candidacy status of said incumbents. Chairs up for election in the year 2018 are marked as such.

There have been 0 deaths, 0 resignations, and 0 changes of party affiliation in 2018.

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Gubernatorial Links



California 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

Open		Democratic	Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. • First elected: 2010 (Governor Brown served 2 terms as Governor-- from 1975 through 1983); re-elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • The current Governor is affected by a term limit and cannot run for re-election. • Open Chair
		Democratic		Akinyemi Agbede
		Republican		Assemblyman Travis Allen
		~~Republican~~		~~Daniel Amare - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Democratic~~		~~David Asem - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Democratic~~		~~Ramon Barajas, III - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Stasyi Barth - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Michael Bilger - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Andy Blanch - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Democratic~~		~~Michael Robert Bracamontes - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		Juan Bribiesca
		~~Republican~~		~~John-Leslie Brown - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~David Bush - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Cares
		Green		Christopher N. Carlson
		Democratic		Treasurer John Chiang • 17 May 2016: Announced his candidacy for Governor in 2018.
		Republican		John H. Cox
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Peter Crawford-Valentino - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Democratic~~		~~Ted Crisell - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Brian Domingo - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		former Public Instruction Superintendent Delaine Eastin
		Write-in; (Green)		Veronika Fimbres
		Republican		Yvonne Girard
		No Party Preference		Shubham Goel
		~~Republican~~		~~Rosey Grier - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		Robert Davidson Griffis
		~~Republican~~		~~former Assemblyman David Hadley - apparently not a candidate~~ • 19 July 2017: Dropped out.
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Grant Handlik - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Tulare County Supervisor Allen Ishida - apparently not a candidate~~
		Libertarian		Zoltan Istvan • Transhumanist
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Robert Jacques - apparently not a candidate~~
		Green		Josh Jones
		~~Democratic~~		~~Harmesh Kumar - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Joshua Laine - apparently not a candidate~~
		Peace And Freedom		Gloria Estela La Riva
		~~Democratic~~		~~James "Titus the Great" Law - apparently not a candidate~~
		Republican		Peter Y. Liu
		Democratic		former Manteca City Councilman Albert Caesar Mezetti
		No Party Preference		Hakan "Hawk" Mikado
		~~Republican~~		~~Jacob Morris - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~William Rodriguez Morrison - apparently not a candidate~~
		Republican		Robert C. Newman, II
		Democratic		Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom • 11 February 2015: Announced his candidacy for Governor in 2018.
		~~Republican~~		~~former Congressman Doug Ose - apparently not a candidate~~ • 26 February 2018: Withdrew. First elected to the U.S. House: 1998, served through 2004; Not a candidate for re-election: 2004; Unsuccessful candidate to Congress: 2014.
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Michael Podkomarka - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		Amanda Renteria
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Timothy Richardson - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Boris Romanowsky - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Gil Salas - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		Michael Shellenberger
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~H. Fuji Shioura - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Lindsey Neil Shortland - apparently not a candidate~~
		No Party Preference; (American Solidarity; Independent)		Desmond Silveira
		~~Republican~~		~~Laura Smith - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Scot Sturtevant - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Robert Tarquinio - apparently not a candidate~~
		No Party Preference		Jeffrey Edward "Jeff" Taylor
		Democratic		Klement Tinaj
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~James Tran - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa • 10 November 2016: Announced his candidacy for Governor in 2018.
		~~No Party Preference~~		~~Frederic Prinz von Anhalt - apparently not a candidate~~
		No Party Preference		Johnny Wattenburg
		~~Democratic~~		~~former state Controller Steve Westly - apparently not a candidate~~ • Served as Controller 2002 - 2006.
		~~Libertarian~~		~~Patrick Wheat - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~American Independent~~		~~Andre Whitmore, II - apparently not a candidate~~
		Libertarian		Nickolas Wildstar
		~~Democratic~~		~~Bradley Wolfe - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~John Zuber - apparently not a candidate~~

Colorado 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

Open		Democratic	Governor John W. Hickenlooper • First elected: 2010; re-elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • The current Governor is affected by a term limit and cannot run for re-election. • Open Chair

		~~Democratic~~		~~Renee Evette Blanchard - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Democratic~~		~~Adam Garrity - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Democratic~~		~~Noel Ginsburg - apparently not a candidate~~ • 20 March 2018: "I don’t believe I have the resources to be fully competitive..."
		~~Democratic~~		~~Moses Carmen Humes - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		state Senator Michael "Mike" Johnston
		~~Democratic~~		~~former state Treasurer Cary Kennedy - apparently not a candidate~~ • 19 March 2018: Petition withdrawn.
		Democratic		Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne • 1 August 2017: Filed to run for Governor.
		~~Democratic~~		~~Roberto Padilla - apparently not a candidate~~
		Democratic		Congressman Jared Polis • Congressional District 2. 11 June 2017: Candidate for Governor in 2018.
		~~Democratic~~		~~Erik M. Underwood - apparently not a candidate~~

		~~Republican~~		~~Stephen "Steve" Barlock - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Erich Braun - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman - apparently not a candidate~~ • 8 November 2017: Candidate for Governor in 2018. 20 March 2018: Petition withdrawn. 14 April 2018: Did not receive her party's nomination.
		~~Republican~~		~~Barry Farah - apparently not a candidate~~ • 14 April 2018: Did not receive his party's nomination.
		~~Republican~~		~~Larimer County Commissioner Lew Gaiter, III - apparently not a candidate~~ • 14 April 2018: Did not receive his party's nomination.
		~~Republican~~		~~Teri Kear - apparently not a candidate~~ • 20 March 2018: Petition withdrawn.
		Republican		former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez
		Republican		Daniel MacFarlane
		Republican		former state Representative Victor "Vic" Mitchell
		Republican		Doug Robinson • 20 April 2018: Insufficient petition signatures.
		~~Republican~~		~~Jim Rundberg - apparently not a candidate~~
		~~Republican~~		~~JoAnne Silva - apparently not a candidate~~
		Republican		Treasurer Walker Stapleton
		~~Republican~~		~~former Congressman Thomas G. "Tom" Tancredo - apparently not a candidate~~ • 30 January 2018: Dropped out. "... the goal – winning the general ... does not appear to me to be feasible." First elected as a Republican to the U.S. House: 1998; re-elected 2000-2006; not a candidate for reelection: 2008; unsuccessful candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination: 2008; unsuccessful American Constitution Party candidate for Governor of Colorado: 2010; unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Colorado: 2014.
		~~Republican~~		~~Greg Westin - apparently not a candidate~~

		Green		Véronique Bellamy

		Libertarian		Scott Helker • for Lieutenant Governor: Michelle Poague

		American Constitution		George Cantrell
		American Constitution		Michael Schroeder

		Unity		William "Bill" Hammons • for Lieutenant Governor: Eric Bodenstab

		Unaffiliated		Kathleen Cunningham
		Unaffiliated		John French
		Unaffiliated		Richard Osada
		Unaffiliated		Dianna Perkins
		Unaffiliated		Joanne Rock
		Unaffiliated		Korey Paul Starkey
		Unaffiliated		Michael Wilbourn
		~~Unaffiliated~~		~~Matthew Wood - apparently not a candidate~~

Connecticut 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

Open		Democratic	Governor Dannel P. "Dan" Malloy • First elected: 2010; re-elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • Open Chair - 13 April 2017: Will not run for re-election in 2018.

		~~Democratic~~		~~Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin - apparently not a candidate~~ • 16 April 2018: Dropped out.
		Democratic		former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz
		Democratic		former state Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Sean Connolly
		~~Democratic~~		~~Middletown Mayor Dan Drew - apparently not a candidate~~ • 12 January 2018: "we have decided to end our campaigns for Governor and Lieutenant Governor ...."
		Democratic		Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Peter "Joe" Ganim
		Democratic		Mark Stewart Greenstein
		Democratic		former state senator Jonathan A. Harris
		Democratic		former Greenwich Selectman Edward "Ned" Lamont
		Democratic		Guy Smith
		Democratic		Lee Whitnum
		Democratic		Jacey Wyatt

		~~Republican~~		~~state Senator Toni Boucher - apparently not a candidate~~ • 18 April 2018: Running for re-election in the state Senate.
		Republican		Danbury Mayor Mark D. Boughton
		Republican		Michael "Mike" Handler
		Republican		former Trumbull Selectman Timothy M. "Tim" Herbst
		Republican		state Senator Tony Hwang
		Republican		Shelton Mayor Mark A. Lauretti
		Republican		Pjerin "Peter" Lumaj
		Republican		Eric Mastroianni
		Republican		Scott Merrell
		Republican		Steve Obsitnik
		~~Republican~~		~~Jim Smith - apparently not a candidate~~
		Republican		state Representative Prasad Srinivasan
		Republican		Robert "Bob" Stefanowski
		Republican		David Stemerman
		Republican		New Britain Mayor Erin E. Stewart
		Republican		Peter Thalheim
		Republican		former U.S. Comptroller General David M. "Dave" Walker

		Libertarian		Rodney "Rod" Hanscomb
		Libertarian		Mark Stewart

		Independent Party of Connecticut		Thomas Ford

		Unaffiliated		Richard "Oz" Griebel
		Unaffiliated		Marisa Manley
		Unaffiliated		Kameron Scott
		Unaffiliated		Micah Welintukonis

Hawaii 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

		Democratic	Governor David Yutaka Ige • First elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • The current Governor is unaffected by the State's term limit.

		Democratic		Ernest Caravalho
		Democratic		Congressman Colleen Wakako Hanabusa • CD 1. 1 September 2017: Candidate for Governor in 2018.
		Democratic		former state Senator Clayton Hee

		Republican		former state Senator John Carroll
		~~Republican~~		~~state Representative Bob McDermott - apparently not a candidate~~ • Running for re-election in the state House.
		Republican		state Representative Andria P.L. Tupola

Minnesota 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

Open		Democratic	Governor Mark Dayton • First elected: 2010; re-elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • Open Chair - 21 November 2016: Retiring at the end of his term.

		~~Democratic-Farmer Labor~~		~~former Saint Paul Mayor Christopher B. "Chris" Coleman - apparently not a candidate~~ • 12 February 2018: "... I announce today the suspension of my campaign for Governor of Minnesota."
		~~Democratic-Farmer Labor~~		~~state Representative Tina Liebling - apparently not a candidate~~ • 12 March 2018: "I have decided to suspend my campaign for governor ... [and] run for re-election to the Minnesota House."
		Democratic-Farmer Labor		state Representative Erin Murphy
		Democratic-Farmer Labor		Auditor Rebecca Otto • 9 January 2017: Running for Governor in 2018.
		~~Democratic-Farmer Labor~~		~~state Representative Paul Thissen - apparently not a candidate~~ • 6 February 2018: "Now is not the right time for my candidacy."
		Democratic-Farmer Labor		Congressman Timothy J. "Tim" Walz • for Lieutenant Governor: state Representiave Peggy Flanagan • CD 1. 27 March 2017: Candidate for Governor

		~~Republican~~		~~Nikolay Bey - apparently not a candidate~~ • Running for the Class 1 Senate Seat
		~~Republican~~		~~state Representative Matt Dean - apparently not a candidate~~ • 25 January 2018: Dropped out endorsing Jeff Johnson.
		~~Republican~~		~~former state Representative Keith Downey - apparently not a candidate~~ • 18 April 2018: Ended his campaign.
		Republican		Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens
		~~Republican~~		~~Ramsey County Commissioner Blake Huffman - apparently not a candidate~~ • 3 September 2017: Withdrew.
		Republican		Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson
		Republican		former state Commerce Secretary Lance Johnson
		Republican		Mathew Kruse
		~~Republican~~		~~state Senator David J. Osmek - apparently not a candidate~~ • circa 8 January 2018: Suspended his campaign.
		Republican		Phillip Parrish
		Republican		former Governor Tim Pawlenty • First elected as Governor: 2002, re-elected: 2006, not a candidate for re-election in 2010.
		Republican		Ole Savior
		Republican		Jeffrey Wharton

		Independence		Jenny Rhoades

New York 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

		Democratic	Governor Andrew M. Cuomo • First elected: 2010; re-elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018

		~~Democratic~~		~~former state Senator Terry Gipson - apparently not a candidate~~ • 21 March 2018: "... we’ve decided to end our campaign for the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary..."
		Democratic; Working Families		Cynthia Nixon

		Republican		state Senator John A. DeFrancisco
		Republican		former state Housing Commissioner Joseph H. "Joe" Holland • 18 January 2018: Filed with the FEC (S8NY00207) to run for the U.S. Senate Class 1 seat. 15 February 2018: Announced he would run for Governor.
		~~Republican~~		~~Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb - apparently not a candidate~~ • 9 February 2018: Dropped out.
		Republican; Conservative		Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. "Marc" Molinaro • 4 January 2018: "... I will not be a Republican candidate for governor ...." 2 March 2018: Re-entered.

		Green		Howie Hawkins

		Libertarian		Larry Sharpe

		Reform		former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra

Oregon 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: No more than 2 4-year terms in any 3-term period
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

		Democratic	Governor Kate Brown • Ascended to the Governor's chair 18 February 2015 re: resignation of John A. Kitzhaber (Democratic); first elected in a Special Election: 2016. • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • The current Governor is unaffected by the State's term limit.

		Democratic		Governor Kate Brown
		Democratic		Ronnie E. "Ed" Jones
		Democratic		Candace Neville

		Republican		Keenan W. Bohach
		Republican		state Representative Knute Buehler
		Republican		Sam Carpenter
		Republican		Bruce A. Cuff
		Republican		Jonathan I. Edwards, III
		Republican		Brett A. Hyland
		Republican		Jeffery G. "Jeff" Smith
		Republican		David W. "Dave" Stauffer
		Republican		Jack W. Tacy
		Republican		Greg C. Wooldridge

		Libertarian		Nick Chen
		Libertarian		Frank Leroy Lengele
		Libertarian		Mike Smith

		Independent Party of Oregon		Skye J. Allen
		Independent Party of Oregon		Dan "Mr. P" Pistoresi
		Independent Party of Oregon		former McKenzie School Board Member Patrick E. Starnes

Pennsylvania 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

		Democratic	Governor Thomas W. "Tom" Wolf • First elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • The current Governor is unaffected by the State's term limit. • Renominated

		Democratic		Governor Thomas W. "Tom" Wolf

		Republican		Laura Ellsworth
		Republican		Paul Mango
		Republican		state Senator Scott R. Wagner

		Libertarian		Ken V. Krawchuk
	24 February 2016: Governor Thomas W. "Tom" Wolf Announced that he has prostate cancer which was detected early and is treatable.

Rhode Island 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2014, 2018. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

		Democratic	Governor Gina Marie Raimondo • First elected: 2014 • Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2018 • The current Governor is unaffected by the State's term limit.

		Democratic		former state Representative Spencer Dickinson
		Democratic		Burrillville Land Trust President Paul A. Roselli

		Republican		Giovanni Feroce
		Republican		Cranston Mayor Allan Fung
		Republican		state Representative Patricia L. Morgan

		Independent		former state Secretary of State Matt Brown • Previously affiliated with the Democratic Party
		Independent		former state Representative Joseph A. "Joe" Trillo • 2016 Honorary Rhode Island campaign chair for Donald Trump

Political Parties Parties appear in parenthesis and italics when a candidate receives the endorsement of a given Party and/or official sources indicate a candidate's association with a particular Party but only where the Party in question does not appear on the actual ballot as such.

Major Parties
	• Democratic
	• Democratic-Farmer Labor
	• Republican
Major Third Parties
	• Constitution
	• Green
	• Libertarian
	• Reform
Other Third Parties
	• American
	• American Constitution
	• American Independent
	• American Solidarity
	• Conservative
	• Independence
	• Independent American
	• Independent Party of Connecticut
	• Independent Party of Oregon
	• Marijuana
	• Peace And Freedom
	• Socialist Party USA
	• Unity
	• Working Families
Independents
	• Independent
	• No Party Affiliation
	• No Party Preference
	• No Political Party
	• Nonparty
	• Unaffiliated
Write-in/Scattered/otherwise not readily classifiable
	• Not readily classifiable
	• Write-in

Notes

Candidates for office appear on this page in italics where 'The Green Papers' does not yet have independent confirmation from a legal election authority that the person has been officially certified to appear on the ballot.