The 2026 United States secretary of state elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the secretary of state of twenty-six U.S. states.
The previous secretary of state elections for this group of states took place in 2022. The secretary of state of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2024.
These elections will take place concurrently with various other federal, state, and local elections.
Partisan composition Going into these elections, this class of secretaries of state is made up of 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans. Democrats are defending four states won by Donald Trump in 2024 (Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin), while Republicans do not hold any states won by Kamala Harris.
Predictions
Several sites and individuals published predictions of competitive seats. These predictions looked at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent was running for reelection) and the other candidates, and the state's partisan lean (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assigned ratings to each seat, indicating the predicted advantage that a party had in winning that seat. In 2025, Republicans appeared to have the advantage, with most competitive seats being Democratic-held. By the time of the general election, however, a number of races shifted towards Democrats, both due to their improving national standings as well as Republicans' nominations of election deniers in several states. Most election predictors used: "tossup": no advantage "lean": slight advantage "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage "safe": near-certain chance of victory Constituency IncumbentRatings State PVI Secretary of State Lastelection Sabato Alabama 65.88% R | Arizona 52.38% D | Arkansas Appointed | California 60.05% D | Colorado 55.10% D | Connecticut 55.22% D | Georgia 53.23% R | Idaho 72.12% R | Illinois 54.28% D | Indiana 54.13% R | Iowa 60.05% R | Kansas 58.36% R | Massachusetts 67.69% D | Michigan 55.86% D | Minnesota 54.53% DFL | Nebraska 100.0% R | Nevada 48.95% D | New Mexico 54.52% D | North Dakota 63.22% R | Ohio 59.29% R | Rhode Island 59.54% D | South Carolina 63.33% R | South Dakota 63.90% R | Vermont 59.61% D | Wisconsin Appointed | Wyoming 91.57% R
Race summary
State Secretaryof state Party Firstelected Status Candidates Alabama Republican 2022 Incumbent retiring to run for lieutenant governor Arizona Democratic 2022 Incumbent running Arkansas Cole Jester Republican 2025 Ineligible to run California Democratic 2021 Incumbent renominated Colorado Democratic 2018 Term-limited Connecticut Democratic 2022 Incumbent renominated Georgia Republican 2018 Incumbent retiring to run for governor Idaho Republican 2022 Incumbent renominated Illinois Democratic 2022 Incumbent renominated Indiana Republican 2022 Incumbent lost renomination Iowa Republican 2014 Incumbent renominated Kansas Republican 2018 Incumbent retiring to run for governor Massachusetts Democratic 1994 Incumbent renominated Michigan Democratic 2018 Term-limited Scott E. Aughney (U.S. Taxpayers) Eric Borregard (Green) Anthony Forlini (Republican) Garlin Gilchrist (Democratic) Christine Sloan (Libertarian) Minnesota DFL 2014 Incumbent renominated Nebraska Republican 2018Incumbent lost renomination Nevada Democratic 2022 Incumbent renominated New Mexico Democratic 2016 Term-limited North Dakota Republican 2022 Incumbent running Ohio Republican 2018 Term-limited Allison Russo (Democratic) Robert Sprague (Republican) Tom Pruss (Libertarian) Rhode Island Democratic 2022 Incumbent re-elected South Carolina Republican 2002 Incumbent running South Dakota Republican 2022Incumbent lost renomination in convention. Vermont Democratic 2022 Incumbent running Wisconsin Democratic2023 Incumbent retiring to run for lieutenant governor Wyoming Republican 2022 Incumbent retiring to run for U.S. House
Alabama
Secretary of State Wes Allen was elected in 2022 with 65.9% of the vote. He is retiring to run for Lieutenant Governor.
Arizona
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was elected in 2022 with 52.4% of the vote. He is running for re-election to a second term in office. Fontes hinted at a potential primary challenge to Arizona governor Katie Hobbs, but ultimately decided against it. Republican state representative Alexander Kolodin announced his campaign on March 31.
Arkansas
Secretary of State John Thurston resigned after being elected as state treasurer in a 2024 special election. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Cole Jester to fill the remainder of his term. However, he is ineligible to run for a full term per the state constitution. Republican candidates include state senator Kim Hammer. Marketing specialist Kelly Grappe is running as a Democrat.
California
Secretary of State Shirley Weber was elected in 2022 with 60.1% of the vote. She is running for re-election to a second term. Republican Orange County supervisor Don Wagner is also running for the position.
Colorado
Secretary of State Jena Griswold was re-elected in 2022 with 55.1% of the vote. She will be term limited by the Colorado Constitution and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Democratic candidates include Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez.
Connecticut
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas was elected in 2022 with 55.2% of the vote. She is running for re-election. Republican perennial candidate Peter Lumaj has created an exploratory committee, though has not specified which office he may run for.
Georgia
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was re-elected in 2022 with 53.2% of the vote. In September 2025, he decided to run for governor instead of seeking reelection as Secretary of State. Republican state representative Tim Fleming, businessman Kelvin King, and former elections official Gabriel Sterling have announced plans to run for the position.
Idaho
Secretary of State Phil McGrane was elected in 2022 with 72.5% of the vote. He is running for re-election against Democrat Shawn Keenan.
Illinois
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was elected in 2022 with 54.3% of the vote. He is running for re-election. Republicans Walter Adamczyk and Joliet Junior College trustee Diane Harris are running against him.
Indiana
Secretary of State Diego Morales was elected in 2022 with 54.1% of the vote. He ran for re-election to a second term. He was defeated by Congressional Staffer Max Engling. Beau Bayh, an attorney and the son of former Indiana governor Evan Bayh, is running for the office as a Democrat. Former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, formerly a Republican, announced his intention to run for the office as an Independent in March of 2026.
Iowa
Secretary of State Paul Pate was re-elected in 2022 with 60.1% of the vote. He is running for re-election. Democratic Navy veteran Ryan Peterman is running against him.
Kansas
Secretary of State Scott Schwab was re-elected in 2022 with 58.4% of the vote. He is retiring to run for governor. State representatives Pat Proctor is the presumptive Republican nominee. Former state representative Jennifer Day and construction inspector Samuel Lane are running as Democrats.
Massachusetts
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin was re-elected in 2022 with 67.7% of the vote. He is running for re-election to a ninth term. Republican former Wayland select boardmember Anne Brensley is challenging Galvin after an apparently successful write-in campaign, pending official certification.
Michigan
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was re-elected in 2022 with 55.9% of the vote. She is term-limited and cannot seek re-election.
Democratic lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist won the party's nomination over former lottery commissioner Suzanna Shkreli.
Macomb County clerk Anthony Forlini won the Republican nomination, beating Clarkston Community Schools trustee Amanda Love and businesswoman Monica Yatooma.
Minnesota
Secretary of State Steve Simon was re-elected in 2022 with 54.5% of the vote. He is running for re-election to a fourth term.
Republican Tad Jude is the Republican nominee.
Nebraska
Secretary of State Bob Evnen was re-elected unopposed in 2022. He is running for re-election to a third term.
Nevada
Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar was elected in 2022 with 48.9% of the vote. He is running for re-election.
Republican Sharron Angle has announced her candidacy.
New Mexico
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was re-elected in 2022 with 54.5% of the vote. She is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. On June 2, Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin won the Democratic primary with 53% of the vote.
North Dakota
Secretary of State Michael Howe was re-elected in 2022 with 63.3% of the vote. He is running for re-election.
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose was re-elected in 2022 with 59.3% of the vote. He is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. Ohio State Treasurer Robert Sprague has launched a bid for the Republican nomination, as has former Air Force officer Marcell Strbich. On the Democratic side, oncologist Bryan Hambley and former House minority leader Allison Russo have announced runs.
Rhode Island
Secretary of State Gregg Amore was re-elected in 2022 with 59.5% of the vote. He was re-elected unopposed.
South Carolina
Secretary of State Mark Hammond was re-elected in 2022 with 63.3% of the vote. He is running for re-election.
South Dakota
Secretary of State Monae Johnson was elected in 2022 with 63.9% of the vote. She was eligible to run for re-election but was defeated by state representative Heather Baxter in the convention. Democratic former state trooper Terrence Davis is running against her.
Vermont
Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas was re-elected in 2024 with 59.6% of the vote. She is running for re-election. She is being challenged by Republican Brooke Paige, while also running for Secretary of State at the same time.
Wisconsin
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski was appointed in 2023 after Doug La Follette resigned. She is retiring to run for lieutenant governor. On August 2, Milwaukee alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa won the Democratic primary unopposed.
Activist Jay Schroeder won the Republican primary. Schroeder was the party's nominee in 2018 for the office, losing to longtime incumbent Doug La Follette.
Wyoming
Secretary of State Chuck Gray was elected in 2022 with 91.6% of the vote, without major party opposition. He is retiring to run for U.S. House. Robert Short is the Republican nominee to replace Gray.
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