Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2018
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Of the 303 state executive offices on the ballot in 2018, 131 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits. Of the 36 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2018, 13 governors—two Democrats and 11 Republicans—were term-limited and therefore unable to run for re-election. In the 31 states with term limits that held state executive elections in 2018, incumbents in 18 of the states had some incumbents who were term-limited.
A total of 49 state executive officials were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 16 percent of the 303 total seats up for election in 2018.[1]
Term-limited state executives by state
The map below displays the 36 states that had term limits for state executive officials as of 2018. Of those states, only Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia did not hold elections in 2018. Click on a state below to see the total number of termed-out state executive officials in 2018 as well as a breakdown of which officials were term-limited.
- California and Ohio had the most state executive officials term-limited in the 2018 elections with six officials each. After California and Ohio, South Dakota and Oklahoma each had five state executive officials term-limited in 2018.
- Thirteen states with state executive term limits had no officials term-limited in 2018: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
Term-limited state executives by position
In 2018, the office of governor had more term-limited officials than any other state executive office. Thirteen governors—two Democratic and 11 Republican—were term-limited in 2018. This represented 10% of the 131 state executive seats that were subject to term limits in the 31 states with elections in 2018.
In the 13 governor races in 2018 with term-limited incumbents, one state was controlled by a Democratic trifecta, eight by a Republican trifecta, and four states were under divided government prior to the election. A state government trifecta exists when one political party holds the governor's office and majority control in both chambers of the state legislature. As of April 2018, there were 26 states with Republican trifectas, eight states with Democratic trifectas, and 16 states were under divided government.
| 2018 breakdown by position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Number of term-limited officeholders | |||
| Agriculture Commissioner | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Attorney General | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Auditor | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Board of Equalization | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Board of Regents | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Comptroller/Controller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Governor | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Insurance Commissioner | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Labor Commissioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Land Commissioner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lieutenant Governor | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Public Service/Regulation Commissioner | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Secretary of State | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Superintendent of Schools | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Treasurer | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 49 | 7 | 40 | 2 |
Differential impact on parties
Term limits can impact the competitiveness of state executive elections because term limits create open seats. Open seats may be more electorally competitive than seats with an incumbent on the ballot because incumbents tend to win re-election. A total of 206 state executive races were on the ballot in the 31 states with term limits, but only 131 of those offices were subject to term limits. Of those races, 49 of them featured an open seat since the incumbent was term-limited. This represented 37% of the 131 total seats subject to limits in 2018.
Note: Percentages in the table below were rounded to the nearest whole number.
| 2018 term-limited state executive elections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Trifecta status[2] | # of seats with term limits | % of seats term-limited in 2018 | |||
| Alabama | Republican | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 29% |
| Alaska | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Arizona | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0% |
| Arkansas | Republican | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 29% |
| California | Democratic | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 50% |
| Colorado | Divided government | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 40% |
| Delaware | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Florida | Republican | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 60% |
| Georgia | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
| Hawaii | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Idaho | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Indiana | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| Kansas | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Louisiana | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Maine | Divided government | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
| Maryland | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Michigan | Republican | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100% |
| Missouri | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Montana | Divided government | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50% |
| Nebraska | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 33% |
| Nevada | Divided government | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 20% |
| New Mexico | Divided government | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 30% |
| Ohio | Republican | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 55% |
| Oklahoma | Republican | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 56% |
| Oregon | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Pennsylvania | Divided government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Rhode Island | Democratic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20% |
| South Carolina | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| South Dakota | Republican | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 71% |
| Tennessee | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
| Wyoming | Republican | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | --- | 7 | 40 | 2 | 131 | 37% |
Term-limited elections by state
The tabs below are organized by state. Click on a tab for a list of elections with term-limited state executive officeholders in that state.
Alabama
Thirteen state executive seats in Alabama were up for election in 2018. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (2):
- Agriculture Commissioner: John McMillan
- Treasurer: Young Boozer
Alaska
Two state executive seats in Alaska were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Arizona
Eight state executive seats in Arizona were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Arkansas
Seven state executive seats in Arkansas were up for election in 2018. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (2):
- Secretary of State: Mark Martin
- Commissioner of State Lands: John Thurston
California
Twelve state executive seats in California were up for election in 2018. Six officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Democratic: (4)
- Governor: Jerry Brown
- Lt. Gov.: Gavin Newsom
- Insurance Commissioner: Dave Jones
- State Board of Equalization: Jerome Horton
Republican: (1)
- State Board of Equalization: George Runner
Nonpartisan: (1)
- Superintendent of Schools: Tom Torlakson
Colorado
Ten state executive seats in Colorado were up for election in 2018. Four officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Democratic: (2)
- Governor: John Hickenlooper
- Board of Regents: At-Large: Stephen Ludwig
Republicans (2):
- Treasurer: Walker Stapleton
- Board of Regents: District 5: Kyle Hybl
Delaware
Three state executive seats in Delaware were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Florida
Five state executive seats in Florida were up for election in 2018. Three officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (3):
- Governor: Rick Scott
- Attorney General: Pam Bondi
- Agriculture commissioner: Adam Putnam
Georgia
Ten state executive seats in Georgia were up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Governor: Nathan Deal
Hawaii
Two state executive seats in Hawaii were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Idaho
Seven state executive seats in Idaho were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Indiana
Three state executive seats in Indiana were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Kansas
Eleven state executive seats in Kansas were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Louisiana
Two state executive seats in Louisiana were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Maine
One state executive seat in Maine was up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Governor: Paul LePage
Maryland
Four state executive seats in Maryland were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Michigan
Twelve state executive seats in Michigan were up for election in 2018. Four officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (4):
- Governor: Rick Snyder
- Lt. Gov.: Brian Calley
- Attorney General: Bill Schuette
- Secretary of State: Ruth Johnson
Missouri
One state executive seat in Missouri was up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Montana
Two state executive seats in Montana were up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Public Service Com. - District 1: Travis Kavulla
Nebraska
Sixteen state executive seats in Nebraska were up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Treasurer: Don Stenberg
Nevada
Ten state executive seats in Nevada were up for election in 2018. Two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Governor: Brian Sandoval
Nonpartisan: (1)
- Nevada System of Higher Education - District 1: Cedric Crear
New Mexico
Fifteen state executive seats in New Mexico were up for election in 2018. Three officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (3):
- Governor: Susana Martinez
- Lt. Gov: John A. Sanchez
- Public Regulation Commissioner - District 2: Patrick H. Lyons
Ohio
Eleven state executive seats in Ohio were up for election in 2018. Six officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (6):
- Governor: John Kasich
- Lt Gov. Mary Taylor
- Attorney General: Mike DeWine
- Secretary of State: Jon Husted
- Treasurer: Josh Mandel
- Auditor: Dave Yost
Oklahoma
Nine state executive seats in Oklahoma were up for election in 2018. Five officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (5):
- Governor: Mary Fallin
- Lt. Gov.: Todd Lamb
- Treasurer: Ken Miller
- Auditor: Gary Jones
- Insurance commissioner: John Doak
Oregon
Two state executive seats in Oregon were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Pennsylvania
Two state executive seats in Pennsylvania were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
Rhode Island
Five state executive seats in Rhode Island were up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Democratic: (1)
- Attorney General: Peter Kilmartin
South Carolina
Eight state executive seats in South Carolina were up for election in 2018. No officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.
South Dakota
Eight state executive seats in South Dakota were up for election in 2018. Five officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:
Republicans (5):
- Governor: Dennis Daugaard
- Lt. Gov.: Matthew Michels
- Attorney General: Marty J. Jackley
- Treasurer: Richard Sattgast
- Auditor: Steve Barnett
Tennessee
One state executive seat in Tennessee was up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Governor: Bill Haslam
Wyoming
Five state executive seats in Wyoming were up for election in 2018. One official was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state official was term-limited in 2018:
Republican (1):
- Governor: Matt Mead
See also
- State executive official elections, 2018
- State executives with term limits
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2018
- Term limits on the ballot
- Term limits in the United States
Footnotes
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