Secretaries of state
Secretaries of state on the 2026 ballot
26 states elect their secretaries of state on November 3, 2026. Incumbent, status and candidates for each, as listed in the public record of the races.
26states with a race
10no incumbent running
6rated Lean or closer
What the office does
In most states the secretary of state is the chief election official: running voter registration, overseeing ballot access and certifying results. Duties vary by state, and in some states another office handles elections.
All 26 racessorted by closeness
| State | Incumbent | Status | Candidates listed | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Brad Raffensperger R | Incumbent retiring to run for governor | Penny Reynolds D Tim Fleming R | Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Indiana | Diego Morales R | Incumbent lost renomination | Beau Bayh D Max Engling R Lauri Shillings L Greg Ballard Ind | Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Iowa | Paul Pate R | Incumbent renominated | Paul Pate R Ryan Peterman D | Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Michigan | Jocelyn Benson D | Term-limited | Scott E. Aughney U.S Eric Borregard G Anthony Forlini R Garlin Gilchrist D Christine Sloan L | Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Ohio | Frank LaRose R | Term-limited | Allison Russo D Robert Sprague R Tom Pruss L | Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Wisconsin | Sarah Godlewski D | Incumbent retiring to run for lieutenant governor | Pete Karas G Jay Schroeder R JoCasta Zamarripa D | Lean D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Alabama | Wes Allen R | Incumbent retiring to run for lieutenant governor | Caroleene Dobson R Wayne Rogers D | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Arizona | Adrian Fontes D | Incumbent running | Duwayne Collier G Adrian Fontes D Alexander Kolodin R | Likely D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Arkansas | Cole Jester R | Ineligible to run | Kelly Grappe D Kim Hammer R Michael Pakko L | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| California | Shirley Weber D | Incumbent renominated | Don Wagner R Shirley Weber D | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Colorado | Jena Griswold D | Term-limited | Amanda Campbell Ame Amanda Gonzalez D Celeste Landry For James Wiley R Sean Vadney L | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Connecticut | Stephanie Thomas D | Incumbent renominated | Peter Lumaj R Stephanie Thomas D | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Idaho | Phil McGrane R | Incumbent renominated | Shawn Keenan D Phil McGrane R | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Illinois | Alexi Giannoulias D | Incumbent renominated | Alexi Giannoulias D Diane Harris R | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Kansas | Scott Schwab R | Incumbent retiring to run for governor | Jennifer Day D Scott E. Morgan Uni Pat Proctor R | Likely R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Massachusetts | William F. Galvin D | Incumbent renominated | William F. Galvin D Anne Brensley R | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Minnesota | Steve Simon Min | Incumbent renominated | Tad Jude R Seth Kuhl-Stennes G Steve Simon D George "Chip" Tangen L | Likely D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Nebraska | Bob Evnen R | Incumbent lost renomination | Bob Krist Ame Scott Petersen R Paul Rumbaugh Wor Sarah Slattery D | Likely R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Nevada | Cisco Aguilar D | Incumbent renominated | Jim Marchant R Brad Lee Barnhill Ame Cisco Aguilar D John T. Kennedy L | Likely D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| New Mexico | Maggie Toulouse Oliver D | Term-limited | Amanda López Askin D Ramona Goolsby R | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| North Dakota | Michael Howe R | Incumbent running | Ryan Braunberger Dem Michael Howe R | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Rhode Island | Gregg Amore D | Incumbent re-elected | Gregg Amore D | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| South Carolina | Mark Hammond R | Incumbent running | Jason Belton D Mark Hammond R | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| South Dakota | Monae Johnson R | data-sort-value=-1 |Incumbent lost renomination in convention. | Heather Baxter R Terrence Davis D Tamara Lesnar L | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Vermont | Sarah Copeland Hanzas D | Incumbent running | Sarah Copeland Hanzas D Brooke Paige R Rachel Shaw Pro | Safe D Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
| Wyoming | Chuck Gray R | Incumbent retiring to run for U.S. House | Bryan McCarty D Robert Short R Tamara Trujillo Con | Safe R Sabato's Crystal Ball, 2026-09-09 |
Reported Status and candidates as listed in Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), 2026-10-15; primaries and filing deadlines can change the list, so confirm with your state election office. The rating is Sabato’s Crystal Ball, with the date it was published. Estimate