The midterm elections are less than six months out and control of the U.S. House and Senate hangs in the balance. While much of the focus in 2022 will center on the balance of power on Capitol Hill, this year could also be pivotal for state-level politics.
A total of 36 states are holding gubernatorial elections this year, and in 28 of those states, sitting governors are running for reelection. Their success or failure rests entirely on voter sentiment, and based on recent polling, some governors appear much better positioned to win than others.
Using public opinion data from research company Morning Consult, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most popular governors. States are ranked by the approval rating of their sitting governor. All approval ratings are based on data collected between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022 among a representative sample of over 600 registered voters in each state.
In keeping with low approval of the Biden Administration, Republican governors are generally more popular than their Democratic counterparts. All of the 10 most popular governors are Republican, while seven of the 10 least popular governors are Democratic. On average, Republican governors enjoy a 58% approval rating, compared to 51% among Democratic governors. (Here is a look at the final approval rating of every president since Harry Truman.)
According to a report by the independent, nonpartisan election research organization Cook Political Report, the closest races – those in which either party stands a good chance of winning – are in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Only two of those states – Arizona and Georgia – have a Republican governor.
At a time when many states are imposing voting restrictions and a leaked Supreme Court opinion suggests that abortion rights could soon be decided at the state level, the stakes of the 2022 gubernatorial elections could be higher than they have been in recent memory. Here is a look at the states where democracy is under siege.
Click here to see America’s most popular governors
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
50. Oregon
> Governor: Governor Kate Brown (D)
> Popularity: 41% approve, 54% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images News via Getty Images
49. Hawaii
> Governor: Governor David Ige (D)
> Popularity: 41% approve, 50% disapprove
> In office since: 2014
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
Source: Public Domain / White House / Wikimedia Commons
48. Rhode Island
> Governor: Governor Daniel McKee (D)
> Popularity: 42% approve, 40% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
47. Wisconsin
> Governor: Governor Tony Evers (D)
> Popularity: 45% approve, 48% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Mark Makela / Getty Images News via Getty Images
46. Pennsylvania
> Governor: Governor Tom Wolf (D)
> Popularity: 46% approve, 46% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images
45. Arizona
> Governor: Governor Doug Ducey (R)
> Popularity: 47% approve, 45% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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Source: Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images
44. New Mexico
> Governor: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
> Popularity: 48% approve, 45% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Pool / Getty Images News via Getty Images
43. Mississippi
> Governor: Governor Tate Reeves (R)
> Popularity: 49% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2020
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images News via Getty Images
42. Michigan
> Governor: Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 46% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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41. Iowa
> Governor: Governor Kim Reynolds (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 43% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images News via Getty Images
40. Georgia
> Governor: Governor Brian Kemp (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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39. Alaska
> Governor: Governor Mike Dunleavy (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2018
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images News via Getty Images
38. Missouri
> Governor: Governor Mike Parson (R)
> Popularity: 50% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2018
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
Source: whitehouse / Flickr
37. Illinois
> Governor: Governor J.B. Pritzker (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 43% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images News via Getty Images
36. Nevada
> Governor: Governor Steve Sisolak (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images News via Getty Images
35. Louisiana
> Governor: Governor John Bel Edwards (D)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2016
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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Source: Courtesy of the Governor of Virginia via governor.virginia.gov
34. Virginia
> Governor: Governor Glenn Youngkin (R)
> Popularity: 51% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2022
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
Source: David Ryder / Getty Images News via Getty Images
33. Washington
> Governor: Governor Jay Inslee (D)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 43% disapprove
> In office since: 2013
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
32. Nebraska
> Governor: Governor Pete Ricketts (R)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 39% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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Source: Sara D. Davis / Getty Images News via Getty Images
31. North Carolina
> Governor: Governor Roy Cooper (D)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
30. New York
> Governor: Governor Kathy Hochul (D)
> Popularity: 52% approve, 34% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
29. Maine
> Governor: Governor Janet T. Mills (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 44% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Erich Schlegel / Getty Images News via Getty Images
28. Texas
> Governor: Governor Greg Abbott (R)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
27. Minnesota
> Governor: Governor Tim Walz (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 41% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Getty Images News via Getty Images
26. New Jersey
> Governor: Governor Phil Murphy (D)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 39% disapprove
> In office since: 2018
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
Source: whitehouse45 / Flickr
25. Oklahoma
> Governor: Governor Kevin Stitt (R)
> Popularity: 53% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Sean Rayford / Getty Images
24. South Carolina
> Governor: Governor Henry McMaster (R)
> Popularity: 54% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Photo by Mark Reinstein / Corbis via Getty Images
23. Kansas
> Governor: Governor Laura Kelly (D)
> Popularity: 55% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
22. Florida
> Governor: Governor Ron DeSantis (R)
> Popularity: 56% approve, 38% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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21. Idaho
> Governor: Governor Brad Little (R)
> Popularity: 56% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
20. Indiana
> Governor: Governor Eric Holcomb (R)
> Popularity: 56% approve, 33% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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19. California
> Governor: Governor Gavin Newsom (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 37% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Bonnie Biess / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
18. Connecticut
> Governor: Governor Ned Lamont (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Rick T. Wilking / Getty Images
17. Colorado
> Governor: Governor Jared Polis (D)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 35% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
16. Montana
> Governor: Governor Greg Gianforte (R)
> Popularity: 57% approve, 34% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
Source: Handout / Getty Images News via Getty Images
15. South Dakota
> Governor: Governor Kristi L. Noem (R)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 40% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
14. Tennessee
> Governor: Governor Bill Lee (R)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Public Domain via United States Congress / Wikimedia Commons
13. Delaware
> Governor: Governor John C. Carney Jr. (D)
> Popularity: 58% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
Source: Jon Cherry / Getty Images News via Getty Images
12. Kentucky
> Governor: Governor Andy Beshear (D)
> Popularity: 59% approve, 36% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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Source: Justin Merriman / Getty Images News via Getty Images
11. Ohio
> Governor: Governor Richard Michael DeWine (R)
> Popularity: 60% approve, 33% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Stephen Yang / Getty Images News via Getty Images
10. North Dakota
> Governor: Governor Doug Burgum (R)
> Popularity: 60% approve, 29% disapprove
> In office since: 2016
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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Source: usdagov / Flickr
9. Wyoming
> Governor: Governor Mark Gordon (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2019
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
8. Alabama
> Governor: Governor Kay Ivey (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
7. Utah
> Governor: Governor Spencer Cox (R)
> Popularity: 62% approve, 24% disapprove
> In office since: 2021
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
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Source: hudopa / Public Domain / Flickr
6. New Hampshire
> Governor: Governor Chris Sununu (R)
> Popularity: 63% approve, 32% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images
5. Arkansas
> Governor: Governor Asa Hutchinson (R)
> Popularity: 63% approve, 29% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
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Source: Justin Merriman / Getty Images News via Getty Images
4. West Virginia
> Governor: Governor Jim Justice (R)
> Popularity: 65% approve, 27% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: No election this year
3. Maryland
> Governor: Governor Larry Hogan (R)
> Popularity: 71% approve, 22% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No (term limited)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
2. Vermont
> Governor: Governor Phil Scott (R)
> Popularity: 72% approve, 23% disapprove
> In office since: 2017
> Running for office in 2022?: Yes
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Source: Isaac Brekken / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
1. Massachusetts
> Governor: Governor Charles D. Baker (R)
> Popularity: 74% approve, 21% disapprove
> In office since: 2015
> Running for office in 2022?: No
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