New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2026

New Hampshire 2026 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • How to run for office

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Governor of New Hampshire
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 12, 2026
Primary: September 8, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: Varies by municipality Voting in New Hampshire
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
New Hampshire executive elections
Governor State Executive Council (5 seats)

New Hampshire is holding an election for governor on November 3, 2026. The primary is September 8, 2026. The filing deadline is June 12, 2026.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2026 (September 8 Democratic primary)
• New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2026 (September 8 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on September 8, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Jonathan Kiper is running in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 8, 2026.

		Candidate
		Jonathan Kiper

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Voting information

See also: Voting in New Hampshire

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Republican-held governorship in state Harris won

See also: Gubernatorial elections, 2026

This is one of two governorships Republicans are defending in states Kamala Harris (D) won in 2024: New Hampshire and Vermont.

Democrats are defending five governorships in a state that President Donald Trump (R) won in 2024: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The table below shows which states are holding gubernatorial elections in 2026 and the last presidential and gubernatorial margin of victory in each. Click on the bar below to expand the table.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[1]
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[2][3][4]

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Governor of New Hampshire

Kelly Ayotte defeated Joyce Craig and Stephen Villee in the general election for Governor of New Hampshire on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Ayotte (R)	53.6	436,122
		Joyce Craig (D)	44.3	360,149
		Stephen Villee (L)	2.0	16,202
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,024

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 813,497
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Edmond LaPlante (Constitution Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Joyce Craig defeated Cinde Warmington and Jonathan Kiper in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joyce Craig	47.9	59,976
		Cinde Warmington	41.8	52,420
		Jonathan Kiper	9.4	11,789
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	1,076

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 125,261
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Ayotte	63.1	88,117
		Chuck Morse	34.1	47,567
		Shaun Fife	0.6	876
	Submit photo	Robert McClory	0.6	839
		Frank Staples	0.6	809
	Submit photo	Richard McMenamon II	0.4	527
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	867

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 139,602
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2022

See also: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of New Hampshire

Incumbent Chris Sununu defeated Tom Sherman, Kelly Halldorson, and Karlyn Borysenko in the general election for Governor of New Hampshire on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Sununu (R)	57.0	352,813
		Tom Sherman (D)	41.5	256,766
		Kelly Halldorson (L)	0.8	5,071
		Karlyn Borysenko (L)	0.4	2,772
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	1,713

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 619,135
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Tom Sherman advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sherman	97.1	83,205
		Other/Write-in votes	2.9	2,503

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 85,708
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Sununu	78.5	113,443
		Karen Testerman	10.0	14,473
		Thaddeus Riley	7.7	11,107
		Julian Acciard	2.0	2,906
	Submit photo	Jay Lewis	0.9	1,318
	Submit photo	Richard McMenamon II	0.6	817
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	374

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 144,438
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2020

General election

General election for Governor of New Hampshire

Incumbent Chris Sununu defeated Dan Feltes and Darryl Perry in the general election for Governor of New Hampshire on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Sununu (R)	65.1	516,609
		Dan Feltes (D)	33.4	264,639
		Darryl Perry (L)	1.4	11,329
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	683

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 793,260
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Dan Feltes defeated Andru Volinsky in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Feltes	52.3	72,318
		Andru Volinsky	47.4	65,455
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	446

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 138,219
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Incumbent Chris Sununu defeated Karen Testerman and Nobody in the Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Sununu	89.8	130,703
		Karen Testerman	9.3	13,589
		Nobody	0.9	1,239
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	95

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 145,626
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

• Presidential elections
• Statewide elections
• State partisanship
• Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in New Hampshire and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for New Hampshire, 2026

District	Incumbent	PVI
New Hampshire's 1st	Chris Pappas	D+2
New Hampshire's 2nd	Maggie Goodlander	D+2

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, New Hampshire

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, New Hampshire[5]
District	Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
New Hampshire's 1st	51.0%	49.0%
New Hampshire's 2nd	51.0%	48.0%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2016	2020	2024
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2016	2020	2024
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2024 presidential election, 32.9% of New Hampshirites lived in one of the state's 4 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 30.5% lived in one of 1 Trending Democratic counties. Overall, New Hampshire was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in New Hampshire following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

New Hampshire county-level statistics, 2024
Solid Democratic	4	32.9%
Trending Democratic	1	30.5%
Battleground Republican	3	29.7%
Solid Republican	2	6.9%
Total voted Democratic	5	63.4%
Total voted Republican	5	36.6%

Historical voting trends

New Hampshire presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 14 Democratic wins
• 18 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	D	D

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from New Hampshire

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in New Hampshire.

U.S. Senate election results in New Hampshire

Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	53.5%	44.4%
2020	56.7%	41.0%
2016	48.0%	47.9%
2014	51.5%	48.2%
2010	60.2%	36.7%
Average	54.0	43.6

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of New Hampshire

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in New Hampshire.

Gubernatorial election results in New Hampshire

Race	Winner	Runner up
2024	53.6%	44.3%
2022	57.0%	41.5%
2020	65.1%	33.4%
2018	52.8%	45.7%
2016	48.8%	46.6%
Average	55.5	42.3

See also: Party control of New Hampshire state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of New Hampshire's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from New Hampshire
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	2	4
Republican	0	0	0
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	2	4

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in New Hampshire's top three state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in New Hampshire, October 2025

Office	Officeholder
Governor	Kelly Ayotte
Secretary of State	David Scanlan
Attorney General	John Formella

State legislature

New Hampshire State Senate

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	8
	Republican Party	16
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		24

New Hampshire House of Representatives

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	177
	Republican Party	218
	Independent	1
	Other	0
	Vacancies	4
Total		400

Trifecta control

New Hampshire Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	S	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R

The table below details demographic data in New Hampshire and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for New Hampshire
	New Hampshire	United States
Population	1,377,529	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	8,953	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	88.9%	63.4%
Black/African American	1.5%	12.4%
Asian	2.6%	5.8%
Native American	0.1%	0.9%
Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.4%
Other (single race)	1.3%	6.6%
Multiple	5.5%	10.7%
Hispanic/Latino	4.5%	19%
Education
High school graduation rate	94.1%	89.4%
College graduation rate	39.8%	35%
Income
Median household income	$95,628	$78,538
Persons below poverty level	7.2%	12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Gubernatorial elections in 2026

There are 36 gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2026.

See also

New Hampshire	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
New Hampshire State Executive Offices New Hampshire State Legislature New Hampshire Courts	2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 New Hampshire elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016	Party control of state government State government trifectas State of the state addresses Partisan composition of governors

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of New Hampshire

Footnotes

	v • e State of New Hampshire Concord (capital)
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