2016 United States gubernatorial elections

2016 United States gubernatorial elections

← 2015 November 8, 2016 2017 →
14 governorships 12 states; 2 territories[a][b]
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats before 31 18 Seats after 33 16 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 9,688,153 9,288,363 Percentage 49.48% 47.44% Seats up 4 8 Seats won 6 6
Map of the results      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      Republican hold      Republican gain      New Progressive gain      Nonpartisan politician      No election

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 12 states and two territories. The last regular gubernatorial elections for nine of the 12 states took place in 2012. The last gubernatorial elections for New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont took place in 2014, as Oregon held a special election due to the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber, while the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont both serve two-year terms. The 2016 gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, Senate, and House elections.

The Republican Party won open Democrat-held governorships in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Missouri; and they also held their open seats in Indiana and North Dakota, increasing its total to 33. Democrats finished with 16 governorships, defeating incumbent Pat McCrory in North Carolina and holding open seats in Delaware and West Virginia, with one independent governor in Alaska accounting for the 50th gubernatorial seat.

However, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia switched his party affiliation to Republican shortly after his inauguration, thereby increasing the number of Republican governors to 34, tying their record set in the 1921 United States gubernatorial elections. As of 2024, this is the last time that Democrats won gubernatorial elections in Montana and West Virginia.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).