2019 United States gubernatorial elections

2019 United States gubernatorial elections

← 2018 November 5, 2019
October 12 (Louisiana)
November 16 (Louisiana runoff)
2020 →

3 governorships
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Republican Democratic
Seats before 27 23
Seats after 26 24
Seat change Decrease 1 Increase 1
Popular vote 1,898,436 1,898,756
Percentage 49.48% 49.49%
Seats up 2 1
Seats won 1 2

2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election2019 Louisiana gubernatorial election2019 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Map of the results
     Democratic gain      Republican hold
     Democratic hold
     No election

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2019, in Kentucky and Mississippi, and on October 12, 2019, with a runoff on November 16, in Louisiana. These elections formed part of the 2019 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all three states were in 2015. The Democrats had to defend an incumbent in Louisiana, while the Republicans had to defend an incumbent in Kentucky plus an open seat in Mississippi. Though all three seats up were in typically Republican states, the election cycle became unexpectedly competitive: Kentucky and Louisiana were seen as highly contested races; and Mississippi's race ultimately became closer than usual, despite being seen as favorable for the Republicans.

Democrats were able to hold their seat in Louisiana and flip the governor's seat in Kentucky, while Republicans successfully kept the Mississippi governorship by winning the open seat. As a result, the Democrats gained a net of one seat, bringing the total number of Democratic governors to 24, while Republicans were reduced to 26 governors, continuing a streak of governor's seat gains by Democrats under Republican President Donald Trump that began in 2017.

This is the first time since 2003 in which a party made a net gain of seats in this cycle of governorships, and the first time since 1991 that Kentucky and Louisiana elected candidates of the same party. Democrats also won the total popular vote for gubernatorial elections for the third year in a row, and for the first time since 1991 in this cycle of governorships, albeit by an extremely narrow margin of 320 votes, or 0.01%. Additionally, these are the first gubernatorial elections since 1981 in which all of the margins of victory were under ten points.

As of 2024, this is the last time that Democrats won the governorship in Louisiana.


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