Twenty-six states are holding elections for secretary of state in November. While these states hold direct elections for the office, nine out of the 12 states in which the governor or legislature appoints the secretary of state will hold respective gubernatorial or state legislative elections in 2026. In five of those states, the secretary of state is the state’s top election official.
In Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas, the governor will pick the next secretary of state. Currently, Florida and Texas have Republican governors, and Pennsylvania has a Democratic governor:
- Florida : Incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is term-limited. He appointed incumbent Cord Byrd (R) in 2022, and the Florida Senate confirmed him in 2023. In the Republican primary , 16 candidates, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R), U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R), and investor James Fishback (R), are running, while on the Democratic side , 14 candidates, including Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (D) and former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (D), are running.
- Pennsylvania : Incumbent Josh Shapiro (D) and State Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) are running for governor of Pennsylvania. Shapiro appointed, and the Pennsylvania Senate confirmed incumbent Al Schmidt (R) in 2023. Schmidt is the only secretary of state whose partisan affiliation differs from that of the appointing body. Shapiro is a Democrat, and at the time of Schmidt's appointment the Senate had a 28-22 Republican majority.
- Texas : Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R), state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D), and two other candidates are running for governor of Texas. Abbott appointed incumbent Jane Nelson (R) in 2023.
In Maine and New Hampshire, the state legislature will pick the next secretary of state. Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the Maine Legislature while Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the New Hampshire General Court.
- Maine: Democrats hold a 75-72-3 majority with one vacancy in the House and a 20-14-1 majority in the Senate . The current Secretary of State is Shenna Bellows (D), who was first appointed in 2021.
- New Hampshire: Republicans hold a 216-176-1 and seven vacancies in the House and a 16-8 majority in the Senate . The current Secretary of State is David Scanlan (R), who was first appointed in 2022.
The secretary of state is an administrative position that varies from state to state. Some secretaries of state are their state’s top election official, others are record keepers and record official gubernatorial acts. It is directly elected in 35 states, appointed in 12, and not an office in three states. Of the nine indirectly elected offices up this year, five are considered their state’s top elected official. To read more about directly elected secretary of state elections in 2026, click here.
