United States gubernatorial elections were held in 12 states (including a

recall election A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of of ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

on June 5) and two territories. Of the eight Democratic and four

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

seats contested, only that of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

changed party hands, giving the Republicans a net gain of one governorship. These elections (except for

) coincided with the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

on November 6, 2012. As of , this is the last time that Republicans won a gubernatorial election in North Carolina, and Democrats won one in Missouri.

Election predictions

Race summary

States

Territories

Closest races

States where the margin of victory was under 1%: # Puerto Rico, 0.60% States where the margin of victory was under 5%: # Montana, 1.56% # Indiana, 2.93% # Washington, 3.07% # West Virginia, 4.84% States where the margin of victory was under 10%: # American Samoa, 5.88% # Wisconsin, 6.80% Red denotes states won by Republicans. Blue denotes states won by Democrats. Grey denotes states won by Independents.

Delaware

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jack Markell Jack Alan Markell (born November 26, 1960) is an American politician who currently serves as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He previously served as the 73rd governor of Delaware from 2 ...

ran for re-election. His Republican challenger was Jeff Cragg. Markell eventually won the election.

Indiana

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...

was term-limited in 2012. Mike Pence, a six-term Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced his candidacy for his party's nomination. Pence, whose announcement was anticipated by his resignation of a leading position in the GOP caucus in the House, was regarded as the favorite for election. Indianapolis businessman and former Hamilton County Councilman Jim Wallace had announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination prior to Pence's entrance but failed to collect enough signatures to become an official candidate by the deadline in February 2012. Former state House Speaker John R. Gregg was unopposed for the Democratic Party's nomination. Former Survivor contestant and founder of the

Rupert's Kids Rupert Frederick Boneham (; born January 27, 1964) is an American mentor for troubled teens, who became known to reality television audiences in 2003 as a contestant on '' Survivor: Pearl Islands'' where he placed eighth. He later appeared on the ...

charity

Rupert Boneham Rupert Frederick Boneham (; born January 27, 1964) is an American mentor for troubled teens, who became known to reality television audiences in 2003 as a contestant on '' Survivor: Pearl Islands'' where he placed eighth. He later appeared on the ...

ran as the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

candidate. Pence narrowly defeated Gregg with 49.9% of the vote to Gregg's 46.56%. Boneham received 3.95% of the vote.

Missouri

Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 55th Governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the governorship in 2008 and reel ...

sought re-election. Dave Spence, a businessman from

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, won the Republican nomination over attorney Bill Randles in the August 7, 2012 primary. Jim Higgins is the Libertarian candidate. Nixon eventually won the general election over Spence and Higgins. The Lieutenant Governor is elected separately.

Montana

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democra ...

was term-limited in 2012. The declared Democratic primary candidates were state Senator Larry Jent and state Attorney General Steve Bullock. The declared Republican primary candidates included Chouteau County commissioner Jim O'Hara, former state Senators Corey Stapleton and Ken Miller, terrorism and national security analyst Neil Livingstone, former Congressman

Rick Hill Richard Hill (born December 30, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Montana. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Montana in 2012. Early life and ...

, and Truck driver Keith Winkler. Steve Bullock and Rick Hill won their respective primaries. Bullock defeated Hill and Libertarian Ron Vandevender in the general election.

New Hampshire

John Lynch retired rather than running for re-election.

Maggie Hassan Margaret Coldwell Hassan (; née Wood; born February 27, 1958) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from New Hampshire. A Democrat, Hassan was elected to the Senate in 2016 while serving as the 81st ...

, former Majority Leader of the New Hampshire State Senate, defeated former state senator

Jackie Cilley Jacalyn L. Cilley (born August 5, 1951) is a former Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing the Strafford 4th District, and a former member of the New Hampshire Senate for the 6th district. Biography Ja ...

and firefighter Bill Kennedy to become the Democratic nominee. Former Chairman of the New Hampshire Board of Education Ovide Lamontagne, who narrowly lost the Republican primary for Senate in 2010, defeated conservative activist and former state representative

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...

and Bill Tarr to win the Republican nomination. Hassan eventually won the general election.

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

does not have a position of Lieutenant Governor.

North Carolina

Beverly Perdue retired rather than run for re-election. Potential Democratic candidates included Lt. Gov. Walter H. Dalton and state Rep. Bill Faison. Potential Republican candidates included former Mayor of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American businessman, politician and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd Mayor ...

(the 2008 Republican nominee for Governor);

Nido Qubein Nido Qubein is a Lebanese American businessman and motivational speaker. He has been president of High Point University since 2005. He received his Associate's degree in business from Mount Olive College, his bachelor degree in human relations fr ...

, President of High Point University; Tom Fetzer, former Mayor of Raleigh; and former state Senator Fred Smith. Dalton and McCrory won their respective primaries, and McCrory eventually won the general election. The

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

was elected separately.

North Dakota

Jack Dalrymple John Stewart Dalrymple III (born October 16, 1948) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 32nd Governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th Lieutenant Governo ...

succeeded

John Hoeven John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of Nort ...

after the latter was elected Senator and ran for a full term in 2012. Drew Wrigley was his running mate. Dalrymple defeated architect Paul Sorum for the nomination. State Senate Minority leader Ryan Taylor was the Democratic nominee. Ellen Chaffee was his running mate. Dalrymple eventually won the general election.

Utah

Gary Herbert Gary Richard Herbert (born May 7, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle. Herbert wo ...

, who won the 2010 gubernatorial special election to finish his predecessor's unfinished term, ran for a full four-year term in 2012. Democrat Peter Cooke, a businessman and retired major general, opposed him. The Libertarian candidate was medical researcher Ken Larson, and the Constitution party candidate was Kirk D. Pearson. Herbert eventually won the general election.

Vermont

Peter Shumlin Peter Elliott Shumlin (born March 24, 1956) is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017. He was first elected to the office in 2010, and was reelected to ...

, the victor of the Vermont gubernatorial election of 2010, ran for re-election in 2012. His Republican challenger was state Senator Randy Brock. Shumlin later won the general election. The Lieutenant Governor was elected separately.

Washington

Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 22nd governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and ag ...

retired rather than run for re-election. U.S. Representative

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Represent ...

is the only declared Democratic candidate. Other potential Democratic candidates including state Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown,

King County Executive The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers o ...

Dow Constantine James Dow Constantine (born November 15, 1961) is an American politician, lawyer, and urban planner in the state of Washington who is serving his third term as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was in the stat ...

, state Treasurer

Jim McIntire James McIntire was a gunfighter and Texas Ranger in the old west of the United States. He is best known for his autobiography, written in 1902 following a near death experience. The biography, ''Early Days in Texas: A Trip Through Hell and Heaven' ...

, Auditor General Brian Sonntag, and

Snohomish County Executive The Snohomish County Executive is the head of the executive branch of Snohomish County, Washington. The position is subject to four-year terms (with a term limit of 3) and is a partisan office. History County voters approved the adoption of a ...

Aaron Reardon have declined to run, or endorsed Inslee.

State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gener ...

Rob McKenna Robert Marion McKenna (born October 1, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th attorney general of Washington from 2005 to 2013 after serving on the Metropolitan King County Council from 1996 to 2005. A member of the Re ...

and Pastor Shahram Hadian, are the announced Republicans in the race.

Seattle Port Commission The Port of Seattle is a government agency overseeing the Northwest Seaport Alliance, seaport and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, airport of Seattle, Washington, United States. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and wa ...

President Bill Bryant is considered a potential Republican candidate.D.C.'s Political Report: Washington Congressional and Statewide Races
Dcpoliticalreport.com (2010-11-15). Retrieved on November 20, 2010. U.S. Representative

Dave Reichert David George Reichert (; born August 29, 1950) is an American politician, veteran, and former sheriff who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2019. He is a Republican and is the former ele ...

decided against a bid, and threw his support to McKenna. Inslee eventually won the general election. The Lieutenant Governor will be elected separately.

West Virginia

The

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the state supreme court of the state of West Virginia, the highest of West Virginia's state courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, although from 1873 ...

ruled on January 18, 2011 that the state must hold a special gubernatorial election in 2011 to fill the vacancy resulting from

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III (born August 24, 1947) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia, a seat he has held since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Manchin was the 34th governor o ...

's election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. The special election occurred October 4, 2011 with state Senate President and acting Governor

Earl Ray Tomblin Earl Ray Tomblin (born March 15, 1952) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of West Virginia from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the West Virginia Senate from 1980 to 2011 and as pre ...

won the election. Tomblin was eligible to run for a full term in 2012. Tomblin's 2011 Republican opponent, businessman Bill Maloney, eventually became the Republican nominee. Tomblin later won the election. David Moran was the Libertarian candidate. The Lieutenant Governor is elected by the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

Wisconsin (recall)

Scott Walker (R) survived a recall election on June 5. Walker's disapproval ratings varied between 50–51% while his approval ratings varied between 47–49% in 2011. Walker led against challenger Tom Barrett (D) in polls since March, including two post-primary polls which showed Walker with a five to twelve point lead.Post-primary poll: Walker leads Barrett by 5 points
/ref> Walker defeated Barrett by seven percentage points, becoming the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election.

Territories

American Samoa

Togiola Tulafono Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono (born February 28, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the 6th Governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as lieutenant governor, taking t ...

, who had served as Governor since 2003, was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. Six candidates vied to succeed outgoing Governor Tulafono – former President of American Samoa Community College,

Salu Hunkin-Finau Salu Hunkin-Finau (born ?) is an American Samoan educator, politician, and academic administrator. She is the former president of American Samoa Community College. In February 2012, Hunkin announced her candidacy for Governor of American Samoa in th ...

; businessman Timothy Jones; former Attorney General

Afoa Moega Lutu Afoafouvale Leulumoegafou Suesue Lutu (born February 24, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and attorney. Lutu has served as the former attorney general of American Samoa in two different administrations. He is also a former senator from the d ...

; former President of the Development Bank of American Samoa, Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga; Lieutenant Governor

Faoa Aitofele Sunia Faoa Aitofele Toese Fiti Sunia (born March 27, 1943), formerly known by the title of Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia, is an American Samoan lawyer and politician. Sunia has served as the Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa from April 11, 2003 to January ...

; and former

High Court of American Samoa The High Court of American Samoa is a Samoan court and the highest court below the United States Supreme Court in American Samoa. The Court is located in the capital of Fagatogo. It consists of one chief justice and one associate justice, appo ...

justice

Save Liuato Tuitele Save Liuato Afa Tuitele (born ?) is an American Samoan retired judge and politician. He was one of six candidates for Governor of American Samoa in the 2012 gubernatorial election. Biography Personal life Tuitele was born in Leloaloa, American Sa ...

. Moliga eventually won the general election.

Puerto Rico

Luis Fortuño Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born 31 October 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, from 2009 to 2013. Fortuño served as the first secretary of econom ...

( PNP/R) ran for re-election. Fortuño had been mentioned as a long-shot potential Republican nominee for President or Vice President in 2012. However, he announced on June 26, 2011 that he would run for re-election instead of seeking the Presidency. Senator

Alejandro García Padilla Alejandro Javier García Padilla (; born August 3, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this position, García Padilla held various roles in the political la ...

( PPD) was the net biggest challenger out of six challengers, and eventually won the general election.

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

does not have a position of Lieutenant Governor.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Gubernatorial Elections, 2012