Election 2024 results: Gubernatorial

While most of the country’s attention has been on the contests for control of the White House and Congress, eleven states and two territories, including Puerto Rico, held gubernatorial elections on Nov. 5. Voters in eight of those states (Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Washington, and West Virginia) were choosing a new governor to replace either a term-limited incumbent or governors who chose not to seek re-election. In Montana, Utah, and Vermont, governors seeking re-election, handily won. Information on the winners and their views on economic development follows.

Delaware  

Democrat Matt Meyer won election as the state’s next governor on Tuesday and succeeds term-limited Gov. John Carney. As governor, Meyer pledges to create incentives for local governments to change regulations that make building housing, including rental units, difficult. He also intends to copy a Pennsylvania program that provides technical assistance and grants to startup businesses. A Meyer administration will continue to build upon Gov. Carney’s green economy, jobs, and infrastructure initiatives, including offshore wind and climate goals, such as net-zero emissions by 2050 in Delaware. But before Meyer becomes governor, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, who lost the Democratic primary in August, will become the state’s 75th governor when Gov. John Carney resigns the position to become the Mayor of Wilmington on Jan. 7. Hall-Long will serve as the state’s governor until Jan. 21, when Gov.-elect Meyer is inaugurated as governor.

Indiana

Republican U.S. Senator Mike Braun won the Indiana governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Democrat Jennifer McCormick, a former Republican and the state’s schools superintendent. Braun’s victory extends the GOP’s 20-year hold on the state’s top office as he succeeds term-limited Gov. Eric Holcomb. Touting his experience in the private sector and growing a small business into a national company, Braun’s administration will build upon the America First economic agenda and work to forge partnerships with industries and businesses committed to growing jobs in the U.S.A.

Missouri

Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe won Tuesday’s race to become the state’s 58th governor. Kehoe’s administration will  likely continue many of the same policies seen under his term-limited predecessor, Gov. Mike Parson. Kehoe campaigned on his extensive business experience and promises of steady conservative leadership. Described as a down-the-line conservative on issues including gun owners’ rights, abortion, private school choice, and border security, he has also made the elimination of the state income tax an administration priority and will focus on education and expanding workforce development to help Missourians prepare for and learn new job skills.

Montana

Republican incumbent Greg Gianforte won re-election as Montana’s governor on Tuesday. He is running on his administration’s record for implementing his first term’s business and jobs platform and tax policies, and his second term will continue to build upon those policies. These policies include additional regulation reforms, newly created affordable housing and housing reforms, and conservative fiscal proposals.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire's governorship will remain in Republican hands after former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte defeated her Democratic opponent Joyce Craig Tuesday evening. Ayotte succeeds Gov. Chris Sununu, who decided against seeking another term. The race was seen as one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests in the country, and the Democrats' best hope to pick up a governor's mansion. Vowing to keep New Hampshire on the “Sununu path,” Ayotte campaigned on fiscally conservative “prosperous and free” platform policies, and her administration will seek to continue reducing regulations and tax burdens for businesses, as well as keep the state free of income and sales taxes.

North Carolina

Within minutes of the polls closing on Tuesday evening, multiple outlets had called the race for the Democratic candidate, Josh Stein. Stein is the third consecutive Democratic attorney general to ascend to governor of North Carolina. The governor-elect has made it clear that one of his top priorities will be support for public schools—he’s an opponent of vouchers—while also seeking to attract more businesses, managing the state’s growth, and maintaining a focus on public safety and drug addiction. Stein also ran on a platform of priorities that includes building a strong workforce and investing in the state’s workforce by supporting North Carolina’s community colleges and universities; he proposes keeping tuition affordable to no-cost community colleges for students training in high-demand industries. As Governor, Stein promises to ensure that entrepreneurs have opportunities to build wealth by reducing red tape, investing in innovative strategies for economic development, and increasing resources for technical assistance and mentorship programs.

North Dakota

Heavily favored to win in the solid red state, which has not had a Democrat in the governor’s residence since 1992, Republican Congressman Kelly Armstrong will succeed term-limited Gov. Doug Burgum as the state’s next executive officer. Kelly supports an elimination of state income taxes, if feasible, and takes a conservative stance on issues such as abortion and border security. Armstrong has praised outgoing Gov. Doug Burgum for managing the economy and says that now is the time for North Dakota to invest in its workforce, increasing the numbers of teachers, nurses, and skilled workers.

Utah

Incumbent Republican Gov. Spencer Cox won re-election to a second term on Tuesday, beating State Representative Brian King. Cox campaigned on his administration’s accomplishments during his first term, which included passage of parental permission legislation involving tech companies and social media; changes in water law, water conservation, and infrastructure planning; universal school choice; and funding for affordable housing, early education, and workforce initiatives.

Vermont

Incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott won re-election to a fifth term on Tuesday. The popular governor beat political newcomer Esther Charlestin, a Democrat-Progressive. As governor, Scott has consistently campaigned on a platform of low taxes and fiscal conservatism while generally taking liberal stances on social issues such as abortion rights and LGBTQ+ equality. His administration continues to seek collaboration between the Department of Labor and key workforce development partners to support training opportunities, which will assist Vermonters to gain new skills for advancement in or securing good-paying jobs and attract businesses and entrepreneurs to the state to grow the state’s population and economy.

Washington

Democratic State Attorney General Bob Ferguson defeated former U.S. Rep. and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert (R) in Tuesday’s election. He will succeed Gov. Jay Inslee, who decided not to seek re-election. Ferguson campaigned on a plan to grow the state’s economy, which included proposals to foster entrepreneurship and innovation and enhance access to capital; establish startup incubators and accelerators and collaborate with the private sector to create innovation hubs; encourage research and development by investing in research institutions, fostering collaboration between universities, industries, and government agencies, and supporting STEM education; provide apprenticeships, job training, college, or work transition for high school students and retraining initiatives for adults; and establish Washington as the nation’s premier Hydrogen Hub, aiming to create thousands of good-paying jobs and transform the state’s clean energy economy.

West Virginia

Republican State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey easily won the West Virginia governor’s race Tuesday. As governor, Morrisey intends to cut taxes further—even eliminating income taxes altogether or at least cutting rates down lower than in neighboring states. He promises to engage in a “backyard brawl” with neighboring states over economic growth. He has also pledged to revisit every regulation on the books for possible reform or elimination.

This article was prepared by SSTI using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070129 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.