The number of incumbents running in this year’s state executive elections—20—is the fewest in the past four cycles for these offices. These are the 36 executive positions that voters decide in three states—Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi—in the year prior to each presidential election.
The number of incumbents running for re-election for these offices has declined each cycle since 2011, when 27 incumbents ran for the same 36 positions.
