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The United States has 50 states and 5 territories that each elect a governor to serve as chief executive of the state or territorial government. [1] The sole federal district, the District of Columbia, elects a mayor to oversee their government in a similar manner. [2] [3] Most states and territories also have a lieutenant governor who is the second-highest-ranking official and the first to succeed the governor in the event of a vacancy. [4]
As of January 9,2024 [update] , there are 27 states with Republican governors and 23 states with Democratic governors. Four U.S. territories have Democratic governors, while one has an independent governor. Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico is a member of the New Progressive Party, although he is also affiliated with the Democratic Party. [5] All 55 governors are members of the National Governors Association, a non-partisan organization which represents states and territories in discussions with the federal government. [6] The federal District of Columbia is governed by a Democratic mayor. [7]
The current gubernatorial term ends and new term begins in January of the given year for most states and territories; in Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, and Kentucky, the term ends in December of that year's election. [8] [9] All 55 state and territorial governors are members of the non-partisan National Governors Association as well as the partisan Democratic Governors Association and Republican Governors Association. Three regional associations—Midwestern, Northeastern, and Western—also serve as non-partisan organizations to lobby for governors' interests. [10]
The longest serving incumbent U.S. governor is Jay Inslee of Washington, who took office on January 16, 2013. [11] The most recently inaugurated governor is Jeff Landry of Louisiana, who took office on January 8, 2024. [5] The average age of governors at the time of their inauguration was 59.28 years old. Alabama governor Kay Ivey (born 1944) is the oldest current governor, and Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982) is the youngest. [12] As of the 2022 elections [update] , there are 12 female state governors currently serving. 46 of the governors are non-Hispanic white, while one is Hispanic, one is Black, and one is Native American. [12]
The notation "(term limits)" after the year indicates that the governor is ineligible to seek re-election in that year; the notation "(retiring)" indicates that the governor has announced his or her intention not to seek re-election at the end of the term nor to run for another office.
Territory governors Democratic (4) Independent (1) New Progressive (1) | |||||||||
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Territory | Image | Governor [5] | Party [5] | Born | Prior public experience | Inauguration [5] | End of term [5] | ||
American Samoa (list) | Lemanu Peleti Mauga | Democratic | January 3, 1960 [69] | Lieutenant Governor American Samoa Senate [69] | January 3, 2021 [70] | 2025 | |||
Guam (list) | Lou Leon Guerrero | Democratic | November 8, 1950 [71] | Guam Legislature [71] | January 7, 2019 [71] | 2027 (term limits) | |||
Northern Mariana Islands (list) | Arnold Palacios | Independent | August 22, 1955 [72] | Lieutenant Governor President of the CNMI Senate Speaker of the CNMI House [72] | January 9, 2023 [72] | 2027 | |||
Puerto Rico (list) | Pedro Pierluisi | New Progressive | April 25, 1959 [73] | U.S. House Territorial Secretary of Justice [73] | January 2, 2021 [73] | 2025 | |||
U.S. Virgin Islands (list) | Albert Bryan | Democratic | February 21, 1968 [74] | Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Labor [74] | January 7, 2019 [74] | 2027 (term limits) |
The District of Columbia is a federal district that elects a mayor that has similar powers to those of a state or territorial governor. [2] From 1871 to 1874, the district had a governor that was appointed by the President of the United States. [75]
Federal district mayor Democratic (1) | |||||||||
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Federal district | Image | Mayor | Party | Born | Prior public experience | Inauguration | End of term | ||
District of Columbia (list) | Muriel Bowser | Democratic [76] | August 2, 1972 [76] | D.C. Council Advisory Neighborhood Commission [76] | January 2, 2015 [77] | 2027 |
Jay Robert Inslee 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 Representatives from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2012, and was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He is the longest-serving current governor in the United States.
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Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer currently serving as governor of Puerto Rico since January 2, 2021. He has previously served as secretary of justice, resident commissioner, acting secretary of state, de facto governor of Puerto Rico and as private attorney for Puerto Rico's fiscal oversight board under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act. He is a member of the New Progressive Party and the Democratic Party of the United States.
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