Our promise

State comparison

How are state officials chosen?

How each state fills the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state, and for how long.

Facts checked November 5, 2026. Counts cover the 50 states and include only what we could verify. Labels are simplified, so read the state’s own page and source before relying on a cell.

Attorney general

  • 43 elected
  • 4 appointed by governor
  • 1 chosen by legislature
  • 1 nominated and appointed by the governor and Executive Council
  • 1 chosen by state supreme court

Secretary of state

  • 35 elected
  • 9 appointed by governor
  • 3 no such office
  • 3 chosen by legislature

Lieutenant governor

  • 26 joint ticket
  • 17 separate election
  • 4 no such office
  • 1 joint ticket, starting with the 2026 election; the first lieutenant governor takes office in 2027
  • 1 the Speaker of the Senate holds the title
  • 1 the president of the state Senate holds the title

State executive offices
StateGovernor’s term (years)Governor’s term limitLieutenant governorAttorney generalSecretary of state
Alaska4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceappointed by governor sourceno such office source
Alabama4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Arkansas4 sourceTwo terms in total sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Arizona4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket, starting with the 2026 election; the first lieutenant governor takes office in 2027 sourceelected sourceelected source
California4 sourceTwo terms in total sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Colorado4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Connecticut4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
District of Columbia4 sourceNone sourceNot verifiedelected sourceappointed by the mayor source
Delaware4 sourceTwo terms in total sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Florida4 sourceNo more than two consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Georgia4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Hawaii4 sourceNo more than two consecutive full terms sourcejoint ticket sourceappointed by governor sourceno such office source
Iowa4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Idaho4 sourceNone sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Illinois4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Indiana4 sourceNo more than eight years in any twelve-year period sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Kansas4 sourceNo more than two successive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Kentucky4 sourceIneligible for four years after a second consecutive term sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Louisiana4 sourceCannot be elected to a third consecutive term sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Massachusetts4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Maryland4 sourceIneligible to succeed self after two consecutive elected terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Maine4 sourceIneligible to succeed self after 2 consecutive 4-year terms sourceno such office sourcechosen by legislature sourcechosen by legislature source
Michigan4 sourceCannot be elected more than two times sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Minnesota4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Missouri4 sourceCannot be elected governor more than twice sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Mississippi4 sourceCannot be elected governor more than twice sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Montana4 sourceNo more than 8 years in any 16-year period sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
North Carolina4 sourceNo more than two consecutive terms sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
North Dakota4 sourceTwo terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Nebraska4 sourceIneligible for four years after two consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
New Hampshire2 sourceNone sourceno such office sourcenominated and appointed by the governor and Executive Council sourcechosen by legislature source
New Jersey4 sourceNo person elected governor for two successive terms may be elected to a third successive term sourcejoint ticket sourceappointed by governor sourceappointed by governor source
New Mexico4 sourceIneligible after two terms until one full term has intervened sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Nevada4 sourceNo person may be elected governor more than twice sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
New York4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Ohio4 sourceNo more than two successive four-year terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Oklahoma4 sourceEight years total as governor, not necessarily consecutive sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Oregon4 sourceNo more than eight years in any period of twelve years sourceno such office sourceelected sourceelected source
Pennsylvania4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Rhode Island4 sourceTwo consecutive full terms sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
South Carolina4 sourceTwo successive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
South Dakota4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
Tennessee4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourcethe Speaker of the Senate holds the title sourcechosen by state supreme court sourcechosen by legislature source
Texas4 sourceNone sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Utah4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceno such office source
Virginia4 sourceIneligible for the term next succeeding the one for which elected (no immediate second term) sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceappointed by governor source
Vermont2 sourceNot verifiedseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Washington4 sourceNone sourceseparate election sourceelected sourceelected source
Wisconsin4 sourceNone sourcejoint ticket sourceelected sourceelected source
West Virginia4 sourceIneligible for the term immediately following after serving all or part of two consecutive terms sourcethe president of the state Senate holds the title sourceelected sourceelected source
Wyoming4 sourceTwo consecutive terms sourceno such office sourceappointed by governor sourceelected source