2026 State Governor Primaries: Hawaii, Wisconsin, Iowa and Vermont Races Take Shape

Several states are holding 2026 gubernatorial primary elections, with distinct races underway in Hawaii, Wisconsin, Iowa and Vermont. In Hawaii, Democratic Gov. Josh Green faces three little-known Democratic primary challengers ahead of the August 8, 2026 primary, none of whom have reported raising or spending campaign funds; Green also faces two Republicans and four nonpartisan candidates, and has said he does not recall meeting any of his opponents. In Wisconsin, where Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is retiring, five Democrats and two Republicans were competing for their parties' nominations ahead of an August 11, 2026 primary, with the state's bipartisan Elections Commission approving the ballot on June 9; the Democratic field included Mandela Barnes and Joel Brennan, while Tom Tiffany was the leading Republican candidate. In Iowa, Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn emerged as their parties' nominees for governor following a primary, with Lahn's win over Trump-endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra described as a rebuke of the president's preferred candidate; Iowa's Senate primary produced Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek and Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson as nominees. Wisconsin's Democratic field saw notable turnover: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley dropped out and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, then re-entered the race about a week later after Rodriguez withdrew amid financial difficulties in her campaign. Barnes, a former lieutenant governor, proposed using the state's $2.5 billion budget surplus to fully fund public schools under the state constitution as a way to provide taxpayer relief. In Iowa, fundraising reports covering May 27 to July 14 showed Sand raising nearly $9.4 million and Lahn raising nearly $6.4 million, aided by national governors' association support; Sand ended the period with about $18 million in cash on hand compared with just over $1 million for Lahn. In Vermont, incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott reported $48,000 in contributions in a July 1 filing, trailing Democratic challengers Aly Richards and Amanda Janoo in that period, though Scott maintained a $218,000 cash surplus. As of the most recent reporting, Hawaii's and Wisconsin's primaries had not yet occurred, with Hawaii's set for August 8 and Wisconsin's for August 11, 2026. Iowa's primary had already concluded, producing general-election matchups of Sand versus Lahn for governor and Turek versus Hinson for Senate. Vermont's primary timing was described only as being in August, without a specified date in the available reporting. The full scope of Wisconsin's Democratic field beyond Barnes, Brennan, Crowley and Rodriguez, as well as the eventual outcomes of the Hawaii, Wisconsin and Vermont primaries, remain unresolved in the available reporting.