The Class of 2027
Many of the officials elected on November 3 are new to their jobs, and a large share are new to state office altogether. That creates both risk and opportunity regardless of party: relationships built with their predecessors don't carry over, and new officeholders are still forming their priorities. This page counts who is new: governors, lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and legislators, plus the legislative presiding officers who are guaranteed to change when chambers organize. For the floor that was locked in before the vote, see Guaranteed Turnover.
| Office | Races | Called | New to the Office | New to State Office |
|---|
Called winners who don't currently hold the office, with the most recent public office they held at any level.
| State | Winner | Previously |
|---|
How Many State Legislators Will Be New in 2027
Share of chamber is new members as a share of every seat in the chamber, not just the seats on the ballot. Most senates elect half their members at a time, and a few states held only special elections this year.
| Share of Chamber ▼ | Chamber | New Members | From Other Chamber | No Prior State Office | Seats Up | Still Counting |
|---|
Chambers choose their leaders when they organize, so this lists the posts that will change hands, not who will fill them.
| Chamber | Current | Why It Changes |
|---|
How this is counted. Winners of the November 3, 2026 general election and same-day special elections. New to the office means the winner doesn't currently hold it. For legislators that means they don't currently serve in that chamber, so an incumbent re-elected from a renumbered district still counts as returning. New to state office means no prior state legislative or statewide office in our records. Federal and local service isn't counted, so a sitting member of Congress elected governor appears here as new to state office. Our legislative records reach back to about 2006–2009 in most states, so state service that ended before then isn't reflected either.
Statewide officials. For new governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general, the "previously" office and the new-to-state-office count are checked by hand against official biographies and news coverage, and include federal, local, and appointed posts (a former state health director counts as prior state office; a U.S. senator does not).
"At least." While races are still counting, each figure is a floor: called winners plus every undecided seat in which no remaining candidate already holds the office (an open seat still counting is new whoever wins). The figures rise as races are called.
Presiding officers. A speaker, senate president, or president pro tem post is guaranteed to change when its holder isn't returning to the chamber (they lost, didn't seek reelection, or won another office) or when the chamber changed party control. Where a lieutenant governor presides, the post changes with the lieutenant governor. Other floor leaders aren't counted here.