Congressional veterans may boost governor count to twenty by next election cycle

Currently, fourteen governors across the United States have prior experience in Congress. Upcoming gubernatorial contests in six states and one territory present opportunities for more former legislators to assume the governor's office, potentially increasing that figure to twenty. Republican senators Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, along with former Democratic representative Xavier Becerra of California, are heavily favored in their respective races.

Competitive races also include former House members Andy Biggs in Arizona, Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin, and John James in Michigan. Other notable candidacies feature Democratic nominee Stacey Plaskett for the U.S. Virgin Islands and a guaranteed congressional background for Alabama’s next governor, with former senator Doug Jones as the Democratic contender. Several states with term-limited governors could also see successors with congressional resumes, such as Florida’s Byron Donalds versus David Jolly, and Minnesota and New Mexico races favoring Amy Klobuchar and Deb Haaland respectively.