Democrats to control elections in key states heading into 2028

As voters made history Tuesday, turning Texas blue and electing the first Black and Native American women governors, another trend took hold. Americans overwhelmingly voted for Democrats to head up elections. In most states, those posts are held by the secretaries of state.

Now on the front lines of election administration, Democrats flipped three key states and held 13 others that were up for grabs this midterm season. Kansas’ race, yet to be called, is also in play. But even without it, every one of the “core seven” 2028 battleground states, excluding Pennsylvania, will now see elections run by Democrats.

National Democrats are celebrating the win as one for “every American.” 

“Democrats ran on a commitment to follow the Constitution, the rule of law and put their voters first,” The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We expanded the battlefield this cycle as Republicans stuck with the president’s toxic agenda, from the SAVE Act to his clearly Unconstitutional executive order that would make it harder for Americans to vote by mail.” 

Here’s a breakdown of what happened Tuesday in key states, and why the results are important for democracy heading into 2028.

Democrats flipped key seats

Georgia had a big night. As Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman governor in the nation, Georgians for the first time in two decades voted in a Democrat to head up elections.

The notorious Fulton County raid has been an undertow within the state throughout Trump’s second presidency. Penny Brown Reynolds (D), previously a state court judge in Fulton County, beat her Republican opponent Tim Fleming on a campaign debunking his conspiracies about the security of the state’s elections. Reynolds also championed early and mail voting access. 

The win is especially significant as the state reimagines how voting systems work heading into 2028 and as the GOP-controlled state elections board has sought to force through a ban on voting machines at the behest of the president.

Democrats also flipped control of elections in Indiana and Ohio. 

In Indiana, Beau Bayh (D) delivered a victory for Democrats against Max Engling (R), who has repeatedly parroted Trump’s claims of rampant noncitizen voting in the lead-up to the election. Democrat Allison Busso similarly beat out opponent Robert Sprague (R) in Ohio, handing election administration control to Democrats in a critical swing state.

Outspoken Trump opponents kept their posts

Four states that voted for Trump two years ago have now elected Democrats to run their elections. These states will also be integral to determining executive control in 2028.

In one of perhaps the most critical states, both for Trump’s past aggression and for future voting safeguards, Arizona’s Adrian Fontes (D) was re-elected as secretary of state. Fontes has a strong track record of protecting voters, becoming a frequent recipient of Trump’s wrath as a result. 

In 2021, Fontes faced threats as the head election chief during Maricopa County’s election probe, and he’s since aggressively refused to turn over Arizona’s state voter data to the federal government. Fontes again beat out Alexander Kolodin (R), who ran a campaign of staunch election denialism and anti-voting policies. 

A similar story played out in Nevada, where incumbent Francisco Aguilar (D) retained his secretary of state spot. Aguilar has been a prime target of Trump’s threats to voters, with a winning streak against the president’s Department of Justice and the Republican National Committee. Aguilar handily won against prominent conspiracy theorist Tim Marchant (R).

In Wisconsin, JoCasta Zamarripa (D) secured her spot as the state’s top election official, beating out Republican Jay Schroeder. In addition to its status as a swing state, Wisconsin has been on the front line against a slew of Republican-led litigation seeking to restrict voting. Now, there’s a Democrat at the helm to oppose the challenges.

And in Michigan, another key state heading into the next presidential election, Garlin Gilchrist (D) retained Democrats’ control of elections. Michigan has been a notorious hotbed for election conspiracies in Trump times. Gilchrist, a sharp critic of the president, vowed in his acceptance speech to “keep fighting” voter suppression in his new post.