Election results, 2025: State government triplexes
After the November 2025 elections, there were 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control. Democrats gained one triplex, Republicans lost one triplex, and the number of divided governments stayed the same. Before the 2025 elections, there were 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments.
A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.[1] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state is appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[2]
In 2025, there were triplexes on the ballot in New Jersey, which had a Democratic triplex, and in Virginia, which had a Republican triplex. New Jersey retained its Democratic trifecta by winning the governor's office, which appoints the attorney general and secretary of state. In Virginia, Democrats flipped the governor's office, which appoints the secretary of state, and the attorney general's office from Republican to Democratic.
On this page you will find:
- Triplexes on the ballot in 2025
- Partisan balance of all triplexes
- Changes in triplex status, 2017-2024
- Analysis of state elections, 2025
- Log of triplex election results
Contents
Triplexes on the ballot in 2025
In 2025, there were two triplexes—one Democratic and one Republican—on the November 4 ballot. The table below highlights the partisan balance of those triplexes before the election, and will be updated following the elections to reflect any changes in triplex status.
| Party | As of the 2025 elections | After the 2025 elections |
|---|---|---|
 Democratic |
1 | 2 |
 Republican |
1 | 0 |
 Divided governments |
0 | 0 |
The table below lists each triplex office on the ballot in 2025.
| State | Governor | Election in 2025 | Attorney general | Election in 2025 | Secretary of State | Election in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Phil Murphy |
Yes | Matt Platkin |
Yes - Indirect (appointed by governor) | Tahesha Way |
Yes - Indirect (appointed by governor) |
| Virginia | Glenn Youngkin |
Yes | Jason Miyares |
Yes | Kelly Gee |
Yes - Indirect (appointed by governor) |
The map below highlights states that held elections for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in 2025 by the party of the incumbent.
Partisan balance of all triplexes
Heading into the 2025 election, there were 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control. The table below highlights the triplex status of all 50 states before the 2025 elections and will be updated following the November elections based on states' triplex statuses following the elections.
| Party | As of the 2025 elections | After the 2025 elections |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
20 | 21 |
| Republican |
25 | 24 |
| Divided governments |
5 | 5 |
The map below highlights each state by triplex status before and after the 2025 elections. Click the blue links above the color key to switch the view between pre-election and post-election partisan control.
Changes in triplex status, 2017-2024
Changes in 2024
No triplex status changes occurred in 2024.Changes in 2023
Non-election changes in 2023
- On January 17, 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro (D) nominated Al Schmidt (R) as acting secretary of the commonwealth, which broke the Democratic triplex in Pennsylvania.[3]
| State | Old triplex control | New triplex control |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Democratic | Divided control |
Changes in 2022
The 2022 state executive elections led to the following results:
- The Republican Party gained a triplex in Iowa.
- The Democratic Party gained triplexes in Maryland and Massachusetts.
| State | Pre-election triplex status | Post-election triplex status |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Divided control | Republican |
| Maryland | Divided control | Democratic |
| Massachusetts | Divided control | Democratic |
Non-election changes in 2022
- On January 10, 2022, David Scanlan (R) was sworn in as New Hampshire Secretary of State after William Gardner (D) retired. Scanlan's swearing-in created a Republican triplex in New Hampshire.
| State | Old triplex control | New triplex control |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | Divided control | Republican |
Changes in 2021
The 2021 state executive elections led to the following results:
- The Republican Party gained a triplex in Virginia, which had previously been a Democratic triplex.
| State | Pre-election triplex status | Post-election triplex status |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Democratic | Republican |
Non-election changes in 2021
On November 22, 2021, Steve Hobbs (D) was sworn in as Washington Secretary of State after Kim Wyman (R) resigned to take a job in the Biden Administration. Hobbs' swearing-in created a Democratic triplex in Washington.
| State | Old triplex control | New triplex control |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | Divided control | Democratic |
Changes in 2020
The 2020 state executive elections led to the following results:
- The Republican Party gained a triplex in Montana.
- The Democratic Party gained a triplex in Oregon
Changes in 2019
The 2019 state executive elections led to the following results:
- The Republican Party gained a triplex in Mississippi.
| State | Pre-election triplex status | Post-election triplex status |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | Divided control | Republican |
Changes in 2018
The 2018 state executive elections led to the following results:
- The Democratic Party gained a net six triplexes, while the Republican Party lost a net four triplexes.
- Five states (Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, and Wisconsin) that had been under divided control gained Democratic triplexes.
- Four states (Arizona, Kansas, North Dakota, and Nevada) that previously had Republican triplexes lost those triplexes.
- Alaska's independent triplex was replaced by a Republican triplex.
- Michigan's Republican triplex was replaced by a Democratic triplex.
| State | Pre-election triplex status | Post-election triplex status |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Independent | Republican |
| Arizona | Republican | Divided control |
| Colorado | Divided control | Democratic |
| Illinois | Divided control | Democratic |
| Kansas | Republican | Divided control |
| Maine | Divided control | Democratic |
| Michigan | Republican | Democratic |
| North Dakota | Republican | Divided control |
| Nevada | Republican | Divided control |
| New Mexico | Divided control | Democratic |
| Wisconsin | Divided control | Democratic |
Changes in 2017
The 2017 state executive elections led to the following results:
- The Democratic Party gained a triplex in New Jersey, which had previously been a Republican triplex.
| State | Pre-election triplex status | Post-election triplex status |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Republican | Democratic |
Non-election changes in 2017
On August 3, 2017, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican, giving the Republican Party a triplex in the state.
| State | Old triplex control | New triplex control |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | Divided control | Republican |
Analysis of state elections, 2025
State legislative elections
- See also: State legislative elections, 2025
As of November 8th, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.38% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.6%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.
| Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
|
|
 Other
|
Vacant |
| State senates | 829 | 1,119 | 6 | 19 |
| State houses | 2,391 | 2,971 | 20 | 31 |
| Total: | 3,220
|
4,090
|
26
|
50 |
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 state legislative elections.
- Ballotpedia's Top 10 Elections to Watch, 2025
- Annual Competitiveness Report
- State legislative special elections
- Primary election competitiveness in state government, 2025
- Impact of term limits
- Trifecta vulnerability in the 2025 elections
- Data on incumbents defeated in 2025
- Characteristics of incumbents defeated in 2025
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors in the 2025 elections
- Contested primaries
- Open seats
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Major party competition
- Unconstested incumbents
State executive elections
- See also: State executive official elections, 2025
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 state executive elections.
- Ballotpedia's Top 10 Elections to Watch, 2025
- Annual Competitiveness Report
- State executive official elections overview
- Primary election competitiveness in state government, 2025
- Gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- State government trifectas
- Endorsements of school board members by state executive officeholders and candidates, 2025
- Impact of term limits on state executive elections
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
State judicial elections
- See also: State judicial elections, 2025
Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 state judicial elections.
Log of triplex election results
- Nov. 4, 9:31 p.m.
Mikie Sherrill (D) was elected as governor of New Jersey, retaining the office for Democrats. Since attorney general and secretary of state are gubernatorially appointed offices in New Jersey, the state also retained its Democratic triplex status with this race call.
- Nov. 4, 8:27 p.m.
Jay Jones (D) was elected as attorney general of Virginia, changing party control of the office from Republican to Democratic upon his swearing-in. With this call, Virginia's triplex status was set to change from Republican to Democratic.
- Nov. 4, 8:00 p.m.
Abigail Spanberger (D) was elected as governor of Virginia, changing party control of the office from Republican to Democratic upon her swearing-in.
See also
- Election results, 2025
- Election results, 2025: Governors
- Election results, 2025: State executive officials
- State legislative elections, 2025
- State government triplexes
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑ This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth," accessed April 17, 2023
