The Democratic group representing state election officials plans to allocate $40m for competitive races in 2026, aiming for Democratic control of election oversight before the 2028 presidential election. This marks the group’s most aggressive operation yet, highlighting the growing interest in those running elections. The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State aims to target races in swing states and a few other states where they believe they can gain control of the office responsible for managing and overseeing election policies and validating state results.
According to Drew Godinich, the group’s interim executive director, democracy is under attack, with Republicans currently holding power in Washington. While efforts will be made to challenge this, the real battle is expected to take place at the state level. The association is taking proactive measures, nearly two years before the election, to recruit candidates and provide them with the necessary support to counter Republican misinformation about the integrity of US elections.
Secretaries of state serve as the top election officials in their states and are responsible for endorsing election results from smaller jurisdictions. In recent years, Democrats in these roles have defended against attempts to undermine election results and lawsuits aimed at disqualifying votes or preventing people from casting their ballots. In certain states, secretaries of state also have a role in redistricting, and those elected in 2026 would be in place for the 2030 census, which determines congressional and state redistricting processes.
Of the 35 elected secretaries of state, 26 will be up for election in 2026, with 13 currently held by Democrats. In 2022, Democrats won secretary of state seats in key battlegrounds, including Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan, which are all up for reelection. Michigan will have an open seat, as Jocelyn Benson is running for governor. The organization will prioritize retaining these seats for Democrats in 2026 and will also target Georgia, where a Republican currently holds the office.
In addition to these swing states, the group will also invest in races in Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio for the first time, where Democrats currently hold or have recently held at least one statewide office. The national political environment is uncertain, but the association believes that early groundwork is essential for success in these states.
Godinich noted that his association is seeing its largest quarter of fundraising in an off-year, with a growing number of grassroots donors expressing concern about democracy’s future since Trump took office.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/democratic-state-election-group-2026-races
