Incumbents retained 11 offices. Raquel Lyra is the only woman among governors elected so far, while four other women advanced to runoffs.
Brazil’s 2026 election produced first-round winners for governor in 20 states, according to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The governors will serve four-year terms, and those beginning a first term may seek one additional term. The states that settled the race in the first round were Alagoas, Amapá, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Sergipe.
Eleven incumbents were re-elected: Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT, Bahia), Elmano de Freitas (PT, Ceará), Daniel Vilela (MDB, Goiás), Otaviano Pivetta (Republicanos, Mato Grosso), Eduardo Riedel (PP, Mato Grosso do Sul), Lucas Ribeiro (PP, Paraíba), Raquel Lyra (PSD, Pernambuco), Rafael Fonteles (PT, Piauí), Jorginho Mello (PL, Santa Catarina), Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos, São Paulo) and Fábio Mitidieri (PSD, Sergipe). Nine first-time winners are JHC (PSDB, Alagoas), Dr. Furlan (PSD, Amapá), Eduardo Braide (PSD, Maranhão), Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicanos, Minas Gerais), Dr. Daniel (Podemos, Pará), Sérgio Moro (PL, Paraná), Luciano Zucco (PL, Rio Grande do Sul), Marcos Rogério (PL, Rondônia) and Arthur Henrique (PL, Roraima). Raquel Lyra is the only woman elected governor so far. Four more women — Mailza Assis (PP, Acre), Professora Maria do Carmo (PL, Amazonas), Celina Leão (PP, Federal District) and Professora Dorinha (União, Tocantins) — remain in runoff contests.
A governor heads a state’s executive branch and oversees its public administration and essential services. The office includes command of the Civil and Military Police and responsibility for building and administering prisons, managing the state budget, revenue and spending, and requesting federal funds when needed. Governors must support state education, particularly secondary schools, and health services.
Governors may sign or veto bills passed by state legislatures and propose new laws that apply only within their state. Their duties also include local infrastructure, such as state highways and airports, and ongoing coordination with mayors. CNN Brasil notes that state powers can be constrained by the concentration of responsibilities at the federal level.