Key takeaways
- 21 states elected new governors on November 3. They take office in January 2027, and at least five states will see the governor's party change.
- Government Technology data shows only 31 percent of state CIOs keep their jobs when the governor's party changes, and 40 percent in a transition overall.
- Campaign platforms, such as Klobuchar's agency fraud review or Ford's energy-cost pledge, are the earliest signal of what new administrations will fund.
- Use the weeks before and after inauguration to protect current accounts, build ties with career staff and track appointments.
Thirty-six states held governor races on November 3, and 21 of them elected someone new. Those governors take office in January 2027, along with a new mayor in Washington, D.C. For vendors who sell to state agencies, that means new cabinet secretaries, new agency heads and, in some states, a new CIO. It also means new priorities that will shape the first budgets these administrations write.
Transitions are not a reason to pause outreach. They are a reason to change it. Here's what is changing, where turnover is most likely, and how to get ahead of it without pushing anyone.
What's changing in January
According to KFF, 29 states will have Democratic governors and 20 will have Republican governors in January. At least five states will have a governor from a different party than the current one. A few other shifts matter for anyone selling to state government:
- Unified control in four states. Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin will have Democrats newly controlling both the governorship and the legislature, which can make a new governor's agenda easier to pass.
- Newly divided legislatures. Georgia and Texas will have newly divided legislatures, so expect more negotiation and slower movement on big spending items.
- Medicaid work in flight. Every state is implementing Medicaid changes required by the 2025 reconciliation law, some on tight timelines. KFF notes that new appointees, including Medicaid directors, will take office in the middle of that work.
Where leadership turnover is most likely
New governors bring their own people, and technology leadership is no exception. Government Technology reports that when a governor's seat changes hands, typically only 40 percent of state CIOs keep their position. When the party changes, that drops to 31 percent, based on data Government Technology collected in 2022.
Using that pattern, Government Technology flags Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas as states that may see IT leadership changes. The same logic applies beyond IT: agency heads, procurement leaders and program directors often change in the first months of a new administration.
That has two practical effects for vendors:
- Your champion may leave. If your main contact is a political appointee, plan for the chance that they won't be there in the spring.
- New leaders start by listening. Former North Carolina CIO Chris Estes told Route Fifty he followed "listen, learn and lead," spending his first 30 days learning what was working before setting a plan. Many new CIOs also work against a "first 100 days" window, and the legislative session tests them early.
Map each governor-elect's priorities to what you sell
Campaign platforms are the earliest public signal of what a new administration will fund, study or cut. Governing's profiles of the incoming class include several that vendors should read closely:
- Minnesota: Amy Klobuchar plans to review state agencies to combat fraud and to prioritize affordability, including more housing. Audit, fraud detection and program integrity vendors should take note.
- Nevada: Aaron Ford promises to lower energy costs, raise education funding and make housing easier to build. He would also pause tax breaks for data centers "until they prove that they're holding up their end of the bargain."
- Georgia: Keisha Lance Bottoms plans to expand Medicaid, address housing and fund schools.
- Iowa: Rob Sand plans to crack down on chemical pollution and invest in clean water, a signal for water and environmental vendors.
- Ohio: Amy Acton campaigned on lowering health care costs and other affordability measures.
For each state you sell into, write down two or three stated priorities and how your product supports them, in the governor's own terms. If you can't make an honest connection, that state may not be your best bet for new business in 2027, and that's useful to know too.
A transition playbook for the next 90 days
The work between now and inauguration is mostly research and relationship care. A simple plan:
- Track the transition teams. Follow each governor-elect's announcements of transition leaders and policy committees. Note who is advising on the agencies you sell to.
- Watch appointments as they're announced. Keep a short list of the roles that matter to you, such as CIO, health and human services, transportation and procurement, and update it as names are confirmed.
- Protect existing accounts. Reach out to current customers before the change. Document results, contract dates and the people who rely on your product, so a new leader can see the value quickly.
- Find the career staff. Career deputy directors, program managers and procurement officers aren't appointed by the governor. Build those relationships now.
- Know the budget calendar. Check when each state's session starts and when the governor's budget proposal is due. Our state legislative and budget calendar has the dates by state.
- Offer help, not pressure. When a new leader is named, a short note with one useful resource beats a demo request. Give them room to say "not now."
Transitions create real buying signals, from new strategy documents to reorganizations. Our guide to government buying signals covers what to watch, and our overview of how state agencies buy technology explains who usually signs off once priorities are set.
How KSG helps
Kensington Sales Group's market intelligence team tracks leadership changes, stated priorities and budget timing in the states you sell into, so your outreach matches what each new administration cares about. Our SDRs then open low-pressure conversations with incoming leaders and the career staff who stay, so your team is known before the first budget is written.
Sources: KFF, 21 states will have new governors and DC will have a new mayor in 2027; Governing, Meet the new governors; Government Technology, What the 2026 midterm results may signal for technology; Route Fifty, A challenging transition for new state CIOs (January 15, 2025).