US Midterm Election Preview, Part III:  The Governors

Political shockwaves are set to erupt in the 2026 midterm elections in more than just federal races – in the states, 36 governor’s mansions stand to receive new occupants.  While most of these are solidly Republican or Democrat seats with little drama, eight are close enough to be contested, and you might be surprised which GOP-leaning states could be up for grabs.

Two of these, Georgia and Texas, have only Republican candidates with asteroid referents, so we can’t rate the relative strengths of both nominees, but we can look at what the stars say about the GOP contenders, in isolation.

In Georgia, with an open seat currently filled by term-limited outgoing governor Republican Brian Kemp, a razor-thin margin of 46% to 45% shows GOP nominee Rick Jackson edging out Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta.  No markers exist for Bottoms, but asteroid Richard 3972 (Rick Jackson’s given first name) at 21 Aquarius squares asteroid NOT 2857 at 24 Taurus, a general disqualifier or symbol of negation, while asteroid Jackson 2193 at 6 Aries conjoins both Neptune at 2 Aries and Saturn at 9 Aries.  Neptune creates confusion and often leads to disappointment, and Saturn can limit, restrict or withhold.  Not a great celestial lineup, although, paradoxically, Richard also opposes asteroid Victoria 12 at 20 Leo, named for the Roman goddess of victory, and Jupiter at 24 Leo, conferring luck, so winning could be within Jackson’s grasp.  However, asteroid Georgia 359 at 19 Gemini is sesquiquadrate Pluto, perhaps signaling a major transformation in the Peach State.

That Georgia, which has been trending blue on the federal level with two Democrat senators since 2020, might succumb to a Dem for governor isn’t all that outlandish a notion (albeit there hasn’t been a Dem in the governor’s mansion since 2003), but that ruby-red Texas is also up for grabs is positively eyepopping!

The Lone Star State hasn’t had a whiff of Democrat in its highest office since Ann Richards’ departure in 1995, more than 30 years ago.  Popular incumbent Greg Abbott, now seeking his fourth term, is facing the race of his career, polling just a few points ahead of Dem challenger Gina Hinojosa, for whom there are no asteroid referents. 

With Texas also on the precipice of electing its first Democratic senator since 1988, it’s no surprise to find asteroid Texas 35352 at station, about to make a major shift.  At 1 Aries, Texas conjoins Neptune and Saturn, reprising the challenging energies those can bring.  But Neptune also offers hope, and Saturn exacts accountability, so it may be time for Dems to take heart and Texans to punish a failed GOP hierarchy.

On a personal level, Greg Abbott has two exact PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) matches for his first and last names.  Asteroid Gregory 2527 at 10 Scorpio conjoins the Sun at 11 Scorpio and Mercury at 13 Scorpio, also squaring Pluto at 3 Aquarius.  This spotlights (Sun) Abbott, for good or ill, but Mercury’s retrograde status suggests a voter (Mercury) reappraisal (retrograde) of his leadership, and Pluto can bring a devastating outcome.  Pluto, as the power player of the zodiac, can be an ally or an enemy:  for those not yet in control it can bring enhanced personal power, but for those already entrenched, it can sound the death knell for that authority.

Asteroid Abbott 17023 at 11 Capricorn squares Saturn, doubling down on the chances of loss.  As well, Abbott sits at the Apex of a Thor’s Hammer, a “fated” pattern similar to a Yod, with sesquiquadrate aspects to both benefic Jupiter at 24 Leo and disqualifying NOT at 24 Taurus.  In this clash of wills and outcomes, Jupiter no doubt trumps NOT, so Abbott may well pull it out for this election, but the warning signs for his political future are there, in plenty.

Having dealt with the lopsided cosmic contests, let’s proceed to races where both candidates have heavenly markers, and take them in alphabetical order.

Arizona is first on our list, where Dem incumbent Katie Hobbs is seeking her second term.  Polls show her running considerably ahead of GOP challenger Representative Andy Biggs, but with up to 20% of the electorate still undecided.

The cosmos seems less noncommittal, with asteroid Hobbes 7012 (alternate spelling) at 2 Virgo conjunct expansive, lucky Jupiter at 24 Leo and squared asteroid Nike 307 at 9 Sagittarius, named for the Greek goddess of victory.  Only a last-minute upset in this race could deny Hobbs the win, but that may be on the horizon, with Uranus at 4 Gemini also involved, in a T-Square with Hobbs and Nike.

Additionally, both candidates have connections to Pluto at 3 Aquarius, with Andy Biggs represented by asteroid Andree 1296 (French form of Andrew, for which there is no English equivalent) conjoined from 2 Aquarius, and asteroid Kathleen 3754 (Hobbs’ given first name) at 19 Virgo in sesquiquadrate.  As we’ve seen, Pluto can go either way, and with asteroid Arizona 793 making its retrograde station at 3 Cancer within the week, the Grand Canyon State may be ripe for setting a new course.

Florida is another “Say what?!” head-snapping battleground in 2026.  The Sunshine State has been seemingly irredeemably red for decades, but former Republican Representative David Jolly, now the Democratic nominee, is giving Byron Donalds a run for his money for the seat being vacated by term-limited Ron DeSantis.  Trailing by a handful of points in most polls, Jolly is taking the fight directly to Donalds, who last month scrubbed his website of images and references to Donald Trump, in an effort to separate himself from his increasingly unpopular MAGA mentor. 

Asteroid Davida 511, a feminine form of David, appears at 26 Libra, closely conjoined Lesser Benefic Venus at 25 Libra. perhaps offering a leg up to Jolly.  In contrast, asteroid Byron 3306 at 27 Pisces conjoins Neptune, with all the concomitant confusion and disappointment that connection can bring.

Iowa also has an open seat, with incumbent Republican governor Kim Reynolds choosing not to run for a third term.  We don’t have to go back quite so far in the wayback machine to find a Democrat as governor of Iowa, but the Hawkeye State has been reliably red for the past decade and a half, making it another unexpected battleground for 2026. 

Recent polling shows Democrat Rob Sand with a comfortable six-point lead over GOP nominee Zach Lahn.  And Sand does seem to have the celestial whip hand, with asteroid Robert 20629 at 16 Taurus opposed the 11 Scorpio Sun, in a T-Square with asteroid Victoria at 20 Leo, offering visibility (Sun) and a likely win (Victoria).  Mars also in the mix from 19 Leo suggests the energy (Mars) is on Sand’s side. Zach Lahn is represented by asteroid Zachery 104052 (alternate spelling of Zachary, Lahn’s given first name) at 21 Sagittarius, which is semisquare Pluto.  Granted, Zachery is also trine both Victoria and Jupiter, as well as sextile Venus, but it’s getting late in the game for those beneficial contacts to kick in.

Nevada’s governor’s mansion has been the bouncing ball of the west, vacillating between Democrats and Republicans for the past fifty years, but with a growing GOP ascendance since the turn of the millennium.  Incumbent Joe Lombardo is seeking a second term, challenged by Democrat Attorney General Aaron Ford.  The race is neck-and-neck, a dead heat, with up to 10% of the electorate still uncommitted.

That parity is suggested by asteroids Ford 13852 and Lombardi 9397 (similar spelling) opposed from 1 Virgo and 27 Aquarius respectively, with Ford conjunct Jupiter at 24 Leo, and Lombardi opposed it.  Conjunctions are stronger than oppositions, but Ford’s connection is wider in orb, hence the equilibrium.  The Uranus/Nike polarity at 4 Gemini and 9 Sagittarius may need to decide this one – Uranus squares both nominees’ markers, indicating a probable upset, one way or another, but only Nike interacts with Ford, perhaps giving Aaron Ford that push over the finish line first.

Ohio hasn’t elected a Democrat as governor for 20 years, but 2026 may well turn that tide.  Failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has locked up the GOP nomination, but trails Dr. Amy Acton outside the margin of error.  Seeing yet another successful race slipping from his fingers, in the final weeks of the campaign, Ramaswamy took a desperate gamble, unleashing an execrable ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, whom she hasn’t seen in almost half a century (after being removed from her care following the indictment of her stepfather for child rape), calling her daughter a liar and unfit to serve.  The ad has been widely condemned, except, of course, for the President and Vice President, who have encouraged Ramaswamy to double down on his vileness.

Asteroid Amy 3375 at 6 Capricorn is sesquiquadrate asteroid Victoria at 20 Leo and Jupiter at 24 Leo, but asteroid Ramaswami 23850 (alternate spelling) at 27 Sagittarius is trine both, effectively neutralizing the upside for either candidate.  The race may come down to Amy’s square to Neptune and Saturn, which, in general terms, are not positive indicators.  However, in the present circumstances, Neptune may cast Acton as the victim (Neptune) in this campaign ad controversy, opening the door to her election as Ohio’s next chief executive (Saturn).  Ramaswami also squares Neptune, but is wide of Saturn, so confusion and disappointment may well be Ramaswamy’s portion of this shared aspect.

Looking to asteroid Ohio 439 for further advice, we find it at 9 Gemini, conjoined Uranus at 4 Gemini, accounting for the controversy evoked in these last weeks, with Uranus symbolizing something shocking, extreme, and beyond the pale.  Ohio also exactly opposes Nike and is inconjunct Amy, providing a tentative link to Acton’s (Amy) win (Nike) in the Buckeye State (Ohio).

Wisconsin is the last stop on our 2026 gubernatorial review, with another razor’s edge contest between Democrat Davd Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany.  Like Ohio, the Badger State has ping-ponged between parties for much of its electoral history post-World War II.  The fact that its outgoing governor Tony Evers is a Democrat could give the edge to the GOP candidate, although the prevailing headwinds of a poor economy and an unpopular war might erode any advantage that confers.  For now, the nominees are within 1-2 points of each other in most polls, with Crowey consistently ahead.

We’ve already encountered asteroid Davida in this analysis; at 26 Libra it conjoins Venus and sextiles Jupiter, as well as semisquare Nike.  Asteroid Crowley 28794 at 9 Libra is sextile Nike, but also opposed Saturn and Neptune, that depressive, disorienting duo.  Asteroid Thomas 2555 (Tom Tiffanys given first name) at 27 Virgo also opposes Neptune, but not Saturn, and has the additional advantage of being semisquare the Sun/Mercury conjunction. This one is just too close to call.

Overall, Democrats seem likely to pick up several governorships, another reflection of the day’s T-Square, featuring the Sun and Mercury at the fulcrum with squares to Victoria and asteroid Demokritos at 13 Aquarius, auguring Democratic (Demokritos) victory (Victoria) at the polls (Mercury).

Alex Miller

Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .