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The 2026 Congressional Elections took place on November 3, 2026, to select members of the 119th Congress. This was the first election to take place after the extra round of redistricting caused by the passing of the For the People Act, as well as the first time that the state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth elected voting representatives. Up for election were the 34 Class II United States Senate seats and all 435 seats of the United States House of Representatives, as well as Senate special elections in Washington, Douglass Commonwealth and Massachusetts.

Senate Election[]

2024 2026 Congressional Elections (Wolfman's World){{{next_year}}} ›
2026 United States Senate Elections
36 of 102 Senate Seats
November 3, 2026
First party Second party Third party
Chuck Schumer official photo (cropped) Mitch McConnell 2016 official photo (cropped)
Leader Charles Schumer Mitch McConnell (Retired)
Party Democratic Republican Independent
Leader since January 3, 2017 January 3, 2007
Leader's seat New York Kentucky
Seats before 51 47 1
Seats after 49 51 1
Fourth party
Party Progressive


Seats before 1
Seats after 1

The 2026 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 2026, with 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections, the winners of which would serve six-year terms in the United States Congress from January 3, 2027, to January 3, 2033. Two special elections to fill vacancies in the Senate were also held in conjunction with the general elections, with one in Massachusetts and one in Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. Senators are divided into three groups, or classes, whose terms are staggered so that a different class is elected every two years. Class II senators were last elected in 2020, and were up for election again in 2026. Of the Class III Senators up for re-election, 14 were members of the Democratic Party, and 18 were held by Republicans, and 2 were vacant. Democrats had used there complete control of Washington to nuke the filibuster and pass many bills, including the Equality Act and the For the People Act, the later of which triggered an extra round of redistricting. They had also granted statehood to Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, meaning that there were now 102 Senate seats. Democrats managed to hang on to control of the Senate just barely, crafting a 51-51 tie, with Vice President Andy Beshear casting tie-breaking votes. Additionally, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell retired, and his leadership position went to John Thune of South Dakota.

Special Elections:[]

State Reason for Election & Date Winner
Massachusetts Resignation of Elizabeth Warren upon confirmation to the post of Secretary of the Treasury || July 1st, 2025 Joseph Kennedy III (D)
Joe Kennedy III, official portrait, 116th Congress
Washington, Douglass Commonwealth Admission of state into the Union || November 3rd, 2026 Muriel Bowser (D)
Muriel Bowser

Retiring Incumbents in Safe States:[]

State Retiring Incumbent Replaced By
Colorado
John-hickenlooper-2-sized
John Hickenlooper (D)
Jared Polis official photo
Jared Polis (D)
Idaho Jim Risch (R)
Jim Risch
Janice McGeachin (R)
File:Janice McGeachin.png
Illinois Dick Durbin (D)
Dick Durbin
Lauren Underwood (D)
Lauren Underwood
Kentucky Mitch McConnell (R)
Mitch McConnell 2016 official photo (cropped)
Daniel Cameron (R)
File:Daniel cameron.png
Maine Susan Collins (R)
SusanCollins
Ryan Fectau (D)
Fecteau 2016
Massachusetts Ed Markey (D)
Ed Markey
Ayanna Pressley (D)
Ayanna Pressley Portrait
Oklahoma Jim Inhofe (R)
Jim Inhofe
Kevin Stitt (R)
Kevin Stitt Governor
Rhode Island Jack Reed (D)
Jack Reed
David Cicilline (D)
David Cicilline
South Carolina Lindsey Graham (R)
Lindsey Graham
Nikki Haley (R)
Nikki Haley potrait
West Virginia Shelly Moore Capito (R)
Shelley Moore Capito
Patrick Morrisey (R)
PATRICK MORRISEY

Close Races in which the Incumbent Retired:[]

State & Race Summary Incumbent Winner, Loser, and Margin of Victory
New Hampshire || Jeanne Shaheen was a very popular incumbent in a swing state, similar to Bob Casey Jr. in Pennsylvania. So when she announced her retirement, Republicans jumped at the oppurtunity. Kelly Ayotte, the former Governor and former Senator for New Hampshire's other seat, defeated Chris Pappas, the incumbent Governor, very narrowly.
Jeanne Shaheen, official Senate portrait cropped


Jeanne Shaheen (D)

Kelly Ayotte
Kelly Ayotte (R) || Defeated Chris Pappas || 6.3%
Texas || John Cornyn was expected to possibly take over as minority leader, but he retired instead. George P. Bush, the Texas AG of the Bush Dynasty, defeated Julian Castro, the HUD Secretary and former San Antonio Mayor. John Cornyn (R)
John Cornyn official portrait, 2009 crop
George P. Bush (R) || Defeated Julian Castro || 9.1%
George-P-Bush

Close Races Featuring an Incumbent:[]

State & Race Summary Winner Defeated, Margin of Victory
Georgia || Jon Ossoff had been elected very narrowly in 2020, and many thought that Georgia could be an easy GOP pickup. Geoff Duncan, the former Lt. Governor, and staunchly anti-Trump Republican, was able to defeat Ossof. Geoff Duncan (R)
File:GeoffDuncan2018.jpg
Jon Ossoff (D) INCUMBENT || 5.3%
Ossof
Michigan || This was seen as another prime pickup opportunity for the GOP. Despite the nationwide victory of President Harris in 2024, this state had stayed close. John James, who had also ran against Peters in 2020, was able to gain a victory and a flip. John James (R)
File:John e james.png
Gary Peters (D) INCUMBENT || 7.4%
Gary Peters
Minnesota || Minnesota had not been the swingiest of states recently, but this election changed that. Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach, the former Lt. Governor, defeated Tina Smith, becoming the first Republican senator in the state in 22 years. Michelle Fischbach (R)
File:Michelle Fischbach rep.png
Tina Smith (D) INCUMBENT || 3.0%
Tina Smith
North Carolina || Many expected for this seat to already be under Dem control, but Thom Tillis had held on in 2020. He defeated Josh Stein, the state AG, in a race that was a tossup to the very end. Thom Tillis (R) INCUMBENT
Thom Tillis
Josh Stein (D) || 5.3%
File:Josh stein.png

Incumbents Safely Re-elected:[]

State Re-Elected Incumbent
Alaska Dan Sullivan (R)
Dan Sullivan
Arkansas Tom Cotton (R)
Tom Cotton
Delaware Chris Coons (D)
Chris Coons
Iowa Joni Ernst (R)
Joni ernst
Kansas Roger Marshall (R)
Roger Marshall
Louisiana Bill Cassidy (R)
Bill Cassidy
Mississippi Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
Cindy Hyde-Smith
Montana Steve Daines (R)
File:Steve Daines, Official Portrait, 116th Congress.jpg
Nebraska Ben Sasse (R)
Ben Sasse Official photo
New Jersey Cory Booker (D)
Cory Booker
New Mexico Ben Ray Lujan (D)
BenRayLujan
Oregon Jeff Merkley (D)
800px-Jeff Merkley, 115th official photo (cropped)
South Dakota Mike Rounds (R)
Mike Rounds
Tennessee Bill Haggerty (R)
Bill Hagerty
Virginia Mark Warner (D)
Mark Warner 113th Congress photo
Washington, Douglass Commonwealth Susan Rice (D)
Susan Rice-0
Wyoming Cynthia Lummis (R)
File:Cynthia Lummis U.S. Senator.jpg

House Elections[]

2024 2026 Congressional Elections (Wolfman's World){{{next_year}}} ›
2026 United States House of Representatives elections
435 (218 Needed for Majority)
November 3, 2026
First party Second party
File:John katko.png 220px-Hakeem Jeffries official portrait
Leader John Katko Hakkem Jeffries
Party Republican Democratic
Seats before 192 243
Seats won +30 -30
Seats after 222 213

The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 3, 2026, with all of the 435 seats in the chamber being contested in regular elections, the winners of which would serve two-year terms in the United States Congress from January 3, 2027, to January 3, 2029. It was the first round of House Elections to take place following the extra round of redistricting triggered by the For The People Act. The chamber flipped for the 3 cycle running, with Republicans able to take back control. They were able to use President Harris's unpopularity as an asset, flipping 30 seats. Many extremely pro-Trump representatives lost in primary competitions, in a phenomenon similar to 2010's Tea Party wave. And in a huge win for anti-Trump Republicans, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted from his leadership position and was replaced by John Katko (R-NY), who became the new Speaker of the House.

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