United States Senate elections, 2026

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← 2024 2028 →

2026 U.S. Senate Elections

Election Date November 3, 2026

U.S. Senate Elections by State

Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • Colorado • Delaware • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming

U.S. House Elections

Elections to the U.S. Senate will be held on November 3, 2026, and 33 of the 100 seats are up for regular election. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies that occur in the 119th Congress.

As of December 2024, there were 13 seats held by Democrats and 20 seats held by Republicans up for election in 2026. President Donald Trump (R) won 21 of the states holding Senate elections in 2026 in the 2024 presidential election and former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) won 12. In 2026, Democrats will be defending two states that Trump won in 2024: Georgia and Michigan. Republicans will be defending one seat in a state Harris won: Maine.

Of the 20 Republican-held seats, four were last decided in 2020 by a margin of less than 10 percentage points: Iowa (6.6), Maine (8.6), North Carolina (1.8), and Texas (9.6). Of the 13 Democrat-held seats, five were decided by a margin of less than 10 percentage points: Colorado (9.3), Georgia (1.2), Michigan (1.7), Minnesota (5.3), and New Mexico (6.1).

Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the 33 regular elections on November 3, 2026, will begin their six-year terms on January 3, 2027.

Partisan balance

Republicans won a 53-47 majority as a result of the 2024 elections. As a result of the elections, Republicans gained four seats in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Democrats gained one seat in Arizona. Democrats held a 50-49 majority in the U.S. Senate heading into the 2024 elections.

U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After the 2024 Election
	Democratic Party	47	45
	Republican Party	49	53
	Independent	4	2
Total		100	100

The chart below shows historical partisan breakdown information for the chamber.

The chart below shows historical partisan breakdown information for the chamber.

Seats up for election

There are 33 U.S. Senate seats up for regular election in 2026—13 seats held by Democrats and 20 held by Republicans as of July 2023.

The map below shows what seats are up for election and the current incumbent in each race.

Table last updated: July 25, 2023

2026 Senate elections
State	Pre-election incumbent	Year first elected	2020 margin of victory (percentage points)
Alabama	Tommy Tuberville	2020	20.4
Alaska	Daniel S. Sullivan	2014	12.7
Arkansas	Tom Cotton	2014	33.1
Colorado	John Hickenlooper	2020	9.3
Delaware	Chris Coons	2010	21.5
Georgia	Jon Ossoff	2020	1.2
Idaho	Jim Risch	2008	29.4
Illinois	Dick Durbin	1996	16.1
Iowa	Joni Ernst	2014	6.6
Kansas	Roger Marshall	2020	11.4
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell	1984	19.5
Louisiana	Bill Cassidy	2014	40.3
Maine	Susan Collins	1996	8.6
Massachusetts	Edward Markey	2013	33.1
Michigan	Gary Peters	2014	1.7
Minnesota	Tina Smith	2018	5.3
Mississippi	Cindy Hyde-Smith	2018	10.0
Montana	Steve Daines	2014	10.0
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	Appointed	N/A
New Hampshire	Jeanne Shaheen	2008	15.7
New Jersey	Cory Booker	2013	16.3
New Mexico	Ben Ray Luján	2020	6.1
North Carolina	Thom Tillis	2014	1.8
Oklahoma	Markwayne Mullin	2022 (special election)	N/A
Oregon	Jeff Merkley	2008	17.6
Rhode Island	Jack Reed	1996	33.1
South Carolina	Lindsey Graham	2002	10.3
South Dakota	Mike Rounds	2014	31.5
Tennessee	Bill Hagerty	2020	27.0
Texas	John Cornyn	2002	9.6
Virginia	Mark Warner	2008	12.1
West Virginia	Shelley Moore Capito	2014	43.3
Wyoming	Cynthia Lummis	2020	46.1

Seats that changed party hands in 2020

See also: United States Senate elections, 2020

In 2020—the last time these 33 seats were up for regular election—five seats changed party hands. Democrats picked up four seats and Republicans picked up one seat.

Senate seats that changed party hands, 2020
State	Pre-election incumbent	2020 winner	Margin of victory (percentage points)
Alabama	Doug Jones	Tommy Tuberville	20.4
Arizona (special)	Martha McSally	Mark Kelly	2.4
Colorado	Cory Gardner	John Hickenlooper	9.3
Georgia	David Perdue	Jon Ossoff	1.2
Georgia (special)	Kelly Loeffler	Raphael Warnock	2.0

List of candidates

The table below contains a list of all candidates for the U.S. Senate in 2026. The table is fully searchable by candidate, party and candidacy status. Depending on the size of your screen, you'll either see a menu to the left of the table or an arrow at the top right corner, which you can use to select a state.

STATESelect Tab

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Alabama Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Tommy Tuberville Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Alabama	Candidacy Declared General
Mark Wheeler	Democratic	U.S. Senate Alabama	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Alaska Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Daniel S. Sullivan Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Ann Diener	Democratic	U.S. Senate Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1
Huhnkie Lee	Independent	U.S. Senate Alaska	Candidacy Declared Round 1

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Arkansas Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Tom Cotton Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Arkansas	Candidacy Declared General
Dan Whitfield	Democratic	U.S. Senate Arkansas	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Colorado Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
John Hickenlooper Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Karen Breslin	Democratic	U.S. Senate Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Clinton Dale	Independent	U.S. Senate Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Robert Wolfe	Independent	U.S. Senate Colorado	Candidacy Declared General
Joshua Kuebler	Unaffiliated	U.S. Senate Colorado	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Delaware Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Chris Coons Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Delaware	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Georgia Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Jon Ossoff Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General
Reagan Box	Republican	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General
Christoph La'Flare Chapman	Republican	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General
Rick Temple	Republican	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General
Vinson Watkins	Republican	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General
Elbert Bartell	Independent	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General
DeVelle Jackson	Independent	U.S. Senate Georgia	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Idaho Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Jim Risch Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Idaho	Candidacy Declared General
Joe Evans	Republican	U.S. Senate Idaho	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Illinois Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Dick Durbin Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Illinois	Candidacy Declared General
Doug Bennett	Republican	U.S. Senate Illinois	Candidacy Declared General
John Goodman	Republican	U.S. Senate Illinois	Candidacy Declared General
Austin Mink	Independent	U.S. Senate Illinois	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Iowa Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Joni Ernst Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Iowa	Candidacy Declared General
John Berman	Republican	U.S. Senate Iowa	Candidacy Declared General
Joshua Smith	Republican	U.S. Senate Iowa	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Kansas Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Roger Marshall Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Kansas	Candidacy Declared General
Michael Soetaert	Democratic	U.S. Senate Kansas	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Kentucky Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Daniel Cameron	Republican	U.S. Senate Kentucky	Candidacy Declared General
Wende Kennedy	Republican	U.S. Senate Kentucky	Candidacy Declared General
Jacob Trimble	Republican	U.S. Senate Kentucky	Candidacy Declared General
Pamela Stevenson	Democratic	U.S. Senate Kentucky	Candidacy Declared General
Mitch McConnell Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Kentucky	Withdrew General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Louisiana Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Randall Arrington	Republican	U.S. Senate Louisiana	Candidacy Declared Primary
Bill Cassidy Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Louisiana	Candidacy Declared Primary
John Fleming	Republican	U.S. Senate Louisiana	Candidacy Declared Primary
Chris Holder	Republican	U.S. Senate Louisiana	Candidacy Declared Primary
Xan John	Republican	U.S. Senate Louisiana	Candidacy Declared Primary

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Maine Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Susan Collins Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Maine	Candidacy Declared General
Daniel Smeriglio	Republican	U.S. Senate Maine	Candidacy Declared General
Phillip Rench	Independent	U.S. Senate Maine	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Massachusetts Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Edward J. Markey Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Massachusetts	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Michigan Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Frederick Heurtebise	Republican	U.S. Senate Michigan	Candidacy Declared General
Mallory McMorrow	Democratic	U.S. Senate Michigan	Candidacy Declared General
Gary Peters Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Michigan	Withdrew General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Minnesota Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Raymond Petersen	Republican	U.S. Senate Minnesota	Candidacy Declared General
Mike Ruoho	Republican	U.S. Senate Minnesota	Candidacy Declared General
Adam Schwarze	Republican	U.S. Senate Minnesota	Candidacy Declared General
Royce White	Republican	U.S. Senate Minnesota	Candidacy Declared General
Peggy Flanagan	Democratic	U.S. Senate Minnesota	Candidacy Declared General
Tina Smith Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Minnesota	Withdrew General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Mississippi Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Cindy Hyde-Smith Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Mississippi	Candidacy Declared General
Ty Pinkins	Democratic	U.S. Senate Mississippi	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Montana Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Steve Daines Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Montana	Candidacy Declared General
Michael Hummert	Democratic	U.S. Senate Montana	Candidacy Declared General
Reilly Neill	Democratic	U.S. Senate Montana	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Nebraska Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Pete Ricketts Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Nebraska	Candidacy Declared General
Edward Dunn	Republican	U.S. Senate Nebraska	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

New Hampshire Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Jeanne Shaheen Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate New Hampshire	Candidacy Declared General
Tejasinha Sivalingam	Republican	U.S. Senate New Hampshire	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

New Jersey Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Cory Booker Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate New Jersey	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

New Mexico Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Ben Ray Luján Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate New Mexico	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

North Carolina Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Thom Tillis Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate North Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Brooks Agnew	Republican	U.S. Senate North Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Andy Nilsson	Republican	U.S. Senate North Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Wiley Nickel	Democratic	U.S. Senate North Carolina	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Oklahoma Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Markwayne Mullin Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared General
Tammy Swearengin	Republican	U.S. Senate Oklahoma	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Oregon Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Jeff Merkley Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Oregon	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Rhode Island Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Jack Reed Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared General
Raymond McKay	Republican	U.S. Senate Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared General
Allen Waters	Republican	U.S. Senate Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared General
Jon Lindley	Independent	U.S. Senate Rhode Island	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

South Carolina Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Lindsey Graham Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate South Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Mark Lynch	Republican	U.S. Senate South Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Catherine Fleming Bruce	Democratic	U.S. Senate South Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Kyle Freeman	Democratic	U.S. Senate South Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Jack Ellison	Independent	U.S. Senate South Carolina	Candidacy Declared General
Reece Wright-McDonald	Independent	U.S. Senate South Carolina	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

South Dakota Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Mike Rounds Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate South Dakota	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Tennessee Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Bill Hagerty Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Tennessee	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Texas Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
John Cornyn Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Keith Allen	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Alexander Duncan	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Rennie Mann	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Barrett McNabb	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Tony Schmoker	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General
Leo Wyatt	Republican	U.S. Senate Texas	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Virginia Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Mark Warner Incumbent	Democratic	U.S. Senate Virginia	Candidacy Declared General
Kim Farington	Republican	U.S. Senate Virginia	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

West Virginia Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Shelley Moore Capito Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate West Virginia	Candidacy Declared General
Derrick Evans	Republican	U.S. Senate West Virginia	Candidacy Declared General
Alexander Gaaserud	Republican	U.S. Senate West Virginia	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Wyoming Senate Candidates - 2026

candidate	party	office	status
Cynthia Lummis Incumbent	Republican	U.S. Senate Wyoming	Candidacy Declared General

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Incumbents not seeking re-election

Historical comparison

The following table includes figures on Democratic and Republican members of Congress who either left office during their term or announced that they would not seek re-election for each election year since 2012.

Outgoing members of Congress, 2012-2026
Year	Chamber	Democrats not seeking re-election	Republicans not seeking re-election	Total not seeking re-election	Democrats leaving office early	Republicans leaving office early	Total leaving office early
2026
	U.S. Senate	2	1	3	0	2	2
	U.S. House	1	2	3	0	1	1
	Total	3	2	6	0	3	3
2024
	U.S. Senate	4	2	8	1	1	2
	U.S. House	24	21	45	4	6	10
	Total	28	23	53	5	7	12
2022
	U.S. Senate	1	5	6	1	1	2
	U.S. House	31	18	49	6	8	14
	Total	32	23	55	7	9	16
2020
	U.S. Senate	1	3	4	0	1	1
	U.S. House	9	26	36	3	8	11
	Total	10	29	40	3	9	12
2018
	U.S. Senate	0	3	3	1	2	3
	U.S. House	18	34	52	3	14	17
	Total	18	37	55	4	16	20
2016
	U.S. Senate	3	2	5	0	0	0
	U.S. House	16	24	40	2	5	7
	Total	19	26	45	2	5	7
2014
	U.S. Senate	5	2	7	3	2	5
	U.S. House	16	25	41	3	6	9
	Total	21	27	48	6	8	14
2012
	U.S. Senate	6	3	10	0	0	0
	U.S. House	23	20	43	4	1	5
	Total	29	23	53	4	1	5

2024 elections

Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate, winning a 53-45 majority with two independents as a result of the November 5, 2024 elections.

As a result of the elections, Republicans gained four seats in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Democrats gained one seat in Arizona. This was a net change of +4 Republicans, -2 Democrats, and -2 independents.

Heading into the 2024 general election, Democrats had a 47-49 majority with four independents. Three of those independents caucused with the Democratic Party, and one other, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema counted towards the Democratic majority for committee purposes.

Thirty-four of 100 Senate seats were up for election. Thirty-three of those seats were up for regular election, and one was up for a special election. Democrats were defending three Senate seats, in Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia, in states Donald Trump (R) won in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans were not defending any Senate seats in states Joe Biden (D) won in 2020.

Of the seats up for election in 2024, Democrats held 19, Republicans held 11, and independents held four. Eight members of the U.S. Senate did not run for re-election, more than in any year since 2012.

Ballotpedia identified 15 races (41.2%) as general election battlegrounds in 2024. Heading into the elections, Democrats held 11 of those seats, Republicans held three, and independents held one. Republicans won three seats previously held by Democrats in Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania and Democrats won the seat in Arizona, previously held by Kyrsten Sinema (I).

Ten seats were open because the incumbent did not run for re-election. Nine incumbents retired from public office and one incumbent ran for another office. Click here to learn more.

Ballotpedia does not include incumbents leaving office early in our analysis of incumbents not running for re-election. For more information about incumbents who left office early or announced resignations, click here.

Two special elections also took place on Nov. 5, 2024. One special election was held to fill the last two years of the six-year term that Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) was elected to in 2020. The other special election was held to fill the rest of the six-year term that Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was elected to in 2018. Feinstein died on Sept. 29, 2023. The Senate seat Feinstein held was also up for regular election on Nov. 5, 2024. Ballotpedia identified 15 races as general election battlegrounds in 2024.

These battleground races were selected using the following criteria. For more information on our methodology, click here:

• the results of the 2020 presidential election in each state,
• whether the incumbent was seeking re-election,
• whether the incumbent was serving his or her first term in the U.S. Senate, and
• how the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales rated the race.

Important dates and deadlines

This section will provide important dates throughout the 2026 congressional election cycle, including filing deadlines and primaries when available.

Congressional approval rating

Ballotpedia's congressional approval polling average: 30% (February 27, 2025)

Results are updated daily at 9:30 a.m. EST and aggregated from the most recent polls from the sources listed in the methodology section below. Think we're missing something? Email us.

The congressional approval rating indicates public satisfaction in the job performance of the members of the United States Congress. It is the percentage of people polled who responded favorably toward the work of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

See also

• United States Congress elections, 2026
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
• United States Congress
• United States Senate
• United States House of Representatives
• 119th United States Congress

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States Senate