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United States Senate elections, 2026

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2026 U.S. Senate Elections
Election Date
November 3, 2026
U.S. Senate Elections by State
Alabama •Alaska •Arkansas •Colorado •Delaware •Florida (special) •Georgia •Idaho •Illinois •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Montana •Nebraska •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •North Carolina •Ohio (special) •Oklahoma •Oregon •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Virginia •West Virginia •Wyoming
U.S. House Elections

Elections to theU.S. Senate will happen onNovember 3, 2026.Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the chamber are up for election and anothertwo seats are up forspecial election.

Of the 33 regularly scheduled general elections in 2026, Democrats control 13 and Republicans control 20.

As a result of the2024 general elections, Republicans won a 53-45 majority in the chamber. Additionally, two independents caucus with the Democrats. Heading into the 2024 general election, Democrats had a 47-49 majority with four independents. Three of those independents caucused with the Democrats, and one other counted towards the Democratic majority for committee purposes.

Democrats could not lose any seats and retain a majority in the chamber. Meanwhile, Republicans needed to gain a net of two seats and retain a majority in the chamber. In the 2024 general elections, Republicans gained a net of four seats.

Four incumbents—all Democrats—lost re-election in the general elections in 2024.

Looking ahead at the 2026 general elections, Democrats need to gain a net of four seats to win a majority in the chamber. Meanwhile, Republicans can only lose two seats and retain a majority in the chamber.

Democrats are defending two seats in states thatDonald Trump (R) won in the2024 presidential election. Those states areGeorgia andMichigan. Republicans are defending one seat in a state thatKamala Harris (D) won in the 2024 presidential election. That state isMaine.

As of September 1, 2025, seven U.S. Senate incumbents—four Democrats and three Republicans—arenot running for re-election in 2026.

Two special elections will also happened on November 3, 2026. One special election is to fill the last two years of the six-year term thatMarco Rubio (R-Fla.) was elected to in2022. The other special election is to fill the last two years of the six-year term thatJ.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was elected to in2022.

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

Explore Ballotpedia's coverage of these elections:
  • Partisan breakdown
    The partisan balance of the U.S. Senate before and after the election
    Read more
  • On the ballot
    A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
    Read more
  • Pre-election analysis
    Analysis published before the election
    Read more
  • Important dates and deadlines
    A list of important dates and deadlines for the 2026 election cycle
    Read more


Partisan balance

Republicans won a 53-47[1] majority as a result of the2024 elections. As a result of the elections, Republicans gained four seats inMontana,Ohio,Pennsylvania, andWest Virginia. Democrats gained one seat inArizona. Democrats held a50-49 majority in theU.S. Senate heading into the 2024 elections.[2]

U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
PartyAs of November 5, 2024After the 2024 Election
    Democratic Party
47[3]
45[4]
    Republican Party
49
53
    Independent
4[3]
2[4]
Total
100
100


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


On the ballot

Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:

  • A list of seats up for election
  • A list of candidates running
  • Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
Seats up for election
List of candidates
What's on your ballot?

There are 33 U.S. Senate seats up for regular election in 2026—13 Democratic-held seats and 20 Republican-held seats.

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
StatePre-election
incumbent		Year first elected2020
margin of victory
(percentage points)
AlabamaTommy Tuberville202020.4
AlaskaDaniel S. Sullivan201412.7
ArkansasTom Cotton201433.1
ColoradoJohn Hickenlooper20209.3
DelawareChris Coons201021.5
GeorgiaJon Ossoff20201.2
IdahoJim Risch200829.4
IllinoisDick Durbin199616.1
IowaJoni Ernst20146.6
KansasRoger Marshall202011.4
KentuckyMitch McConnell198419.5
LouisianaBill Cassidy201440.3
MaineSusan Collins19968.6
MassachusettsEdward Markey201333.1
MichiganGary Peters20141.7
MinnesotaTina Smith20185.3
MississippiCindy Hyde-Smith201810.0
MontanaSteve Daines201410.0
NebraskaPete RickettsAppointedN/A
New HampshireJeanne Shaheen200815.7
New JerseyCory Booker201316.3
New MexicoBen Ray Luján20206.1
North CarolinaThom Tillis20141.8
OklahomaMarkwayne Mullin2022 (special election)N/A
OregonJeff Merkley200817.6
Rhode IslandJack Reed199633.1
South CarolinaLindsey Graham200210.3
South DakotaMike Rounds201431.5
TennesseeBill Hagerty202027.0
TexasJohn Cornyn20029.6
VirginiaMark Warner200812.1
West VirginiaShelley Moore Capito201443.3
WyomingCynthia Lummis202046.1

Pre-election analysis

Click the tabs below to view detailed analysis from before the election. In this section, you will find:

  • A list of open seats
  • Outside race ratings and district analysis
  • A list of seats that changed party hands in 2020
  • Data on Congressional approval ratings
Open seats
Race ratings and district analysis
Seats that changed party hands in 2020
Congressional approval rating

Incumbents retiring from public office

Seven U.S. Senate incumbents—fourDemocrats and threeRepublicans—are retiring from public office.

Retiring from public office, 2026
NamePartySeatDate announced
Joni ErnstRepublicanIowaSept. 2, 2025[5]
Thom TillisRepublicanNorth CarolinaJune 29, 2025[6]
Dick DurbinDemocratIllinoisApril 23, 2025[7]
Jeanne ShaheenDemocratNew HampshireMarch 12, 2025[8]
Mitch McConnellRepublicanKentuckyFeb. 20, 2025[9]
Tina SmithDemocratMinnesotaFeb. 13, 2025[10]
Gary PetersDemocratMichiganJan. 28, 2025[11]

Incumbents seeking other offices

Incumbents running for governor

One U.S. Senate incumbent—aRepublican—is not seeking re-election in order to run for governor in his state.

Seeking other offices, 2026
NamePartySeatDate announced
Tommy TubervilleRepublicanAlabamaMay 27, 2025[12]

Important dates and deadlines

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Filing Analysis Hub, 2026

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

Election coverage by office

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See also

External links


Footnotes

  1. ↑Two independents caucus with the Democrats for majority purposes
  2. ↑ Three independents caucused with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, counts toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
  3. ↑3.03.1Three independents caucused with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, counted toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
  4. ↑4.04.1Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
  5. ↑The Associated Press, "GOP congresswoman joins 2026 Iowa Senate race after Sen. Joni Ernst confirms she won’t run," September 2, 2025
  6. ↑The New York Times, "Tillis Announces He Won’t Run Again as Trump Threatens Him With a Primary," June 29, 2025
  7. ↑The New York Times, "Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, to Retire After 44 Years in Congress," April 23, 2025
  8. ↑The Hill, "Shaheen to retire, setting up battle for New Hampshire Senate seat," March 12, 2025
  9. ↑The Associated Press, "Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker," February 20, 2025
  10. ↑MPR News, "Sen. Tina Smith won’t seek reelection in 2026, putting Minnesota seat up for grabs," February 13, 2025
  11. ↑The Detroit News, "Michigan’s Gary Peters won’t seek reelection to U.S. Senate. Here's why," January 28, 2025
  12. ↑Politico, "Tuberville announces Alabama governor run," May 27, 2025
  13. ↑Politico, "Charlie Cook's PVI," April 10, 2009
  14. ↑RedState, "New Cook PVIs Show Big Opportunities for Conservatives in the House," October 11, 2012
  15. ↑Swing State Project, "Just what is the Partisan Voter Index (PVI)?" November 16, 2008
  16. ↑Cite error: Invalid<ref> tag; no text was provided for refs namedreport
  17. ↑POLIDATA, "About," accessed July 7, 2017


Election information
Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Congressional incumbents not running for re-election
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