2026 United States elections


are scheduled to be held in the United States, in large part, on November 3, 2026. In this U.S. midterm election, scheduled to occur during Republican president Donald Trump's nonconsecutive second term, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested to determine the 120th United States Congress. 39 state and territorial U.S. gubernatorial elections, attorney general elections, and numerous state and local elections, will also be contested.

Background and campaign

The 2026 midterm elections are the first since 1894 to take place during a non-consecutive second term of the President of the United States.
Incumbent Republican Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election against Democrat Kamala Harris in part due to campaign promises such as economic renewal from the 2021–2023 inflation surge, and American domestication away from foreign entanglements such as the Gaza war and the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The second Trump administration has imposed tariffs on much of the world with the intent to re-industrialize America, a decision that received mixed reception. It was criticized by experts and global leaders for worsening inflation rather than fighting it. The administration’s immigration policies, including deportations by ICE due to strengthened funding via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, were also scrutinized by experts and activists.
The 2026 election will be the first federal election since the 2016 presidential contest where ABC News, CNN, CBS News, NBC News, the Associated Press and Fox News will use one election survey, the Voter Poll by SSRS, to measure voters' opinions and preferences. From 2018 to 2024, the former four news networks used data from the National Election Pool while the Associated Press and Fox News relied on AP VoteCast.
Although Trump won't be listed as a candidate on any state ballot in 2026, voters' views of his presidency will likely be a factor in the election. During the 2025 off year elections, exit polls found that many voted in opposition to Trump or said that he wasn't a factor. Surveys released in January 2026 found that many view Trump's handling of the economy and immigration negatively. During elections held in his first term, Trump was on the minds of many who voted.
The Republican Party performed worse than expected in the November 2025 general elections. Democratic candidates Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey won their gubernatorial races over their Republican opponents by larger than expected margins. Democrats performed strongly in the concurrent state legislative elections, winning a supermajority in the New Jersey General Assembly and expanding their majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. In New York City, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, a self-identified democratic socialist, was elected mayor in a three-way race against independent former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The main theme of the elections were affordability.
In January 2026, The Washington Post reported that the second Trump administration had undertaken several tactics, including mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts for partisan gain, prosecution of political opponents, and a push to change voting methods and rules, that were meant to undermine confidence in the midterm elections. Trump also floated the idea of canceling the elections, citing an expected loss in the elections and a distrust in democratic systems. In response, Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, claimed Trump was, "speaking facetiously," and was, "simply joking".

Federal elections

Senate elections

35 seats in the United States Senate will be up for election, including 33 Class 2 seats. Republicans gained majority control of the Senate in the 2024 elections by flipping four Democratic seats. Two Democratic-held seats, Georgia and Michigan, are in states won by Donald Trump in the previous presidential election, while Maine is the only Republican-held seat in a state won by Kamala Harris.

Special elections

Two special elections will be held to fill the unexpired terms of senators who vacated their seats during the :
  • Florida Class 3: Republican Marco Rubio resigned his seat on January 20, 2025, to become U.S. secretary of state under the second Trump administration. Ashley Moody was appointed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis to fill the seat until the special election, which will take place concurrently with the regularly scheduled 2026 elections.
  • Ohio Class 3: Republican JD Vance resigned his seat on January 10, 2025, following his election as vice president of the United States. Jon Husted was appointed by Ohio governor Mike DeWine to fill the seat until the special election, which will take place concurrently with the regularly scheduled 2026 elections.

    House of Representatives elections

All 435 voting seats in the United States House of Representatives will be up for election. Additionally, elections will be held to select the non-voting delegate for the District of Columbia and the non-voting delegates from 4 of the 5 U.S. territories, excluding Puerto Rico. There are 16 Democratic incumbents in districts Donald Trump won, while only 8 Republican incumbents are in seats won by Harris.
The House map features a number of new congressional maps: Ohio and Utah will have new, court-mandated congressional districts this cycle; Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas redrew their maps mid-cycle; and the district map was changed in California following the passage of Prop 50.

Special elections

At least four special elections to the House of Representatives will be held in 2026.
  • Texas's 18th congressional district: Democrat Christian Menefee defeated fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards in a runoff to succeed Democrat Sylvester Turner, who died on March 5, 2025. The district has a partisan index of D+21.
  • New Jersey's 11th congressional district: Democrat Mikie Sherrill resigned on November 20, 2025, to take office as governor of New Jersey. The district has a partisan index of D+5.
  • Georgia's 14th congressional district: Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned on January 5, 2026. The district has a partisan index of R+19.
  • California's 1st congressional district: Republican Doug LaMalfa died on January 6, 2026. The district has a partisan index of R+12.

    Generic congressional ballot aggregate polls

State elections

Gubernatorial elections

36 states and three territories will be holding regularly scheduled gubernatorial elections. The governors of 15 states and two territories will be term-limited.

Lieutenant gubernatorial elections

Ten states will be holding regularly scheduled lieutenant gubernatorial elections.

Attorney general elections

30 states, two territories, and one federal district will be holding regularly scheduled attorney general elections.

Secretary of state elections

26 states will be holding regularly scheduled secretary of state elections.

Treasurer elections

27 states will be holding regularly scheduled treasurer elections.

Auditor elections

23 states will be holding regularly scheduled auditor elections.

Legislative elections

88 state legislative chambers and 5 territorial chambers will be holding regularly scheduled elections.

State judicial elections

Elections are scheduled to be held in 2026, in various states across the country, including supreme courts and appellate courts.

Local elections

Mayoral elections

A number of major cities will hold mayoral elections in 2026.

Eligible incumbents

  • Anaheim, California: One-term incumbent Ashleigh Aitken is eligible for re-election.
  • Arlington, Texas: Two-term incumbent Jim Ross is eligible for re-election.
  • Auburn, Alabama: Two-term incumbent Ron Anders Jr. is eligible for re-election.
  • Bismarck, North Dakota: One-term incumbent Mike Schmitz is eligible for re-election.
  • Charleston, West Virginia: Two-term incumbent Amy Shuler Goodwin is eligible for re-election.
  • Chula Vista, California: Two-term incumbent John McCann is running for re-election.
  • Clarksville, Tennessee: Two-term incumbent Joe Pitts is eligible for re-election.
  • Danville, Illinois: Two-term incumbent Rickey Williams Jr. is eligible for re-election.
  • Flint, Michigan: Two-term incumbent Sheldon Neeley is eligible for re-election.
  • Fargo, North Dakota: Two-term incumbent Tim Mahoney is eligible for re-election.
  • Henderson, Nevada: One-term incumbent Michelle Romero is running for re-election.
  • Independence, Missouri: One-term incumbent Rory Rowland is eligible for re-election.
  • Irvine, California: Sixth non-consecutive term incumbent Larry Agran is eligible for re-election.
  • Lexington, Kentucky: Three-term incumbent Linda Gorton is running for re-election.
  • Laredo, Texas: One-term incumbent Victor Treviño is eligible for re-election.
  • Long Beach, California: One-term incumbent Rex Richardson is eligible for re-election.
  • Los Angeles, California: One-term incumbent Karen Bass is running for re-election.
  • Louisville, Kentucky: One-term incumbent Craig Greenberg is running for re-election.
  • Lubbock, Texas: One-term incumbent Mark McBrayer is eligible for re-election.
  • Minot, North Dakota: Incumbent Mark Jantzer is eligible for election to a full term.
  • Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Three-term incumbent Shane McFarland is eligible for re-election.
  • Newark, New Jersey: Three-term incumbent Ras Baraka is eligible for re-election.
  • Oakland, California: Incumbent Barbara Lee is eligible for election to a full term.
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Two-term incumbent David Holt is eligible for re-election.
  • Paterson, New Jersey: Two-term incumbent Andre Sayegh is eligible for re-election.
  • Providence, Rhode Island: One-term incumbent Brett Smiley is eligible for re-election.
  • Salem, Oregon: Incumbent Julie Hoy is running for re-election.
  • Santa Ana, California: Two-term incumbent Valerie Amezcua is eligible for re-election.
  • St. Petersburg, Florida: One-term incumbent Ken Welch is running for re-election.
  • Shreveport, Louisiana: One-term incumbent Tom Arceneaux is running for re-election.
  • Trenton, New Jersey: Two-term incumbent Reed Gusciora is eligible for re-election.