This week's question was, As things stand today, how many U.S. House elections feature two incumbents running in the same district?

You answered: 5.
You are correct!

As things stand today, five U.S. House races have had multiple incumbents declare their candidacies for the 2022 elections. All five districts are in states that have enacted new congressional district lines after the 2020 census, and all feature two candidates from the same party who would run against each other in a primary.

Multiple candidates may run in the same district if after redistricting, their home addresses or political bases of support are drawn into the same district, or if they determine that the characteristics of a particular district are more favorable for re-election.

The U.S. Constitution requires that members of the U.S. House of Representatives are residents of the state from which he or she is elected. However, it does not require them to live in the district that they represent.

These five races are located in four states: Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, and West Virginia. Of those four states, Illinois, Michigan, and West Virginia all lost one congressional seat following the 2020 census.

After the 2010 census, there were 13 districts where multiple incumbents ran against each other in the 2012 elections. Eleven of those races featured candidates from the same party, and two had a Democrat and a Republican run for the same district in the general election. In the two districts with one incumbent from each party, both were won by the Republican candidate.

Thanks for your response!