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United States House of Representatives elections, 2020

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2020 U.S. House Elections

Election Date
November 3, 2020

U.S. Senate Elections

U.S. House Elections by State
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U.S. House Primaries
U.S. House Democratic Party primaries, 2020
U.S. House Republican Party primaries, 2020

Democrats maintained a majority in the U.S. House as a result of the 2020 elections, winning 222 seats to Republicans' 213. Democrats flipped three seats and Republicans flipped 15, including one held by a Libertarian in 2020.

Heading into the November 3, 2020, election, Democrats held a 232-197 advantage in the U.S. House. Libertarians held one seat, and five seats were vacant. All 435 seats were up for election, with Republicans needing to gain a net 21 seats to win a majority in the chamber.

In 2018, Democrats gained a net 40 seats to win a majority. Republicans had held a majority in the chamber since 2010.

Ballotpedia tracked 41 districts as battleground races: 20 held by Democrats heading into the election, 20 held by Republicans, and one held by a Libertarian. Democrats defended 30 seats that President Trump (R) carried in 2016, while Republicans defended five seats that Hillary Clinton (D) carried that year.

In 2020, 49 U.S. House seats were open, meaning the incumbent was not running for re-election. Thirty-six of those seats were open because the incumbent did not run for re-election, eight were open because the incumbent was defeated in a primary or party convention, and five were open due to a vacancy.

On this page, you will find:

2020 election analysis and context

All 435 seats—including five vacancies—were up for election, with Republicans needing to add 21 seats to win majority control of the chamber.

In 386 of the 435 seats, an incumbent was seeking re-election on November 3. There were 36 seats where the incumbent was either retiring or otherwise not seeking re-election—26 Republicans, nine Democrats, and one Libertarian—and five vacant seats. There were also eight seats where the incumbent—five Republicans and three Democrats—was defeated in a primary or convention before making it to the general election ballot.

There were 18 seats that changed party hands, with 14 seats flipping from Democrat to Republican, three flipping from Republican to Democrat, and one flipping from Libertarian to Republican. Thirteen of the 386 incumbents running for re-election (3.4%) lost their seats in the general election—all Democrats.

Thirty-three seats up in 2020 were won by the presidential candidate of the opposite party in 2016. Democrats were defending 30 seats in districts that voted for Donald Trump, while Republicans were defending three seats in districts that voted for Hillary Clinton. Republicans gained control of seven out of the 30 seats in districts that voted for Donald Trump in 2016, while Democrats did not win control of any of the three seats in districts that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Partisan breakdown

Following the 2020 general elections, the Democratic Party held the majority in the U.S. House. Democrats gained control of the chamber in the 2018 elections.

The Republican Party would have needed to pick up 21 seats in November 2020 to win the chamber. They gained a net total of 12 seats.

U.S. House Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 3, 2020 After the 2020 Election
     Democratic Party 232 222
     Republican Party 197 213
     Libertarian Party 1 0
     Vacancies 5 0
Total 435 435


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


Districts that flipped in 2020

Updated March 11, 2021

The table below shows which U.S. House districts flipped partisan control as a result of the 2020 elections.

2020 House election flipped districts
District 2016 margin of victory 2018 margin of victory Pre-election incumbent Open seat? 2020 Winner
California's 21st Congressional District Republicans+13.4 Democrats+0.8 Democratic Party TJ Cox Republican Party David G. Valadao
California's 39th Congressional District Republicans+14.4 Democrats+3.2 Democratic Party Gil Cisneros Republican Party Young Kim
California's 48th Congressional District Republicans+16.6 Democrats+7.2 Democratic Party Harley Rouda Republican Party Michelle Steel
Florida's 26th Congressional District Republicans+11.8 Democrats+1.8 Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Republican Party Carlos Gimenez
Florida's 27th Congressional District Republicans+9.8 Democrats+6.0 Democratic Party Donna Shalala Republican Party Maria Elvira Salazar
Georgia's 7th Congressional District Republicans+20.8 Republicans+0.2 Republican Party Rob Woodall Democratic Party Carolyn Bourdeaux
Iowa's 1st Congressional District Republicans+7.6 Democrats+3.6 Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer Republican Party Ashley Hinson
Iowa's 2nd Congressional District Democrats+7.5 Democrats+12.2 Democratic Party Dave Loebsack Republican Party Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Michigan's 3rd Congressional District Republicans+22.0 Republicans+11.2 Libertarian Party Justin Amash Republican Party Peter Meijer
Minnesota's 7th Congressional District Democrats+5.1 Democrats+4.3 Democratic Party Collin Peterson Republican Party Michelle Fischbach
New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District Republicans+25.5 Democrats+1.8 Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Republican Party Yvette Herrell
New York's 11th Congressional District Republicans+24.9 Democrats+6.4 Democratic Party Max Rose Republican Party Nicole Malliotakis
New York's 22nd Congressional District Republicans+5.4 Democrats+1.8 Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Republican Party Claudia Tenney
North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District Republicans+13.4 Republicans+5.5 Republican Party George Holding Democratic Party Deborah Ross
North Carolina's 6th Congressional District Republicans+18.4 Republicans+13.0 Republican Party Mark Walker Democratic Party Kathy Manning
Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District Republicans+20.3 Democrats+1.4 Democratic Party Kendra Horn Republican Party Stephanie Bice
South Carolina's 1st Congressional District Republicans+21.8 Democrats+1.4 Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Republican Party Nancy Mace
Utah's 4th Congressional District Republicans+12.5 Democrats+0.2 Democratic Party Ben McAdams Republican Party Burgess Owens


The map below shows flipped districts.

Incumbents defeated

This section tracked incumbents defeated in 2020.

Incumbents defeated in the general election

The following table lists incumbents defeated in the 2020 general election for U.S. House.

U.S. House incumbents defeated in the 2020 general election
District Incumbent Election winner
California's 21st Democratic Party TJ Cox Republican Party David G. Valadao
California's 39th Democratic Party Gil Cisneros Republican Party Young Kim
California's 48th Democratic Party Harley Rouda Republican Party Michelle Steel
Florida's 26th Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Republican Party Carlos Gimenez
Florida's 27th Democratic Party Donna Shalala Republican Party Maria Elvira Salazar
Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer Republican Party Ashley Hinson
Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson Republican Party Michelle Fischbach
New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Republican Party Yvette Herrell
New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose Republican Party Nicole Malliotakis
New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Republican Party Claudia Tenney
Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn Republican Party Stephanie Bice
South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Republican Party Nancy Mace
Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams Republican Party Burgess Owens

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

The following table lists incumbents defeated in 2020 House primary elections or conventions.

Incumbents defeated in primaries
District Incumbent Primary election/convention winner
Illinois' 3rd Democratic Party Daniel Lipinski Democratic Party Marie Newman
Iowa's 4th Republican Party Steve King Republican Party Randy Feenstra
Virginia's 5th Republican Party Denver Riggleman Republican Party Bob Good
New York's 16th Democratic Party Eliot Engel Democratic Party Jamaal Bowman
Colorado's 3rd Republican Party Scott Tipton Republican Party Lauren Boebert
Kansas' 2nd Republican Party Steve Watkins Republican Party Jacob LaTurner
Missouri's 1st Democratic Party William Lacy Clay Democratic Party Cori Bush
Florida's 15th Republican Party Ross Spano Republican Party Scott Franklin


Historical context

See also: Incumbents defeated in 2018 congressional elections

In the 2018 midterm elections, 378 U.S. House incumbents ran for re-election. This was the lowest number of U.S. House incumbents seeking re-election since 1992.

Thirty-four incumbents—9 percent—lost their re-election bids. That included two Democrats and 32 Republicans. This was the highest percentage of incumbents defeated since 2012, when 10.2 percent were not re-elected.

The following data for congressional re-election rates from 2000 to 2016 was reported in Vital Statistics, a joint research project of the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute. Find the original datasets and methodology here. Data for the 2018 election came from Ballotpedia.

Defeated U.S. House incumbents by party, 2000-2020
Year Democratic incumbents lost Republican incumbents lost Total
2020 16 5 21
2018 2 32 34
2016 3 9 12
2014 12 6 18
2012 10 17 27
2010 54 4 58
2008 6 17 23
2006 0 22 22
2004 5 2 7
2002 12 5 17
2000 4 5 9


U.S. House incumbents retired, defeated, or reelected, 2000-2020
Year Not seeking re-election Total seeking re-election Defeated in primaries Defeated in general election Total re-elected Percentage of those seeking re-election
2020 36 394 8 13 373 94.7
2018 52 378 4 30 345 91.2
2016 41 392 4 8 380 96.9
2014 24 392 5 13 374 95.4
2012 25 391 13 27 351 89.8
2010 32 397 4 54 339 85.4
2008 25 400 4 18 377 94.3
2006 28 403 2 22 379 94.0
2004 29 404 2 7 395 97.8
2002 35 398 8 8 383 96.2
2000 30 403 3 6 394 97.8

Margin of victory

See also: Election results, 2020: Congressional margin of victory analysis

The margin of victory for each race is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the two candidates who received the most votes. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%. Some quick facts:

  • The average margin of victory was 28.8%, smaller than the 30.2% average in 2018 or the 36.6% average in 2016.
  • On average, Republicans won by smaller margins than Democrats. The average margin of victory for winning Democrats was 31.5% and the average margin of victory for winning Republicans was 26.0%.
  • The closest race was in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, where Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) defeated Rita Hart (D) by a margin of six votes. This was the narrowest margin in any U.S. House election since 1984.


Outside ratings

The following table compared U.S. House race ratings from The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections prior to the November 2020 elections.

Districts that flipped in 2018

The map below highlights congressional districts that changed party control in the general elections on November 6, 2018.

The following table lists congressional districts that changed party control in the general elections on November 6, 2018. It also includes 2020 general election race ratings from three outlets.

Flipped congressional districts, 2018
District Pre-election incumbent 2018 election winner
Arizona's 2nd Republican Party Martha McSally Democratic Party Ann Kirkpatrick
California's 10th Republican Party Jeff Denham Democratic Party Josh Harder
California's 21st Republican Party David Valadao Democratic Party TJ Cox
California's 25th Republican Party Stephen Knight Democratic Party Katie Hill
California's 39th Republican Party Edward Royce Democratic Party Gil Cisneros
California's 45th Republican Party Mimi Walters Democratic Party Katie Porter
California's 48th Republican Party Dana Rohrabacher Democratic Party Harley Rouda
California's 49th Republican Party Darrell Issa Democratic Party Mike Levin
Colorado's 6th Republican Party Mike Coffman
Florida's 26th Republican Party Carlos Curbelo Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Florida's 27th Republican Party Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Democratic Party Donna Shalala
Georgia's 6th Republican Party Karen Handel Democratic Party Lucy McBath
Illinois' 6th Republican Party Peter Roskam Democratic Party Sean Casten
Illinois' 14th Republican Party Randy Hultgren Democratic Party Lauren Underwood
Iowa's 1st Republican Party Rod Blum Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer
Iowa's 3rd Republican Party David Young Democratic Party Cindy Axne
Kansas' 3rd Republican Party Kevin Yoder Democratic Party Sharice Davids
Maine's 2nd Republican Party Bruce Poliquin Democratic Party Jared Golden
Michigan's 8th Republican Party Mike Bishop Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin
Michigan's 11th Republican Party David Trott Democratic Party Haley Stevens
Minnesota's 1st Democratic Party Tim Walz Republican Party Jim Hagedorn
Minnesota's 2nd Republican Party Jason Lewis
Minnesota's 3rd Republican Party Erik Paulsen Democratic Party Dean Phillips
Minnesota's 8th Democratic Party Rick Nolan Republican Party Pete Stauber
New Jersey's 2nd Republican Party Frank LoBiondo Democratic Party Jeff Van Drew[1]
New Jersey's 3rd Republican Party Tom MacArthur Democratic Party Andy Kim
New Jersey's 7th Republican Party Leonard Lance Democratic Party Tom Malinowski
New Jersey's 11th Republican Party Rodney Frelinghuysen Democratic Party Mikie Sherrill
New Mexico's 2nd Republican Party Steve Pearce Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small
New York's 11th Republican Party Dan Donovan Democratic Party Max Rose
New York's 19th Republican Party John Faso Democratic Party Antonio Delgado
New York's 22nd Republican Party Claudia Tenney Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi
Oklahoma's 5th Republican Party Steve Russell Democratic Party Kendra Horn
Pennsylvania's 5th Republican Party Vacant Democratic Party Mary Gay Scanlon
Pennsylvania's 6th Republican Party Ryan Costello Democratic Party Chrissy Houlahan
Pennsylvania's 7th Republican Party Vacant Democratic Party Susan Wild
Pennsylvania's 14th Democratic Party Conor Lamb Republican Party Guy Reschenthaler
Pennsylvania's 17th Republican Party Keith Rothfus Democratic Party Conor Lamb
South Carolina's 1st Republican Party Mark Sanford Democratic Party Joe Cunningham
Texas' 7th Republican Party John Culberson Democratic Party Lizzie Pannill Fletcher
Texas' 32nd Republican Party Pete Sessions Democratic Party Colin Allred
Utah's 4th Republican Party Mia Love Democratic Party Ben McAdams
Virginia's 2nd Republican Party Scott Taylor Democratic Party Elaine Luria
Virginia's 7th Republican Party David Brat Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger
Virginia's 10th Republican Party Barbara Comstock Democratic Party Jennifer Wexton
Washington's 8th Republican Party Dave Reichert Democratic Party Kim Schrier

Flipped seats 2014-2018

The map below highlights distrits that have changed party hands from 2014 to 2018, along with the number of times the district changed party hands. These are elections that took place with the same maps created as a result of the 2010 redistricting process. The 2012 election is not included in the data below because it was the first election with the new maps. The 2020 election will be the final election with the 2010 redistricting maps.

Of the 435 U.S. House districts, 67 districts (15.4 percent) changed partisan hands at least once during those three elections. Ten districts changed partisan hands twice over those three elections, while no districts changed partisan hands in each of the elections.

The table below lists districts that changed partisan hands between 2014 and 2018. Click "show" to expand the table. Click on a district to view its election history.

Incumbents who did not seek re-election in 2020

See also: List of U.S. Congress incumbents who did not run for re-election in 2020


Thirty-six representatives did not seek re-election to their U.S. House seats (not including those who left office early):

  • Democratic Party 9 Democratic members of the U.S. House
  • Republican Party 26 Republican members of the U.S. House
  • Libertarian Party 1 Libertarian member of the U.S. House

The chart below shows the number of announced retirements by party over time beginning in January 2019.

Incumbents who retired from public office

  • Democratic Party 5 Democratic members of the U.S. House
  • Republican Party 20 Republican members of the U.S. House
  • Libertarian Party 1 Libertarian member of the U.S. House
Retiring from public office, 2020
Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
Rob Woodall Republican Party Republican Georgia's 7th February 7, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic Yes
Jose Serrano Democratic Party Democratic New York's 15th March 25, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
Dave Loebsack Democratic Party Democratic Iowa's 2nd April 12, 2019 Republican Party Republican Yes
Susan Brooks Republican Party Republican Indiana's 5th June 14, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Paul Mitchell Republican Party Republican Michigan's 10th July 24, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Pete Olson Republican Party Republican Texas' 22nd July 25, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Martha Roby Republican Party Republican Alabama's 2nd July 26, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Mike Conaway Republican Party Republican Texas' 11th July 30, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Will Hurd Republican Party Republican Texas' 23rd August 1, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Kenny Marchant Republican Party Republican Texas' 24th August 5, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
John Shimkus Republican Party Republican Illinois' 15th August 30, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Bill Flores Republican Party Republican Texas' 17th September 4, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Susan Davis Democratic Party Democratic California's 53rd September 4, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
Jim Sensenbrenner Republican Party Republican Wisconsin's 5th September 4, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Mac Thornberry Republican Party Republican Texas' 13th September 30, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Nita Lowey Democratic Party Democratic New York's 17th October 10, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
Francis Rooney Republican Party Republican Florida's 19th October 19, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Greg Walden Republican Party Republican Oregon's 2nd October 28, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Peter Visclosky Democratic Party Democratic Indiana's 1st November 6, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
Peter King Republican Party Republican New York's 2nd November 11, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
George Holding Ends.png Republican North Carolina's 2nd December 6, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic Yes
Ted Yoho Ends.png Republican Florida's 3rd December 10, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Mark Walker Ends.png Republican North Carolina's 6th December 16, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic Yes
Phil Roe Ends.png Republican Tennessee's 1st January 3, 2020 Republican Party Republican No
Ralph Abraham Ends.png Republican Louisiana's 5th February 26, 2020 Republican Party Republican No
Justin Amash Specialsession.png Libertarian Michigan's 3rd July 16, 2020 Republican Party Republican Yes

Incumbents who sought other offices

U.S. House members who ran for President

  • Democratic Party 1 Democratic member of the U.S. House
Running for president, 2020
Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Party Democratic Hawaii's 2nd October 25, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No

U.S. House members who sought a seat in the U.S. Senate

  • Democratic Party 2 Democratic members of the U.S. House
  • Republican Party 3 Republican members of the U.S. House
Running for Senate, 2020
Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
Bradley Byrne Republican Party Republican Alabama's 1st February 20, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Ben Ray Lujan Democratic Party Democratic New Mexico's 3rd April 1, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
Roger Marshall Republican Party Republican Kansas' 1st September 7, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Joseph Kennedy III Democratic Party Democratic Massachusetts' 4th September 21, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
Doug Collins Republican Party Republican Georgia's 9th January 29, 2020 Republican Party Republican No

U.S. House members who ran for governor

  • Republican Party 1 Republican member of the U.S. House
Running for governor, 2020
Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
Greg Gianforte Republican Party Republican Montana At-Large June 6, 2019 Republican Party Republican No

U.S. House members who ran for another office

  • Republican Party 2 Republican members of the U.S. House
  • Democratic Party 1 Democratic member of the U.S. House
Running for another office, 2020
Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
Paul Cook Republican Party Republican California's 8th September 17, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
Denny Heck[2] Electiondot.png Democratic Washington's 10th April 9, 2020 Democratic Party Democratic No
Rob Bishop[3] Republican Party Republican Utah's 1st January 16, 2020 Republican Party Republican No

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, 2012-2018
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
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[4] 0 0 0
U.S. House 23 20 43 4 1 5
Total 29 23 53 4 1 5

Rematches in 2020 general elections

See also: Rematches in 2020 general elections

Updated February 8, 2021
An election rematch occurs when the same candidates run against each other in consecutive election cycles. In the 2020 general election, 56 races for the U.S. House were rematches.[5] Of the 55 called races, Republicans won 32 of the rematch districts to Democrats' 24 in 2020. In 2018, Democrats won 29 of the districts to Republicans' 27. Twelve races were decided by a margin of 10 percentage points or fewer in 2020, compared to 19 in 2018.

The map below highlights congressional districts where the race was a rematch.

U.S. House rematches, 2020
District Candidates 2018 margin 2020 margin
U.S. House Alaska At-large District Democratic Party Alyse Galvin Republican Party Don Young R+6.61 R+16.3
U.S. House Arizona District 5 Republican Party Andy Biggs Democratic Party Joan Greene R+18.85 R+12.73
U.S. House California District 1 Democratic Party Audrey Denney Republican Party Doug LaMalfa R+9.77 R+11.33
U.S. House California District 19 Republican Party Justin Aguilera Democratic Party Zoe Lofgren D+47.51 D+25.86
U.S. House California District 2 Democratic Party Jared Huffman Republican Party Dale Mensing D+54.02 D+58.67
U.S. House California District 21 Republican Party David G. Valadao Democratic Party TJ Cox D+0.76 R+0.89
U.S. House California District 30 Republican Party Mark Reed Democratic Party Brad Sherman D+46.8 D+41.34
U.S. House California District 32 Republican Party Joshua Scott Democratic Party Grace Napolitano D+37.56 D+33.96
U.S. House California District 39 Republican Party Young Kim Democratic Party Gil Cisneros D+3.11 R+1.22
U.S. House California District 41 Republican Party Aja Smith Democratic Party Mark Takano D+30.2 D+28.91
U.S. House California District 47 Republican Party John Briscoe Democratic Party Alan Lowenthal D+29.71 D+33.84
U.S. House California District 51 Republican Party Juan Hidalgo Democratic Party Juan Vargas D+42.4 D+44.49
U.S. House Florida District 11 Democratic Party Dana Cottrell Republican Party Daniel Webster R+30.3 R+33.44
U.S. House Florida District 17 Republican Party Greg Steube Democratic Party Allen Ellison R+24.52 R+30.56
U.S. House Florida District 27 Democratic Party Donna Shalala Republican Party Maria Elvira Salazar D+6 R+2.74
U.S. House Georgia District 10 Democratic Party Tabitha Johnson-Green Republican Party Jody Hice R+25.78 R+27.12
U.S. House Georgia District 6 Democratic Party Lucy McBath Republican Party Karen Handel D+1.03 D+7.92
U.S. House Idaho District 2 Republican Party Michael K. Simpson Democratic Party Aaron Swisher R+21.34 R+19.49
U.S. House Illinois District 13 Democratic Party Betsy Londrigan Republican Party Rodney Davis R+0.76 R+9.46
U.S. House Illinois District 5 Republican Party Tom Hanson Democratic Party Mike Quigley D+53.33 D+42.96
U.S. House Illinois District 7 Democratic Party Danny K. Davis Republican Party Craig Cameron D+75.23 D+67.16
U.S. House Indiana District 6 Republican Party Greg Pence Democratic Party Jeannine Lee Lake R+30.96 R+46.83
U.S. House Iowa District 3 Republican Party David Young Democratic Party Cindy Axne D+2.16 D+1.39
U.S. House Kentucky District 2 Democratic Party Hank Linderman Republican Party Brett Guthrie R+35.65 R+45.28
U.S. House Maryland District 3 Democratic Party John Sarbanes Republican Party Charles Anthony D+40.85 D+40.13
U.S. House Maryland District 4 Republican Party George McDermott Democratic Party Anthony G. Brown D+58.2 D+61.4
U.S. House Massachusetts District 2 Republican Party Tracy Lovvorn Democratic Party Jim McGovern D+34.38 D+36.69
U.S. House Michigan District 12 Republican Party Jeff Jones Democratic Party Debbie Dingell D+39.19 D+35.29
U.S. House Michigan District 4 Democratic Party Jerry Hilliard Republican Party John Moolenaar R+25.25 R+41.91
U.S. House Michigan District 7 Democratic Party Gretchen Driskell Republican Party Tim Walberg R+7.59 R+17.5
U.S. House Minnesota District 1 Democratic Party Dan Feehan Republican Party Jim Hagedorn R+0.45 R+3.04
U.S. House Missouri District 8 Democratic Party Kathy Ellis Republican Party Jason Smith R+48.37 R+56.29
U.S. House Nebraska District 2 Republican Party Don Bacon Democratic Party Kara Eastman R+1.99 R+4.74
U.S. House Nevada District 1 Republican Party Joyce Bentley Democratic Party Dina Titus D+35.3 D+28.71
U.S. House New Hampshire District 2 Democratic Party Annie Kuster Republican Party Steve Negron D+13.36 D+11.08
U.S. House New Mexico District 2 Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Republican Party Yvette Herrell D+1.87 R+7.81
U.S. House New York District 21 Democratic Party Tedra Cobb Republican Party Elise Stefanik R+13.69 R+28.77
U.S. House New York District 22 Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Republican Party Claudia Tenney D+1.78 R+0.0003
U.S. House New York District 23 Republican Party Tom Reed Democratic Party Tracy Mitrano R+8.49 R+27.23
U.S. House New York District 24 Democratic Party Dana Balter Republican Party John Katko R+5.26 R+10.16
U.S. House Ohio District 6 Republican Party Bill Johnson Democratic Party Shawna Roberts R+38.5 R+48.85
U.S. House Ohio District 8 Republican Party Warren Davidson Democratic Party Vanessa Enoch R+33.15 R+38.09
U.S. House Oklahoma District 4 Democratic Party Mary Brannon Republican Party Tom Cole R+30.06 R+39.01
U.S. House Pennsylvania District 2 Democratic Party Brendan Boyle Republican Party David Torres D+58.03 D+30.12
U.S. House Tennessee District 2 Democratic Party Renee Hoyos Republican Party Tim Burchett R+32.88 R+36.66
U.S. House Tennessee District 8 Democratic Party Erika Stotts Pearson Republican Party David Kustoff R+37.56 R+39.06
U.S. House Tennessee District 9 Republican Party Charlotte Bergmann Democratic Party Steve Cohen D+60.75 D+57.24
U.S. House Texas District 10 Democratic Party Mike Siegel Republican Party Michael McCaul R+4.27 R+7.16
U.S. House Texas District 14 Republican Party Randy Weber Democratic Party Adrienne Bell R+19.93 R+24.8
U.S. House Texas District 25 Democratic Party Julie Oliver Republican Party Roger Williams R+8.75 R+13.97
U.S. House Texas District 34 Democratic Party Filemon Vela Republican Party Rey Gonzalez Jr. D+19.98 D+11.36
U.S. House Virginia District 2 Republican Party Scott Taylor Democratic Party Elaine Luria D+2.24 D+4.33
U.S. House Washington District 1 Democratic Party Suzan DelBene Republican Party Jeffrey Beeler D+18.54 D+21.3
U.S. House Washington District 3 Democratic Party Carolyn Long Republican Party Jaime Herrera Beutler R+5.34 R+11.91
U.S. House Washington District 7 Democratic Party Pramila Jayapal Republican Party Craig Keller D+67.12 D+69.36
U.S. House Wisconsin District 4 Republican Party Tim Rogers Democratic Party Gwen Moore D+54.04 D+32.55


Annual Congressional Competitiveness Report, 2020

See also: Annual Congressional Competitiveness Report, 2020

Ballotpedia's Annual Congressional Competitiveness report for 2020 includes information on the number of elections featuring candidates from both major parties, the number of open seats, and more.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • More U.S. House races were contested by members of both major parties than in any general election since at least 1920, with 95.4% of races (415 of 435) featuring major party competition.[6][7]
  • Of the U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators who were eligible to run for re-election in 2018, 55 of them (11.8%) did not appear on the general election ballot in 2020.
  • In the 53 open seats where an incumbent either did not seek re-election or was defeated in a primary, there were 13 races where the incumbent's district overlapped at least one pivot county (a county that voted for President Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, before switching to support President Donald Trump (R) in 2016).
  • In 20 races, only one major party candidate appeared on the general election ballot, the lowest number compared to the preceding decade.

  • Click here to view the full report.


    Battleground elections

    See also: U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020
    See also: Democratic Party battleground primaries, 2020
    See also: Republican Party battleground primaries, 2020

    Democrats lost seats but maintained their majority, winning 222 seats to Republicans' 213.

    Ballotpedia identified 41 of the 435 House races (9.4%) as battlegrounds. Of the 41 seats, 20 had Democratic incumbents, 20 had Republican incumbents, and one had a Libertarian incumbent.

    The following map displays the 2020 House battlegrounds shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Hover over a state for more information.

    Battleground U.S. House elections, 2020
    District Incumbent Open seat? 2018 margin
    Arizona's 6th Republican Party David Schweikert No R+10.4
    Arkansas' 2nd Republican Party French Hill No R+6.3
    California's 21st Democratic Party TJ Cox No D+0.8
    California's 25th Republican Party Mike Garcia No D+8.7
    Florida's 26th Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell No D+1.8
    Georgia's 6th Democratic Party Lucy McBath No D+1.0
    Georgia's 7th Republican Party Rob Woodall Yes R+0.2
    Illinois' 13th Republican Party Rodney Davis No R+0.8
    Indiana's 5th Republican Party Susan Brooks Yes R+13.5
    Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer No D+5.1
    Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack Yes D+12.2
    Iowa's 3rd Democratic Party Cindy Axne No D+2.2
    Maine's 2nd Democratic Party Jared Golden No D+1.3
    Michigan's 3rd Libertarian Party Justin Amash Yes R+11.2
    Michigan's 6th Republican Party Fred Upton No R+4.6
    Michigan's 8th Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin No D+3.8
    Minnesota's 1st Republican Party Jim Hagedorn No R+0.5
    Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson No D+4.3
    Missouri's 2nd Republican Party Ann Wagner No R+4.0
    Nebraska's 2nd Republican Party Don Bacon No R+2.0
    New Jersey's 2nd Republican Party Jeff Van Drew No D+7.7
    New Jersey's 3rd Democratic Party Andrew Kim No D+1.3
    New Jersey's 7th Democratic Party Tom Malinowski No D+5.0
    New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small No D+1.9
    New York's 2nd Republican Party Peter King Yes R+6.2
    New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose No D+6.5
    New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi No D+1.8
    Ohio's 1st Republican Party Steve Chabot No R+4.4
    Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn No D+1.4
    Pennsylvania's 10th Republican Party Scott Perry No R+2.6
    Pennsylvania's 17th Democratic Party Conor Lamb No D+12.5
    South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham No D+1.4
    Texas' 21st Republican Party Chip Roy No R+2.6
    Texas' 22nd Republican Party Pete Olson Yes R+4.9
    Texas' 23rd Republican Party Will Hurd Yes R+0.4
    Texas' 24th Republican Party Kenny Marchant Yes R+3.1
    Texas' 25th Republican Party Roger Williams No R+8.7
    Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams No D+0.3
    Virginia's 2nd Democratic Party Elaine Luria No D+2.2
    Virginia's 5th Republican Party Denver Riggleman Yes R+6.6
    Virginia's 7th Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger No D+1.9

    Fundraising by candidate

    The following table shows the top U.S. House fundraisers of the 2019-2020 election cycle based on FEC filings through October 14, 2020.

    Fundraising by party

    See also: Party committee fundraising, 2019-2020

    Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

    See also: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

    The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reported the following fundraising amounts for the 2021-22 election cycle:

    Monthly fundraising for the DCCC for the 2021-22 election cycle
    Reporting month
    (Dates covered)
    Total receipts Total disbursements Cash on hand (end of month) Debts owed (end of month) FEC document
    Year-End 2022
    (November 29-December 31, 2022)
    $3,183,769.24 $13,070,646.29 $16,230,013.57 $18,000,000.00 Filing
    Post-General 2022
    (October 20-November 28, 2022)
    $35,643,345.56 $46,720,881.18 $26,116,890.62 $20,000,000.00 Filing
    Pre-General 2022
    (October 1-19, 2022)
    $28,073,623.38 $50,131,827.17 $37,194,426.24 $10,000,000.00 Filing
    October 2022
    (September 1-30, 2022)
    $27,597,067.82 $79,003,375.15 $59,252,630.03 $0.00 Filing
    September 2022
    (August 1-31, 2022)
    $15,486,156.64 $23,599,839.25 $110,658,937.36 $0.00 Filing
    August 2022
    (July 1-31, 2022)
    $13,480,229.98 $16,213,536.10 $118,772,619.97 $0.00 Filing
    July 2022
    (June 1-30, 2022)
    $17,011,341.51 $13,221,061.55 $121,505,926.09 $0.00 Filing
    June 2022
    (May 1-31, 2022)
    $11,806,911.00 $9,039,613.05 $117,715,646.13 $0.00 Filing
    May 2022
    (April 1-30, 2022)
    $11,924,919.80 $10,192,357.21 $114,948,348.18 $0.00 Filing
    April 2022
    (March 1-31, 2022)
    $21,336,295.92 $7,362,074.26 $113,215,785.59 $0.00 Filing
    March 2022
    (Feb. 1-28, 2022)
    $19,345,961.71 $7,505,201.49 $99,241,563.93 $0.00 Filing
    February 2022
    (Jan. 1-31, 2022)
    $11,744,245.20 $6,845,570.31 $87,400,803.71 $0.00 Filing
    Year-End 2021
    (Dec. 1-31, 2021)
    $15,518,933.09 $6,823,166.89 $82,502,128.82 $0.00 Filing
    December 2021
    (Nov. 1-30, 2021)
    $12,622,562.09 $6,386,353.90 $73,806,362.62 $0.00 Filing
    November 2021
    (Oct. 1-31, 2021)
    $11,651,755.37 $6,856,520.87 $67,570,154.43 $0.00 Filing
    October 2021
    (Sept. 1-30, 2021)
    $14,494,889.53 $5,083,625.12 $62,774,919.93 $0.00 Filing
    September 2021
    (Aug. 1-31, 2021)
    $10,079,204.25 $6,035,012.45 $53,363,655.52 $0.00 Filing
    August 2021
    (July 1-31, 2021)
    $11,250,256.41 $6,197,156.63 $49,319,463.72 $0.00 Filing
    July 2021
    (June 1-30, 2021)
    $14,418,317.33 $6,252,681.34 $44,266,363.94 $0.00 Filing
    June 2021
    (May 1-31, 2021)
    $9,924,502.57 $6,003,206.61 $36,100,727.95 $0.00 Filing
    May 2021
    (April 1-30, 2021)
    $12,196,848.15 $10,342,515.82 $32,179,431.99 $0.00 Filing
    April 2021
    (March 1-31, 2021)
    $15,628,124.86 $11,223,337.82 $30,325,099.66 $5,500,000.00 Filing
    March 2021
    (Feb. 1-28, 2021)
    $11,514,274.03 $7,996,913.63 $25,920,312.62 $11,000,000.00 Filing
    February 2021
    (Jan. 1-31, 2021)
    $6,999,288.32 $5,561,026.58 $22,402,952.22 $13,000,000.00 Filing

    The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reported the following fundraising amounts for the 2019-20 election cycle:

    Monthly fundraising for the DCCC for the 2019-20 election cycle
    Reporting month
    (Dates covered)
    Total receipts Total disbursements Cash on hand (end of month) Debts owed (end of month) FEC document
    Year-End 2020
    (Nov. 24 - Dec. 31, 2020)
    $7,166,422.62 $14,573,154.90 $20,964,690.48 $14,000,000.00 Filing
    Post-General 2020
    (Oct. 15 - Nov. 23, 2020)
    $48,026,680.52 $51,026,859.45 $28,371,422.76 $18,000,000.00 Filing
    Pre-General 2020
    (Oct. 1-14, 2020)
    $12,300,063.18 $45,420,560.38 $31,371,601.69 $0.00 Filing
    October 2020
    (Sept. 1-30, 2020)
    $29,487,667.59 $69,738,007.68 $64,492,098.89 $0.00 Filing
    September 2020
    (Aug. 1-31, 2020)
    $22,662,257.77 $15,813,429.36 $104,742,438.98 $0.00 Filing
    August 2020
    (July 1-31, 2020)
    $18,360,260.49 $14,569,451.94 $97,893,610.57 $0.00 Filing
    July 2020
    (June 1-30, 2020)
    $17,078,205.20 $9,309,304.25 $94,102,802.02 $0.00 Filing
    June 2020
    (May 1-31, 2020)
    $10,932,391.27 $7,092,852.50 $86,333,901.07 $0.00 Filing
    May 2020
    (Apr. 1-30, 2020)
    $11,328,061.98 $9,562,275.34 $82,494,362.30 $0.00 Filing
    April 2020
    (Mar. 1-31, 2020)
    $14,339,756.86 $6,153,310.46 $80,728,575.66 $15,096.56 Filing
    March 2020
    (Feb. 1-29, 2020)
    $17,054,723.31 $6,756,246.61 $72,542,141.05 $15,096.56 Filing
    February 2020
    (Jan. 1-31, 2020)
    $12,148,804.08 $6,953,877.84 $62,243,664.35 $15,096.56 Filing
    Year-End 2019
    (Dec. 1-31, 2019)
    $14,554,564.47 $5,091,703.10 $57,048,738.11 $15,096.56 Filing
    December 2019
    (Nov. 1-30, 2019)
    $9,046,423.20 $5,134,576.54 $47,585,876.74 $0.00 Filing
    November 2019
    (Oct. 1-31, 2019)
    $12,235,996.28 $4,778,398.76 $43,674,030.08 $0.00 Filing
    October 2019
    (Sept. 1-30, 2019)
    $12,885,959.02 $5,519,250.48 $36,216,432.56 $0.00 Filing
    September 2019
    (Aug. 1-31, 2019)
    $7,207,666.41 $7,124,624.71 $28,849,724.02 $0.00 Filing
    August 2019
    (July 1-31, 2019)
    $7,296,664.70 $3,970,688.75 $28,766,682.32 $0.00 Filing
    July 2019
    (June 1-30, 2019)
    $12,509,381.43 $4,184,652.22 $25,440,706.37 $0.00 Filing
    June 2019
    (May 1-31, 2019)
    $8,858,334.45 $4,273,130.98 $17,115,977.16 $0.00 Filing
    May 2019
    (Apr. 1-30, 2019)
    $7,849,260.16 $10,124,779.02 $12,530,773.69 $0.00 Filing
    April 2019
    (Mar. 1-31, 2019)
    $13,499,703.70 $9,104,535.79 $14,806,292.55 $6,000,000.00 Filing
    March 2019
    (Feb. 1-28, 2019)
    $11,654,633.76 $8,135,188.41 $10,411,124.64 $11,990,300.00 Filing
    February 2019
    (Jan. 1-31, 2019)
    $7,288,899.01 $6,012,715.61 $6,891,679.29 $15,865,930.22 Filing

    National Republican Congressional Committee

    See also: National Republican Congressional Committee

    The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) reported the following fundraising amounts for the 2021-22 election cycle:

    Monthly fundraising for the NRCC for the 2021-22 election cycle
    Month
    (Dates covered)
    Total receipts Total disbursements Cash on hand (end of month) Debts owed (end of month) FEC document
    Year-End 2022
    (November 29-December 31, 2022)
    $2,235,052.30 $7,334,338.83 $16,405,043.87 $15,000,000.00 Filing
    Post-General 2022
    (October 20-November 28, 2022)
    $24,857,565.76 $61,234,152.94 $21,504,330.40 $15,000,000.00 Filing
    Pre-General 2022
    (October 1-19, 2022)
    $4,798,053.29 $39,235,037.22 $57,880,917.58 $0.00 Filing
    October 2022
    (September 1-30, 2022)
    $16,881,332.86 $37,733,363.15 $92,317,901.51 $0.00 Filing
    September 2022
    (August 1-31, 2022)
    $15,624,783.37 $12,485,388.29 $113,169,931.80 $0.00 Filing
    August 2022
    (July 1-31, 2022)
    $9,759,282.87 $8,633,461.95 $110,030,536.72 $0.00 Filing
    July 2022
    (June 1-30, 2022)
    $16,500,572.57 $5,746,464.64 $108,904,715.80 $0.00 Filing
    June 2022
    (May 1-31, 2022)
    $9,030,408.44 $7,383,736.79 $98,150,607.87 $0.00 Filing
    May 2022
    (April 1-30, 2022)
    $8,700,886.96 $6,903,322.51 $96,503,936.22 $0.00 Filing
    April 2022
    (March 1-31, 2022)
    $19,412,194.20 $9,737,611.93 $94,706,371.77 $0.00 Filing
    March 2022
    (Feb. 1-28, 2022)
    $10,007,188.71 $6,974,412.07 $85,031,789.50 $0.00 Filing
    February 2022
    (Jan. 1-31, 2022)
    $11,491,341.68 $7,706,440.79 $81,999,012.86 $0.00 Filing
    Year-End 2021
    (Dec. 1-31, 2021)
    $17,897,389.45 $6,723,315.80 $78,214,111.97 $40,971.63 Filing
    December 2021
    (Nov. 1-30, 2021)
    $7,273,823.50 $7,929,227.54 $67,040,038.32 $0.00 Filing
    November 2021
    (Oct. 1-31, 2021)
    $9,786,085.49 $7,139,399.26 $67,695,442.36 $0.00 Filing
    October 2021
    (Sept. 1-30, 2021)
    $12,233,645.13 $5,797,373.60 $65,048,756.13 $0.00 Filing
    September 2021
    (Aug. 1-31, 2021)
    $6,521,758.84 $4,745,054.49 $58,612,484.60 $0.00 Filing
    August 2021
    (July 1-31, 2021)
    $7,028,354.49 $5,202,634.19 $56,835,780.25 $0.00 Filing
    July 2021
    (June 1-30, 2021)
    $20,122,758.35 $7,284,580.82 $55,010,059.95 $0.00 Filing
    June 2021
    (May 1-31, 2021)
    $14,078,842.52 $6,066,012.74 $42,171,882.42 $0.00 Filing
    May 2021
    (April 1-30, 2021)
    $11,264,750.89 $6,858,807.28 $34,159,052.64 $0.00 Filing
    April 2021
    (March 1-31, 2021)
    $19,111,997.61 $5,017,531.98 $29,753,109.03 $0.00 Filing
    March 2021
    (Feb. 1-28, 2021)
    $7,218,458.86 $5,087,977.25 $15,658,643.40 $0.00 Filing
    February 2021
    (Jan. 1-31, 2021)
    $7,478,182.49 $6,509,518.98 $13,528,161.79 $0.00 Filing

    The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) reported the following fundraising amounts for the 2019-20 election cycle:

    Monthly fundraising for the NRCC for the 2019-20 election cycle
    Month
    (Dates covered)
    Total receipts Total disbursements Cash on hand (end of month) Debts owed (end of month) FEC document
    Year-End 2020
    (Nov. 24 - Dec. 31, 2020)
    $10,323,599.81 $19,156,712.18 $12,559,498.28 $0.00 Filing
    Post-General 2020
    (Oct. 15 - Nov. 23, 2020)
    $44,819,245.97 $57,790,387.60 $21,392,610.65 $7,000,000.00 Filing
    Pre-General 2020
    (Oct. 1-14, 2020)
    $11,684,791.06 $30,429,931.28 $34,363,752.28 $0.00 Filing
    October 2020
    (Sept. 1-30, 2020)
    $23,058,292.28 $38,821,862.53 $53,108,892.50 $0.00 Filing
    September 2020
    (Aug. 1-31, 2020)
    $17,347,306.66 $15,554,787.09 $68,872,462.75 $0.00 Filing
    August 2020
    (July 1-31, 2020)
    $13,619,065.22 $8,420,198.69 $67,079,943.18 $0.00 Filing
    July 2020
    (June 1-30, 2020)
    $13,551,965.06 $6,868,403.36 $61,881,076.65 $0.00 Filing
    June 2020
    (May 1-31, 2020)
    $10,620,391.20 $7,682,719.69 $55,197,514.95 $0.00 Filing
    May 2020
    (Apr. 1-30, 2020)
    $11,413,134.82 $7,970,419.31 $52,259,843.44 $0.00 Filing
    April 2020
    (Mar. 1-31, 2020)
    $11,597,775.22 $7,889,073.87 $48,817,127.93 $0.00 Filing
    March 2020
    (Feb. 1-29, 2020)
    $15,056,514.24 $6,827,295.71 $45,108,426.58 $0.00 Filing
    February 2020
    (Jan. 1-31, 2020)
    $12,656,389.16 $7,505,025.79 $36,879,208.05 $0.00 Filing
    Year-End 2019
    (Dec. 1-31, 2019)
    $8,064,839.44 $5,730,180.36 $31,727,844.68 $0.00 Filing
    December 2019
    (Nov. 1-30, 2019)
    $6,736,678.95 $5,634,141.18 $29,393,185.60 $0.00 Filing
    November 2019
    (Oct. 1-31, 2019)
    $10,005,888.39 $5,576,364.47 $28,290,647.83 $0.00 Filing
    October 2019
    (Sept. 1-30, 2019)
    $7,769,028.87 $5,705,720.25 $23,861,123.91 $0.00 Filing
    September 2019
    (Aug. 1-31, 2019)
    $3,973,447.51 $6,432,927.90 $21,797,815.29 $0.00 Filing
    August 2019
    (July 1-31, 2019)
    $4,094,553.30 $5,449,530.57 $24,257,295.68 $0.00 Filing
    July 2019
    (June 1-30, 2019)
    $9,042,212.80 $3,978,483.46 $25,612,272.95 $0.00 Filing
    June 2019
    (May 1-31, 2019)
    $4,864,817.49 $4,422,814.63 $20,548,543.61 $0.00 Filing
    May 2019
    (Apr. 1-30, 2019)
    $5,492,633.16 $4,321,500.11 $20,106,540.75 $0.00 Filing
    April 2019
    (Mar. 1-31, 2019)
    $13,005,429.76 $11,482,041.43 $18,935,377.70 $0.00 Filing
    March 2019
    (Feb. 1-28, 2019)
    $7,001,504.64 $5,796,587.28 $17,411,989.37 $5,750,000.00 Filing
    February 2019
    (Jan. 1-31, 2019)
    $5,112,412.05 $5,470,537.61 $16,207,072.01 $8,600,000.00 Filing


    Targeted districts

    Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

    See also: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

    This chart lists each district that the DCCC announced it would target in 2020.[8][9][10][11] Also included are the margins of victory for each seat in the 2018, 2016, and 2014 elections. Results are not included for elections which took place in Pennsylvania before the 2018 round of redistricting or in North Carolina before the 2019 round of redistricting.


    Vulnerable Democratic incumbents receive campaign support through the DCCC's Frontline program. California Rep. Adam Schiff was named the program's finance chair on March 27, 2019. This chart lists each district that the DCCC announced it would seek to defend via the Frontline program in 2020.[12][13] Also included are the margins of victory for each district in the 2018, 2016, and 2014 elections. Results are not included for elections which took place before the 2018 redistricting in Pennsylvania.

    The "Result" column was updated on December 11.


    Candidates participating in the Red to Blue program receive financial and organizational support. Participation in the program requires that a candidate meet certain fundraising and organizational goals. This chart lists each candidate that the DCCC announced it would support via the Red to Blue program in 2020.[14] Also included are the margins of victory for each district in the 2018, 2016, and 2014 elections. Results are not included for elections which took place before the 2016 redistricting in Florida, the 2018 redistricting in Pennsylvania, or the 2019 redistricting in North Carolina.

    National Republican Congressional Committee

    See also: National Republican Congressional Committee

    The following table lists 55 Democratic-held seats the NRCC announced, on February 7, 2019, it would target in 2020.[15] Also included are the margins of victory for each district in the 2018, 2016, and 2014 elections. Elections which took place in Pennsylvania before the 2018 redistricting are not included.


    The following table displays members included in the NRCC's Patriot Program for the 2020 election cycle.[16] Also included is each district's margin of victory in the 2018, 2016, and 2014 elections. Results are not included for Florida elections which took place before the 2016 redistricting, Pennsylvania elections which took place before the 2018 redistricting, or North Carolina elections which took place before the 2019 redistricting.

    Special elections

    See also: Special elections to the 116th United States Congress (2019-2020)

    Special elections to United States House of Representatives are required in the event of vacancies. This table lists special House elections to fill vacancies in the 116th Congress.

    Results of special elections to the 116th Congress (House)
    Race Election date Incumbent Winner Election MOV Previous election MOV 2016 Presidential election MOV[17]
    Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District May 21, 2019 Republican Party Tom Marino Republican Party Fred Keller R+36 R+32 R+37
    North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District September 10, 2019 Republican Party Walter Jones[18] Republican Party Greg Murphy R+24 R+100 R+24
    North Carolina's 9th Congressional District[19] September 10, 2019 Republican Party Robert Pittenger Republican Party Dan Bishop R+2 R+16 R+11
    Maryland's 7th Congressional District April 28, 2020 Democratic Party Elijah Cummings Democratic Party Kweisi Mfume D+49 D+55 D+55
    California's 25th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Democratic Party Katie Hill Republican Party Mike Garcia R+12 D+9 D+7
    Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Republican Party Sean Duffy Republican Party Tom Tiffany R+14 R+21 R+20
    New York's 27th Congressional District June 23, 2020 Republican Party Chris Collins Republican Party Christopher Jacobs R+5 R+0.3 R+25
    Georgia's 5th Congressional District December 1, 2020 Democratic Party John Lewis Democratic Party Kwanza Hall D+8[20] D+100 D+73

    Historical special election data

    Special elections, 2013-2022

    From 2013 to 2022, 67 special elections to the United States Congress were called during the 113th through 117th Congresses. During that time, special elections were called for 23 seats vacated by Democrats and 44 vacated by Republicans.

    The table below details how many congressional seats changed parties as the result of a special election between 2013 and 2022. The numbers on the left side of the table reflect how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the numbers on the right side of the table show how many vacant seats each party won in special elections.

    Congressional special election vacancies and results, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
    Congress Total elections held Vacancies before elections Seats held after elections Net change
    Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans
    117th Congress 17 7 10 7 10 No change
    116th Congress 10 3 7 4 6 +1D, -1R
    115th Congress 17 4 13 8 9 +4 D, -4 R
    114th Congress 7 2 5 2 5 No change
    113th Congress 16 7 9 7 9 No change
    Averages 13 4 8 5 7 N/A


    U.S. Senate special election partisan change from special elections, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
    Party As of special election After special election
    Democratic Party Democrats 5 8
    Republican Party Republicans 7 4
    Total 12 12
    U.S. House special election partisan change from special elections, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
    Party As of special election After special election
    Democratic Party Democrats 18 20
    Republican Party Republicans 37 35
    Total 55 55


    Special elections, 1986-2012

    The table below presents the results of special elections to Congress from 1986 to 2012. Contact Ballotpedia at editor@ballotpedia.org for access to earlier data.

    Results of special elections to Congress (1986-2012)
    Election cycle Total special elections U.S. House elections Seats changing partisan control U.S. Senate elections Seats changing partisan control
    2011-2012 11 11 None None None
    2009-2010 15 10 3 (2 Democratic gains; 1 Republican gain) 5 2 (all Republican gains)
    2007-2008 14 12 3 (2 Republican gains; 1 Democratic gain) 2 None
    2005-2006 12 12 3 (all Democratic gains) None None
    2003-2004 6 6 None None None
    2001-2002 6 5 2 (all Democratic gains) 1 1 (Republican gain)
    1999-2000 9 8 1 (Republican gain) 1 1 (Democratic gain)
    1997-1998 3 3 None None None
    1995-1996 11 9 1 (Republican gain) 2 1 (Democratic gain)
    1993-1994 9 6 1 (Republican gain) 3 3 (all Republican gains)
    1991-1992 10 7 2 (all Republican gains) 3 1 (Democratic gain)
    1989-1990 10 8 1 (Democratic gain) 2 None
    1987-1988 12 12 3 (2 Democratic gains; 1 Republican gain) None None
    1985-1986 8 8 1 (Republican gain) None None
    Total 136 117 21 (11 Democratic gains; 10 Republican gains) 19 9 (6 Republican gains; 3 Democratic gains)

    Presidential data

    The following statistics were compiled using the Daily Kos' presidential results by congressional district data. These trends can be used as an indicator of expected competitive districts in the 2020 elections.[32]

    Democrats won House seats in 2018 in 31 districts that Donald Trump (R) carried in 2016.

    U.S. House districts won by Democrat in 2018 and Donald Trump in 2016
    District 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin[33] 2012 presidential margin[33]
    Arizona's 1st Democratic Party Tom O'Halleran D+7.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+2.5
    Georgia's 6th Democratic Party Lucy McBath D+1.0 Trump+1.5 Romney+23.3
    Illinois' 14th Democratic Party Lauren Underwood D+5.0 Trump+3.9 Romney+10
    Illinois' 17th Democratic Party Cheri Bustos D+24.2 Trump+0.7 Obama+17
    Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer D+5.1 Trump+3.5 Obama+13.7
    Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack D+12.2 Trump+4.1 Obama+13.1
    Iowa's 3rd Democratic Party Cindy Axne D+2.2 Trump+3.5 Obama+4.2
    Maine's 2nd Democratic Party Jared Golden D+1.3 Trump+10.3 Obama+8.6
    Michigan's 8th Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin D+3.8 Trump+6.7 Romney+3.1
    Michigan's 11th Democratic Party Haley Stevens D+6.7 Trump+4.4 Romney+5.4
    Minnesota's 2nd Democratic Party Angie Craig D+5.5 Trump+1.2 Obama+0.1
    Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson D+4.3 Trump+30.8 Romney+9.8
    Nevada's 3rd Democratic Party Susie Lee D+9.1 Trump+1.0 Obama+0.8
    New Hampshire's 1st Democratic Party Chris Pappas D+8.6 Trump+1.6 Obama+1.6
    New Jersey's 2nd Democratic Party Jeff Van Drew[34] D+7.7 Trump+4.6 Obama+8.1
    New Jersey's 3rd Democratic Party Andrew Kim D+1.3 Trump+6.2 Obama+4.6
    New Jersey's 5th Democratic Party Josh Gottheimer D+13.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+3.0
    New Jersey's 11th Democratic Party Mikie Sherrill D+14.6 Trump+0.9 Romney+5.8
    New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small D+1.9 Trump+10.2 Romney+6.8
    New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose D+6.5 Trump+9.8 Obama+4.3
    New York's 18th Democratic Party Sean Maloney D+10.9 Trump+1.9 Obama+4.3
    New York's 19th Democratic Party Antonio Delgado D+5.2 Trump+6.8 Obama+6.2
    New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi D+1.8 Trump+15.5 Romney+0.4
    Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn D+1.4 Trump+13.4 Romney+18.4
    Pennsylvania's 8th Democratic Party Matt Cartwright D+9.3 Trump+9.6 Obama+11.9
    Pennsylvania's 17th Democratic Party Conor Lamb D+12.5 Trump+2.6 Romney+4.5
    South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham D+1.4 Trump+13.1 Romney+18.1
    Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams D+0.3 Trump+6.7 Romney+37.0
    Virginia's 2nd Democratic Party Elaine Luria D+2.2 Trump+3.4 Romney+2.3
    Virginia's 7th Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger D+1.9 Trump+6.5 Romney+10.5
    Wisconsin's 3rd Democratic Party Ron Kind D+19.3 Trump+4.5 Obama+11


    The table below displays the presidential election results in each of the 435 Congressional districts in 2020. Click [show] to view the full list.[35]


    Republicans won House seats in 2018 in three districts that Hillary Clinton (D) carried in 2016:

    U.S. House districts won by Republican in 2018 and Hillary Clinton in 2016
    District 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin[33] 2012 presidential margin[33]
    New York's 24th Republican Party John Katko R+6.3 Clinton+3.6 Obama+15.9
    Pennsylvania's 1st Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick R+2.6 Clinton+2.0 Obama+1.6
    Texas' 23rd Republican Party Will Hurd R+0.5 Clinton+3.4 Romney+2.6


    How representatives voted on impeachment

    See also: Impeachment of Donald Trump

    In December 2019, the U.S. House passed two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump (R). Media outlets discussed impeachment as a prominent issue in the 2020 congressional elections, particularly in battleground districts.[36][37] See how each representative voted below.

    Abuse of power

    On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Trump for abuse of power by a vote of 230 to 197.


    Obstruction of Congress

    On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Trump for obstruction of Congress by a vote of 229 to 198.



    Cook Partisan Voter Index

    See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

    The chart below details the 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index (PVI) for each U.S. House district. The PVI is determined by comparing each congressional district's presidential vote to the national presidential election results. According to Cook, the PVI "is an attempt to find an objective measurement of each congressional district that allows comparisons between states and districts, thereby making it relevant in both mid-term and presidential election years."[38]


    Important dates and deadlines

    See also: United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020 and United States House Republican Party primaries, 2020

    The table below lists filing deadlines and primary dates in each state for Democratic Party and Republican Party candidates for congressional and state-level office.[39]

    Primary dates and filing deadlines, 2020
    State Filing deadline for primary candidates Primary date Primary runoff date
    Alabama 11/08/2019 03/03/2020 7/14/2020[40]
    Arkansas 11/12/2019 03/03/2020 03/31/2020
    Illinois 12/02/2019 03/17/2020 N/A
    California 12/06/2019 03/03/2020 N/A
    Texas 12/09/2019 03/03/2020 07/14/2020[41]
    Ohio 12/18/2019 04/28/2020[42] N/A
    North Carolina 12/20/2019[43] 03/03/2020 06/23/2020[44]
    Mississippi 01/10/2020 03/10/2020 06/23/2020[45]
    Kentucky 01/10/2020 06/23/2020[46] N/A
    Maryland 01/24/2020 06/02/2020[47] N/A
    West Virginia 01/25/2020 06/09/2020[48] N/A
    Indiana 02/07/2020 06/02/2020[49] N/A
    Pennsylvania 02/18/2020 06/02/2020[50] N/A
    Nebraska 03/02/2020 05/12/2020 N/A
    Georgia 03/06/2020 06/09/2020[51] 08/11/2020[52]
    Montana 03/09/2020 06/02/2020 N/A
    New Mexico 03/10/2020 06/02/2020 N/A
    Oregon 03/10/2020 05/19/2020 N/A
    Idaho 03/13/2020 06/02/2020[53] N/A
    Iowa 03/13/2020 06/02/2020 N/A
    Nevada 03/13/2020 06/09/2020 N/A
    Maine 03/16/2020 07/14/2020[54] N/A
    Colorado 03/17/2020 06/30/2020 N/A
    Utah 03/19/2020 06/30/2020 N/A
    Virginia 03/26/2020 06/23/2020[55] N/A
    New Jersey 03/30/2020 07/07/2020[56] N/A
    South Carolina 03/30/2020 06/09/2020 06/23/2020
    Missouri 03/31/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    South Dakota 03/31/2020 06/02/2020 08/11/2020
    New York 04/02/2020 06/23/2020 N/A
    Tennessee 04/02/2020 08/06/2020 N/A
    Arizona 04/06/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    North Dakota 04/06/2020 06/09/2020 N/A
    Oklahoma 04/10/2020 06/30/2020 08/25/2020
    Michigan 04/21/2020 (offices with option to pay filing fee) &
    05/08/2020 (offices requiring nominating petitions)[57]
    08/04/2020 N/A
    Florida 04/24/2020 (congressional and judicial offices) &
    6/12/2020 (state legislators)
    08/18/2020 N/A
    Massachusetts 05/05/2020 (local) & 06/02/2020 (state)[58] 09/01/2020 N/A
    Washington 05/15/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    Vermont 05/28/2020 08/11/2020 N/A
    Wyoming 05/29/2020 08/18/2020 N/A
    Alaska 06/01/2020 08/18/2020 N/A
    Kansas 06/01/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    Wisconsin 06/01/2020 08/11/2020 N/A
    Hawaii 06/02/2020 08/08/2020 N/A
    Minnesota 06/02/2020 08/11/2020 N/A
    Connecticut 06/11/2020[59] 08/11/2020 N/A
    New Hampshire 06/12/2020 09/08/2020 N/A
    Rhode Island 06/24/2020 (declaration of candidacy due)
    07/10/2020 (nomination papers due)
    09/08/2020 N/A
    Delaware 07/14/2020 09/15/2020 N/A
    Louisiana 07/24/2020[60] 11/03/2020 N/A

    Candidate ballot access requirements

    The embedded spreadsheet below details filing requirements for major-party and unaffiliated congressional candidates in 2020.

    Filed candidates by political party

    As of September 7, 2020, there were 3,263 candidates filed with the FEC to run for U.S. House in 2020. Of those, 2,767—1,291 Democrats and 1,476 Republicans—were from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 3,244 candidates filed with the FEC, including 1,566 Democrats and 1,155 Republicans.

    The following chart shows the number of filed candidates by political party.

    Congressional approval rating

    See also: Ballotpedia's Polling Index: Congressional approval rating

    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.


    Noteworthy primary results

    Democratic primaries

    Illinois' 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary

    Marie Newman won the Democratic primary for Illinois' 3rd Congressional District on March 17, 2020. Newman received 47.3% of the vote to incumbent Daniel Lipinski's 44.6%. Rush Darwish and Charles M. Hughes also ran in the primary. Newman advanced to the district's general election on November 3, 2020.

    Of the four candidates who ran, Lipinski and Newman led in endorsements, fundraising, and media attention. The two candidates faced off in the district's 2018 Democratic primary; Lipinski received 51.1% of the vote to Newman's 48.9%.

    Lipinski, who was first elected in 2004, said that he was "the common-sense Democrat" and criticized what he called Newman's socialist ideology and leftist fantasies.[61][62] Regarding healthcare, a Lipinski campaign ad stated, "Newman’s extreme plan would eliminate all private health insurance. Millions would lose their healthcare and be put on the government plan. Seniors would lose their Medicare options. Taxes would skyrocket. And we could lose access to our doctors. Marie Newman would take away your healthcare."[61]

    Newman said that Lipinski was not a real Democrat.[63] She stated, "Since 2004, my opponent has ignored the concerns of wide swaths of his constituency. He voted against the Affordable Care Act, against the Dream Act, and has repeatedly stood with the Republican party to attack workers, women and the LGBTQ community."[64] A Newman campaign ad stated, "People concerned about healthcare can’t trust Dan Lipinski. Lipinski voted against Obamacare, which means he would deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. … Unlike Dan Lipinski, Marie is the only Democrat who will fight to expand healthcare to everyone."[65]

    Darwish described himself as a "first-generation American, a small business owner, and proud community member and activist."[66] He said of Lipinski, "We do have a representative right now that really does act more like a Republican than a Democrat," and he described Newman as "pretty much the extreme left of what Dan Lipinski represents."[67]

    According to financial reports through February 26, 2020, Newman led the candidates in fundraising with around $1.7 million, followed by Lipinski with $1.2 million and Darwish with $816,000. No data was available for Hughes.[68]

    Satellite spending in the race came from Susan B. Anthony List-affiliated super PAC Women Speak Out in support of Lipinski and Women Vote!, NARAL, SEIU, Indivisible, Planned Parenthood Votes, and the Illinois Federation of Teachers in support of Newman.

    Heading into the 2020 election, the district had been held by Democrats since 1975.[69] Major race rating outlets rated the general election as Solid Democratic or Safe Democratic. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+6, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. Click here to learn more about what's at stake in the general election.

    New York's 16th Congressional District Democratic primary

    Jamaal Bowman defeated incumbent Eliot Engel in the Democratic primary for New York's 16th Congressional District on June 23, 2020. Bowman received 56% of the vote to Engel's 40%. Chris Fink, Sammy Ravelo, and Andom Ghebreghiorgis, who unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the ballot, each received 2% of the vote or less. Bowman advanced to the district's general election on November 3, 2020.

    Engel and Bowman led the candidate field in endorsements and fundraising. According to Politico on June 14, "The race has become something of a proxy war between the Democratic establishment — most of which is lined up firmly behind Engel — and insurgents like [U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and Justice Democrats, a progressive group that is backing Bowman."[70]

    Engel, who was first elected in 1988, said he had "earned a reputation as an effective Member of Congress who knows how to get results."[71] He received endorsements from former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D), U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and the Congressional Black Caucus. He emphasized his record in Congress and said that Bowman had "little history of involvement in our community and is not a real Democrat."[72]

    Bowman, a former middle school principal, was endorsed by U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). He said that Engel had "been in Congress for thirty years. During that time, he has voted for the war in Iraq, deregulating Wall Street, and building more prisons at a time we needed resources in the community for our children and families."[73]

    According to campaign finance reports covering through June 3, Engel led in fundraising with $2 million, followed by Bowman with $971,000, Fink with $150,000, and Ravelo with $48,000.[74]

    Major independent observers rated the general election as Solid Democratic or Safe Democratic.

    Ohio's 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary

    Incumbent Joyce Beatty defeated Morgan Harper in the Democratic primary for Ohio's 3rd Congressional District on April 28, 2020. This was Beatty's first contested primary since 2012, when she was first elected to the House.[75]

    Beatty was first vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus at the time of the primary. She campaigned on her experience in Congress. She said her record included securing federal funds for the district for such things as Columbus' Near East Side revitalization project. She named healthcare, affordable housing, economic equality, and education as policy priorities. Beatty said she wanted to expand the Affordable Care Act. She co-sponsored the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act in 2019.

    Harper was a senior advisor to the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2013 to 2017.[76] Her platform included Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and a universal income. She said she would not accept corporate political action committee (PAC) money or money from employees of payday lenders or gun manufacturers, saying these industries "have had disproportionately negative impacts on our daily lives ... through predatory lending and gun availability."[77][78]

    Beatty's endorsers included End Citizens United and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Harper was endorsed by Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party, among others.

    The candidates criticized one another's campaign financing. Harper criticized Beatty for receiving donations from corporate PACs, saying, "I do believe it influences the type of legislation you introduce, your votes." Beatty argued she had been tough on financial institutions as a member of the House Financial Services Committee and said, "If you’re not in all the rooms, you’re on the menu. ... So often people are critical of someone who can be in the room with corporate America."[79]

    Beatty criticized Harper by saying that most of her campaign funds came from outside Ohio.[80] Harper said donors during the first quarter of her campaign included residents from 90% of the ZIP codes within Ohio's 3rd.[81]

    Three race-tracking outlets rated the general election Safe or Solid Democratic as of the primary.

    Texas' 28th Congressional District Democratic primary

    Incumbent Henry Cuellar defeated Jessica Cisneros in the Democratic Party primary for Texas' 28th Congressional District on March 3, 2020. He advanced to the general election on November 3. Cuellar received 51.8 percent of the vote, and Cisneros received 48.2 percent of the vote.

    Cuellar, who was first elected in 2004, described himself as a moderate-centrist Democrat and said that his voting record aligned with the 28th District. He argued that his challenger was an outsider backed by special interests who did not understand the district.[82] "I’ve been polling and my district is more moderate, conservative Democrats, and I think an outside group that thinks that they know South Texas politics better than I do are going to find [that] out," he said.[83]

    Cisneros described herself as a progressive and said she supported policies such as the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $15 per hour minimum wage. She criticized Cuellar's voting record, saying that he had voted with President Trump 70% of the time, and called Cuellar "Trump's favorite Democrat."[84] She said that Cuellar was wrong about the district being made up of more conservative Democrats. "My gut instinct has always told me that's not the case . . . and as we've been knocking on doors, that feeling has been validated," she said.[85]

    The 28th District is located in the Eagle Ford Shale region, which Politico said was at "the center of the boom in U.S. oil and gas production." Cuellar opposed the Green New Deal and told C-SPAN that the legislation would eliminate thousands of jobs in the district. Cisneros argued that the Green New Deal would switch the region's focus to solar and wind energies and create new jobs based around those markets.[86]

    Cisneros was endorsed by Justice Democrats and U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I) and Elizabeth Warren (D).[87] Cuellar was endorsed by figures from the Democratic establishment, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Rep. Cheri Bustos (D).

    The 28th District had a Cook 2017 Partisan Voter Index score of D+9, meaning this district's results were 9 percentage points more Democratic than the national average in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. All three major race rating outlets rated the race as solid Democratic. Cuellar won re-election by 70 percentage points in 2018 against a minor-party candidate, and he last defeated a Republican challenger by 35 percentage points in 2016.

    Republican primaries

    Georgia's 14th Congressional District Republican primary

    Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated John Cowan in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia's 14th Congressional District. Greene received 57% of the vote to Cowan's 43%. Incumbent Tom Graves (R), who assumed office in 2010, did not seek re-election.

    Cowan was a neurosurgeon and owned a toy company as of his 2020 campaign. Greene owned a construction company. Patrick Filbin of the Chattanooga Times Free Press wrote, "With similar stances on issues, the runoff campaign has come down to who might be most effective in Washington."[88]

    The race received national attention after Politico reported on comments Greene made about Muslims and Black people. Other reports discussed comments she made about QAnon.[89] Greene defended her comments, saying, "Every Republican, every Christian Conservative is going to be called a racist and a bigot by the Fake News Media, as have Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney. I’m sorry my future colleagues are unable to stand up to the pressure and fight back."[90] She criticized Cowan by saying he never donated to Donald Trump but donated to Chris Christie's 2016 presidential campaign.

    Cowan told Greene at a debate, "I'll be the best ally that Donald Trump has by getting elected and keeping you out of office, because the Democrats will use you as their chief fundraiser for all the crazy and ludicrous things that you say." He also criticized Greene for switching from running in the 6th District primary to the 14th District primary after Graves announced he wasn't seeking re-election.[91]

    In the June 9 primary, Greene received 40% of the vote to Cowan's 21%. Nine candidates ran. A candidate needed more than 50% of the vote to win the primary outright. Three election forecasters rated the general election Safe or Solid Republican as of August 2020.

    Iowa's 4th Congressional District Republican primary

    State Sen. Randy Feenstra (R) unseated Rep. Steve King (R) in the Republican primary for Iowa's 4th congressional district on June 2, 2020. Feenstra received 45.7% of the vote to King's 36.0%. None of the three other candidates received more than 10% of the vote. A May 2020 article in Politico described the primary as King's "toughest race since he was elected to the House almost 20 years ago."[92]

    King's opponents said he was vulnerable due to what they called his underperformance in the 2018 election and his removal from committee assignments. In 2018, King won re-election 50% to 47%, while in the 2016 presidential election, President Trump (R) carried the district 61% to 34% over Hillary Clinton (D).[93] In January 2019, House Republican leadership suspended King's committee assignments following the publication of a New York Times story which quoted King as saying, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?". King said if he won re-election, he would regain his committee assignments.[94]

    Also in the running are Steve Reeder (R), Bret Richards (R), and Jeremy Taylor (R). As of May 29, 2020, two election forecasters rated the general election Likely Republican and a third rated it Tilt Republican, meaning the winner of the primary was likely to win the general election. The last Democrat to win election to the U.S. House from the 4th district was Neal Smith (D) in 1992.

    Texas' 12th Congressional District Republican primary

    Incumbent Rep. Kay Granger defeated Chris Putnam in the Republican primary for Texas’ 12th Congressional District. Granger won 57.9% of the vote to Putnam’s 42.1%. Granger faced the winner of the Democratic primary on Nov. 3, 2020, for a two-year term in office that begins Jan. 3, 2021.

    Granger highlighted President Donald Trump's endorsement of her campaign and said she would support him in "rebuilding our military, securing the border, and restoring America's rightful place in the world." She also said she was "honored to be endorsed by leading right to life groups like the Texas Alliance for Life and the Susan B. Anthony List." Granger said she returned to the district every weekend to listen to constituents, and she criticized Putnam, calling him "a millionaire who just moved here four months ago."[95] The Congressional Leadership Fund launched a $640,000 television ad buy supporting Granger and criticizing Putnam.[96]

    Putnam called Granger a career politician and said in an ad that she supported Obama’s immigration policy. He said, "Unlike our 24-year incumbent, I will support President Trump’s efforts to build the wall, eliminate the free government incentives that motivate people to migrate here illegally and end sanctuary cities."[97] Putnam also said of Granger, "It’s only at election time when she claims to be pro-life."[97] The Club for Growth endorsed Putnam and supported him with a seven-figure ad buy criticizing Granger's congressional spending votes.[98] The Protect Freedom PAC also released a $1.1 million television ad buy against Granger.[99][96]

    In the 2018 general election, Granger (R) defeated Vanessa Adia (D) 64% to 34%, and she defeated Bill Bradshaw (D) 69% to 27% in 2016. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+18, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Republican than the national average.[100] At the time of the primary, all three major race raters viewed the general election as Safe/Solid Republican. Click here to learn more about what was at stake in the general election.


    Primary competitiveness

    See also: 2020 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government

    A contested primary is one in which voters have a choice on the ballot. Most commonly, this means that there is more than one candidate from the same political party in the race. Exceptions to this include states with multi-member state legislative districts and states featuring a top-two primary system, such as California and Washington.

    The following charts compare the number of open seats, incumbents with primary competition, contested partisan primaries, total seats, and total candidates in 2020 versus 2018, 2016, and 2014:


    Wave elections

    See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

    In a July 2018 report, Ballotpedia defined wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in the last 100 years resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party. U.S. House waves from 1918 to 2016 are listed in the table below.

    U.S. House wave elections
    Year President Party Election type House seats change House majority[101]
    1932 Hoover R Presidential -97 D
    1922 Harding R First midterm -76 R
    1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -70 D
    2010 Obama D First midterm -63 R (flipped)
    1920 Wilson D Presidential -59 R
    1946 Truman D First midterm -54 R (flipped)
    1994 Clinton D First midterm -54 R (flipped)
    1930 Hoover R First midterm -53 D (flipped)
    1942 Roosevelt D Third midterm -50 D
    1966 Johnson D First midterm[102] -48 D
    1974 Ford R Second midterm[103] -48 D

    Analysis of federal elections, 2020

    See also: Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020


    All 435 U.S. House seats, 34 U.S. Senate seats, and the presidency were up for regular elections in the 2020 elections. At the time of the election, the president and a majority of members of the U.S. Senate were Republicans, while a majority of members of the U.S. House were Democrats.

    Election analysis

    Presidential election

    Congressional elections


    See also

    External links


    Footnotes

    1. Van Drew changed his affiliation to Republican in December 2019.
    2. Heck announced December 4, 2019, that he would not run for re-election. The New York Times, "Denny Heck, a Washington Democrat, Won’t Seek House Re-election," December 4, 2019
    3. Bishop announced in July 2019 that he would retire from Congress.
    4. Figure includes Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
    5. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cong
    6. This considers major party competition at the time of the primary in states with top-two primaries (CA, LA, and WA) and at the time of the general election for all other states.
    7. In this analysis, a race without major party competition is defined as a race for an office where at no point in the election cycle a Republican appears on the ballot with a Democrat or vice versa. In most instances, this would be the general election ballot. In the case of top-two primary states, that primary would also be taken into consideration even if two candidates from the same party eventually advance to the general election. This definition differs from elsewhere on Ballotpedia and therefore numbers for this metric on other pages might not equal what is included here. Ballotpedia is in the process of updating competitiveness data from 2010 to 2020 and bringing this section in line with the definition used elsewhere will be part of that process.
    8. DCCC, "Democrats are Going on Offense," January 28, 2019
    9. Roll Call, "DCCC adds six more Trump districts to its 2020 target list," August 15, 2019
    10. Roll Call, "Democrats try to expand House battlefield by targeting six more districts," January 16, 2020
    11. Roll Call, "House Democrats add two more districts to their target list," April 2, 2020
    12. Roll Call, "Democrats identify 44 vulnerable House members to defend in 2020," February 11, 2019
    13. DCCC, "DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos Announces Representative Adam Schiff as 2020 National Frontline Finance Chair," accessed April 1, 2019
    14. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "Red to Blue," accessed October 14, 2020
    15. Roll Call, "Republicans name 55 House Democrats as 2020 targets," February 9, 2019
    16. Patriot Program, "Home," accessed October 14, 2020
    17. Daily Kos, "2008, 2012, & 2016 Presidential Election Results by District," accessed February 1, 2019
    18. Jones died on February 10, 2019.
    19. The 9th District was not filled in the 2018 elections due to allegations of electoral fraud. In February 2019, the North Carolina Board of Elections called for a new election to fill the vacant seat.
    20. This election was between two Democrats
    21. Both general election candidates were Republicans.
    22. This race was unopposed.
    23. 23.0 23.1 Both general election candidates were Democrats.
    24. Lamb won by a margin of 0.4 percentage points.
    25. Wild won by a margin of 0.2 percentage points.
    26. The state Board of Elections declined to certify the results of the 2018 election following allegations of absentee ballot fraud.
    27. Collins won by 0.3 percentage points.
    28. This special election was called to fill the vacancy left by 2020 Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (R), who died before being sworn in to Congress.
    29. Runoff MOV between two Republican candidates.
    30. Runoff MOV between two Democratic candidates.
    31. Runoff MOV between two Republican candidates.
    32. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for the 2016 and 2012 elections," accessed July 12, 2019
    33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2016, 2012, and 2008," accessed January 8, 2020
    34. Van Drew switched his affiliation to Republican in 2019.
    35. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," November 19, 2020
    36. Roll Call, "How House members who are most vulnerable in 2020 voted on impeachment," December 18, 2019
    37. CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: 29 out of 31 Dems representing districts won by Trump to vote 'yes' to impeach," December 17, 2019
    38. The Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
    39. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections 2020 primary calendar," June 4, 2019
    40. Note: Alabama's primary runoff election was postponed from March 31 to July 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    41. Note: Texas' primary runoff election was postponed from May 26 to July 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    42. Note: Ohio's primary election was postponed from March 17 to April 28, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    43. Note: On November 20, 2019, a three-judge panel of North Carolina's state superior court issued an order delaying the congressional candidate filing period for the 2020 election cycle while the state's U.S. House district plan was reviewed. The filing period for U.S. House candidates, set to open on December 2 and close on December 20, 2019, was temporarily delayed while a three-panel judge heard arguments on December 2, 2019. The judges ruled that the redrawn congressional maps should stand, meaning the filing period would open and close as scheduled.
    44. Note: North Carolina's primary runoff election was postponed from May 12 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    45. Note: Mississippi's primary runoff election was postponed from March 31 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    46. Note: Kentucky's primary election was postponed from May 19 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    47. Note: Maryland's primary election was postponed from April 28 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    48. Note: West Virginia's primary election was postponed from May 12 to June 9, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    49. Note: Indiana's primary election was postponed from May 5 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    50. Note: Pennsylvania's primary election was postponed from April 28 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    51. Note: Georgia's primary election was postponed from May 19 to June 9, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    52. Note: Georgia's primary runoff election was postponed from July 21 to August 11, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    53. Note: Idaho's primary election election was postponed from May 19 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    54. Note: Maine's primary election was postponed from June 9 to July 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    55. Note: Virginia's primary election was postponed from June 9 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    56. Note: New Jersey's primary election was postponed from June 2 to July 7, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    57. Note: Michigan's primary filing deadline was postponed from April 21 to May 8, 2020, for offices that require nominating petitions and do not have the option to pay a filing fee to access the ballot. The change was in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    58. To appear on the ballot in Massachusetts, prospective candidates must submit nomination papers for certification to the registrars of the cities or towns in which signatures were collected and to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The local filing deadline must occur four weeks prior to the candidate's second filing deadline with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. In 2020, the local-level filing deadline was May 5 and the state-level filing deadline was June 2. Click here to learn more.
    59. Note: Connecticut's candidate filing deadlines were postponed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    60. Note: Louisiana's candidate filing deadlines were postponed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    61. 61.0 61.1 YouTube, "IL-03: Dan Lipinski ad," February 21, 2020
    62. Facebook, "Dan Lipinski for Congress on March 5, 2020," accessed March 8, 2020
    63. Marie Newman 2020 campaign website, "Meet Marie," accessed March 8, 2020
    64. Chicago Tribune, "Who is Marie Newman, Democratic candidate for 3rd Congressional District?" February 19, 2020
    65. YouTube, "A Clear Choice for IL03," March 4, 2020
    66. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 17, 2019
    67. Chicago Sun-Times, "Challenger Newman sees gain in Lipinski’s pain — third candidate ‘stunned’ by bad blood," January 22, 2020
    68. Federal Election Commission, "Illinois - House District 03," accessed March 14, 2020
    69. The Washington Post, "Gillibrand backs challenger to antiabortion House Democrat," April 16, 2019
    70. Politico, "Clyburn, Schiff endorse Eliot Engel ahead of competitive primary," June 14, 2020
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