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United States Senate elections, 2026
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November 3, 2026 |
Elections to the U.S. Senate will happen on November 3, 2026. Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the chamber are up for election and another two seats are up for special election.
Of the 33 regularly scheduled general elections in 2026, Democrats control 13 and Republicans control 20.
As a result of the 2024 general elections, Republicans won a 53-45 majority in the chamber. Additionally, two independents caucus with the Democrats. Heading into the 2024 general election, Democrats had a 47-49 majority with four independents. Three of those independents caucused with the Democrats, and one other counted towards the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
Democrats could not lose any seats and retain a majority in the chamber. Meanwhile, Republicans needed to gain a net of two seats and retain a majority in the chamber. In the 2024 general elections, Republicans gained a net of four seats.
Four incumbents—all Democrats—lost re-election in the general elections in 2024.
Looking ahead at the 2026 general elections, Democrats need to gain a net of four seats to win a majority in the chamber. Meanwhile, Republicans can only lose two seats and retain a majority in the chamber.
Democrats are defending two seats in states that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2024 presidential election. Those states are Georgia and Michigan. Republicans are defending one seat in a state that Kamala Harris (D) won in the 2024 presidential election. That state isMaine.
As of September 1, 2025, seven U.S. Senate incumbents—four Democrats and three Republicans—are not running for re-election in 2026.
Two special elections will also happened on November 3, 2026, One special election is to fill the last two years of the six-year term that Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was elected to in 2022. The other special election is to fill the last two years of the six-year term that J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was elected to in 2022.
Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the regularly scheduled elections on November 3, 2026, will begin their six-year terms on January 3, 2027.
- Partisan breakdownThe partisan balance of the U.S. Senate before and after the election
- On the ballotA list of elections and candidates on the ballot
- Pre-election analysisAnalysis published before the election
- Important dates and deadlinesA list of important dates and deadlines for the 2026 election cycle
Partisan balance
Republicans won a 53-47[1] majority as a result of the 2024 elections. As a result of the elections, Republicans gained four seats in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Democrats gained one seat in Arizona. Democrats held a 50-49 majority in the U.S. Senate heading into the 2024 elections.[2]
| U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After the 2024 Election | |
| Democratic Party | |||
| Republican Party | |||
| Independent | |||
| Total | |
| |
The chart below shows historical partisan breakdown information for the chamber.
On the ballot
Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:
- A list of seats up for election
- A list of candidates running
- Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
There are 33 U.S. Senate seats up for regular election in 2026—13 Democratic-held seats and 20 Republican-held seats.
The map below shows what seats are up for election and the current incumbent in each race.
Table last updated: July 25, 2023
Pre-election analysis
Click the tabs below to view detailed analysis from before the election. In this section, you will find:
- A list of open seats
- Outside race ratings and district analysis
- A list of seats that changed party hands in 2020
- Data on Congressional approval ratings
Incumbents retiring from public office
Seven U.S. Senate incumbents—four Democrats and three Republicans—are retiring from public office.
| Name | Party | Seat | Date announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joni Ernst | Republican | Iowa | Sept. 2, 2025[5] |
| Thom Tillis | Republican | North Carolina | June 29, 2025[6] |
| Dick Durbin | Democrat | Illinois | April 23, 2025[7] |
| Jeanne Shaheen | Democrat | New Hampshire | March 12, 2025[8] |
| Mitch McConnell | Republican | Kentucky | Feb. 20, 2025[9] |
| Tina Smith | Democrat | Minnesota | Feb. 13, 2025[10] |
| Gary Peters | Democrat | Michigan | Jan. 28, 2025[11] |
Incumbents seeking other offices
Incumbents running for governor
One U.S. Senate incumbent—a Republican—is not seeking re-election in order to run for governor in his state.
| Name | Party | Seat | Date announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Tuberville | Republican | Alabama | May 27, 2025[12] |
Important dates and deadlines
This section will provide important dates throughout the 2026 congressional election cycle, including filing deadlines, primaries, and campaign finance reporting deadlines, when available.
Election coverage by office
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Recalls
See also
- Past U.S. Senate elections: 2024 • 2022 • 2020 • 2018 • 2016
- Past U.S. House elections: 2024 • 2022 • 2020 • 2018 • 2016
- Past election analysis: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Two independents caucus with the Democrats for majority purposes
- ↑ Three independents caucused with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, counts toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Three independents caucused with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, counted toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
- ↑ The Associated Press, "GOP congresswoman joins 2026 Iowa Senate race after Sen. Joni Ernst confirms she won’t run," September 2, 2025
- ↑ The New York Times, "Tillis Announces He Won’t Run Again as Trump Threatens Him With a Primary," June 29, 2025
- ↑ The New York Times, "Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, to Retire After 44 Years in Congress," April 23, 2025
- ↑ The Hill, "Shaheen to retire, setting up battle for New Hampshire Senate seat," March 12, 2025
- ↑ The Associated Press, "Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker," February 20, 2025
- ↑ MPR News, "Sen. Tina Smith won’t seek reelection in 2026, putting Minnesota seat up for grabs," February 13, 2025
- ↑ The Detroit News, "Michigan’s Gary Peters won’t seek reelection to U.S. Senate. Here's why," January 28, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Tuberville announces Alabama governor run," May 27, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Charlie Cook's PVI," April 10, 2009
- ↑ RedState, "New Cook PVIs Show Big Opportunities for Conservatives in the House," October 11, 2012
- ↑ Swing State Project, "Just what is the Partisan Voter Index (PVI)?" November 16, 2008
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedreport - ↑ POLIDATA, "About," accessed July 7, 2017
