SENATE

Senate Elections

Based on the generic ballot model, Democrats have a strong chance of winning a majority of seats in the House. The model suggests that even in a neutral political environment, Republicans would be expected to lose seats.

While the focus is on the House, the Senate elections are also important. In 2026, 33 Senate seats will be contested.Republicans will be defending 22 seats, while Democrats will be defending 13.  The outcome of the Senate elections will depend on the political environment and the specific candidates in each race. The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up to be highly competitive, with both parties vying for control of Congress. The DCCC's list of target seats provides a clear indication of where Democrats are focusing their efforts to gain a majority in the House.

Seats up for election

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

The list below shows what seats are up for election 

Constituency Incumbent Ratings
State PVI[12] Senator Last
election[c]		 IE
Feb. 20,
2025[13]		 Cook
Jun. 29,
2025[14]		 Sabato
Jun. 3,
2025[15]		 WH
Jun. 29,
2025[16]
Alabama R+15 Tommy Tuberville
(retiring)		 60.10% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Alaska R+6 Dan Sullivan 53.90% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Tilt R
Arkansas R+15 Tom Cotton 66.53% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Colorado D+6 John Hickenlooper 53.50% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
Delaware D+8 Chris Coons 59.44% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
Florida
(special)		 R+5 Ashley Moody Appointed
(2025)[d]		 Solid R Solid R Safe R Lean R
Georgia R+1 Jon Ossoff 50.62% D Battleground Tossup Tossup Lean D
Idaho R+18 Jim Risch 62.62% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Illinois D+6 Dick Durbin
(retiring)		 54.93% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Likely D
Iowa R+6 Joni Ernst 51.74% R Solid R Likely R Likely R Lean R
Kansas R+8 Roger Marshall 53.22% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Likely R
Kentucky R+15 Mitch McConnell
(retiring)		 57.76% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Louisiana R+11 Bill Cassidy 59.32% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Maine D+4 Susan Collins 50.98% R Battleground Lean R Lean R Tossup
Massachusetts D+14 Ed Markey 66.15% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
Michigan EVEN Gary Peters
(retiring)		 49.90% D Battleground Tossup Tossup Tilt D
Minnesota D+3 Tina Smith
(retiring)		 48.74% D Battleground Lean D Lean D Lean D
Mississippi R+11 Cindy Hyde-Smith 54.11% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Montana R+10 Steve Daines 55.01% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Likely R
Nebraska R+10 Pete Ricketts 62.58% R
(2024 sp.)[e]		 Solid R Solid R Safe R Likely R
New Hampshire D+2 Jeanne Shaheen
(retiring)		 56.64% D Battleground Lean D Lean D Tilt D
New Jersey D+4 Cory Booker 57.23% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
New Mexico D+4 Ben Ray Luján 51.73% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Likely D
North Carolina R+1 Thom Tillis
(retiring)		 48.69% R Battleground Tossup Tossup Tilt D (flip)
Ohio
(special)		 R+5 Jon Husted Appointed
(2025)[f]		 Solid R Likely R Likely R Tossup
Oklahoma R+17 Markwayne Mullin 61.77% R
(2022 sp.)[g]		 Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Oregon D+8 Jeff Merkley 56.91% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
Rhode Island D+8 Jack Reed 66.48% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
South Carolina R+8 Lindsey Graham 54.44% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Likely R
South Dakota R+15 Mike Rounds 65.74% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Tennessee R+14 Bill Hagerty 62.20% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Texas R+6 John Cornyn 53.51% R Solid R Solid R Likely R Tilt R
Virginia D+3 Mark Warner 55.99% D Solid D Solid D Safe D Safe D
West Virginia R+21 Shelley Moore Capito 70.28% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Wyoming R+23 Cynthia Lummis 72.85% R Solid R Solid R Safe R Safe R
Overall[h] D/I - 43
R - 51
6 battlegrounds		 D/I - 45
R - 52
3 tossups		 D/I - 45
R - 52
3 tossups		 D/I - 48
R - 50
2 tossups

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners will be elected for the term beginning January 3, 2027.

Constituency Candidates
State
(linked to
summaries below)
Alabama
  • ▌Jared Hudson (Republican)[31]
  • ▌Dakarai Larriett (Democratic)[32]
  • ▌Steve Marshall (Republican)[33]
  • ▌Jeremy Spratling (Republican)[34]
  • ▌Kyle Sweetser (Democratic)[35]
  • ▌Mark Wheeler II (Democratic)[36]
Alaska
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
  • TBD
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
  • TBD
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
  • ▌Natasha Alcala (Democratic)[72]
  • ▌David Costello (Democratic)[73]
  • ▌Phillip Rench (Independent)[74]
  • ▌Dan Smeriglio (Republican)[75]
  • ▌Jordan Wood (Democratic)[76]
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
  • TBD
Oregon
  • TBD
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
  • ▌Julian Beaudion (Democratic)[110]
  • ▌Brian Bengs (Independent)[111]
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
  • TBD
West Virginia
Wyoming

LIST OF SENATORS