2026 United States Senate elections

The 2026 United States Senate elections are scheduled for November 3, 2026, as part of the 2026 United States elections. Thirty-five of the chamber’s 100 seats are scheduled to be contested: all 33 Class II seats and two Class III seats in special elections in Florida and Ohio. The regular elections will choose senators for six-year terms beginning January 3, 2027; the special elections will fill the remainder of terms ending January 3, 2029. As of October 15, 2026, the general elections have not taken place. (en.wikipedia.org)

The elections will help determine control of the Senate during the 120th Congress. The Republican Party holds 53 seats in the 119th Congress, while the Democratic Party holds 45 and two independents caucus with the Democrats. The contests combine statewide candidate selection and campaigning with a national contest over the chamber’s legislative and confirmation powers. This article covers the electoral framework, partisan balance, nomination calendar, individual state contests, campaign activity, and procedures for reporting and certifying results. (senate.gov)

Electoral framework and seats contested

The 2026 elections choose members of the United States Senate by statewide popular vote. The Seventeenth Amendment, ratified on April 8, 1913, replaced election by state legislatures with direct election by each state’s voters, while retaining two senators per state and six-year terms. Each Senate seat therefore represents an entire state rather than a congressional district, and states have equal representation regardless of population. The amendment also requires elections to fill vacancies, while permitting state legislatures to authorize temporary gubernatorial appointments pending those elections. (archives.gov)

Article I, Section 3 of the United States Constitution divides Senate seats into three staggered classes, with approximately one-third reaching the end of their terms every two years. A state’s two seats belong to different classes. This arrangement dates to 1789, when the first senators were divided by lot into groups with initial terms of two, four, and six years; subsequent regular terms lasted six years. The regular 2026 cycle concerns the 33 Class II seats whose existing terms run from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2027. Their successors are elected for terms beginning January 3, 2027, and ending January 3, 2033; retirement, replacement, or an earlier special election does not change a seat’s class. (senate.gov)

The 33 regular contests are in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Two additional contests—in Florida and Ohio—are special elections for Class III seats, bringing the scheduled total to 35 elections in 35 states. These special elections fill the remainder of terms ending January 3, 2029, rather than initiate new six-year terms. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s October 29, 2025, writ specifically scheduled that state’s vacancy election for November 3, 2026. (senate.gov)

The following schematic national map distinguishes the regular contests from the two special elections and the 15 states without a scheduled Senate election. Each tile represents one state; positions are approximate, not geographic boundaries. R denotes a regular Class II election, S a special Class III election, and – no scheduled Senate election. The symbols indicate election type, not party affiliation. (senate.gov)

                                                                    ME[R]
WA[–] ID[R] MT[R] ND[–] MN[R] IL[R] WI[–] MI[R] NY[–] VT[–] NH[R]
OR[R] NV[–] WY[R] SD[R] IA[R] IN[–] OH[S] PA[–] NJ[R] MA[R] CT[–]
CA[–] UT[–] CO[R] NE[R] MO[–] KY[R] WV[R] VA[R] MD[–] DE[R] RI[R]
      AZ[–] NM[R] KS[R] AR[R] TN[R] NC[R] SC[R]
                  OK[R] LA[R] MS[R] AL[R] GA[R]
HI[–] AK[R]       TX[R]                   FL[S]

The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, within the wider 2026 United States elections. As a midterm election, it falls between presidential election years. State nomination calendars precede the common November election date; any legally required runoff is a further stage of the same contest, not an additional Senate seat election. The simultaneous elections for the House of Representatives differ in scope: all 435 voting seats are subject to the biennial election cycle because representatives serve two-year terms, whereas the Senate’s staggered structure leaves most seats outside the regular 2026 cycle. House constituencies are congressional districts apportioned among states by population; Senate constituencies remain statewide. (fec.gov)

Partisan balance and control of the Senate

As of October 15, 2026, the Senate comprised 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents, Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucused with the Democrats. Republicans therefore held a 53–47 organizational advantage, although the Democratic-aligned group included only 45 members formally identified as Democrats. Neither independent’s seat was scheduled for election in 2026; both belonged to Class I, with terms expiring in January 2031. Caucus affiliation matters for leadership and committee organization without changing a senator’s formal party designation. (senate.gov)

The 35 scheduled contests involved 22 Republican-held and 13 Democratic-held seats. The Senate’s Class II membership list accounted for the 33 regular elections: 20 Republican seats and 13 Democratic seats. The two additional contests were special elections for Republican-held Class III seats in Florida and Ohio, occupied by Ashley Moody and Jon Husted, respectively. “Defending” a seat refers here to its pre-election party affiliation, not necessarily to an incumbent seeking reelection. The following accounting reconciles the contested seats with the chamber’s full membership; the uncontested column is calculated by subtracting regular and special-election seats from each party’s total. (senate.gov)

With all 100 seats filled and caucus affiliations unchanged, Democrats required a net gain of four seats to establish a 51-seat Democratic-aligned majority. A net gain of three would instead produce a 50–50 division. Under Article I, section 3 of the United States Constitution, the vice president may vote when senators are equally divided; Republican vice president JD Vance’s tie-breaking role would therefore favor continued Republican organizational control in that situation. Net gains are distinct from gross pickups: winning four Republican-held seats while losing one Democratic-held seat would yield a net gain of only three. These thresholds are arithmetic consequences of the pre-election balance, rather than forecasts of individual contests. (senate.gov)

Majority control determines which party supplies the majority leader and ordinarily the committee chairs. Party conferences select their leaders; the majority leader receives priority of recognition and, working with committee leaders and the minority leader, schedules floor business and negotiates agreements governing consideration. Committee sizes, party ratios, and assignments are organized separately: ratios result from negotiations between party leaders rather than a standing rule mechanically allocating every committee seat. They generally approximate the parties’ strength in the chamber. Consequently, an electoral change in control affects both floor scheduling and the organization through which committees examine legislation, conduct hearings, and consider nominations. (senate.gov)

A numerical majority does not eliminate the Senate’s separate procedural thresholds. Most final passage votes require a simple majority, but invoking cloture to end debate on ordinary legislation generally requires three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn—60 votes in a fully occupied Senate. Presidential nominations operate differently: precedents established in 2013 and extended to Supreme Court nominations on April 6, 2017, allow cloture by a simple majority of senators voting, with a quorum present; confirmation also ordinarily requires a simple majority. Majority control thus shapes the scheduling and consideration of executive and judicial appointments without guaranteeing unanimous support within the governing caucus or establishing the outcome of any particular nomination. (senate.gov)

Nomination calendar and ballot qualification

Ballot access is administered by state election authorities, separately from federal campaign-finance registration. An individual seeking federal office must register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) after raising or spending more than $5,000 and must designate a principal campaign committee; this does not itself qualify the individual for a state ballot. State requirements instead determine the applicable declarations, petitions, filing fees, party certifications, and deadlines. Virginia’s 2026 Senate-primary procedures, for example, required a certificate of qualification, a declaration of candidacy, petitions, and a $3,480 primary filing fee. (fec.gov)

The following calendar covers the 35 Senate contests, including the Florida and Ohio special elections. Dates are month/day in 2026 unless marked otherwise; state abbreviations follow postal usage. “Filing” identifies the primary-ballot deadline, not a universal deadline for every nomination route. Runoff dates are conditional statutory dates, not statements that a runoff occurred. The FEC compilation supplies the national schedule, with Louisiana’s qualifying deadline corrected using the secretary of state’s February announcement. (fec.gov)

Sources: FEC congressional calendar; Louisiana qualifying announcement; Colorado election calendar. (fec.gov)

Nomination by political parties does not invariably require a primary. Texas’s convention-nominating parties used a sequence culminating in state conventions on April 11, 2026. Colorado allowed assembly designation as an alternative to petition access: March 18 was the candidate-petition deadline, while April 18 was the final day for major- and minor-party assemblies. Independent candidates followed separate timetables: Colorado’s unaffiliated-candidate petitions were due July 9, whereas Virginia’s independent Senate filings were due June 16. Write-in candidacy was another distinct route, rather than automatic eligibility for unlisted candidates: Maine required a declaration by August 25, while Louisiana prohibited write-in candidates altogether. (sos.state.tx.us)

Two enacted changes particularly affected the 2026 schedule. Virginia moved its primary from June 16 to August 4 through House Bill 29, signed on February 20, 2026; Senate filing deadlines remained unchanged. Louisiana introduced party primaries for its Senate election under legislation enacted in 2024, replacing the previous all-candidate nomination arrangement. Registered Democrats and Republicans could participate only in their own party’s primary; unaffiliated voters could select either party’s primary, but voters registered with other parties could not participate. Candidates outside the Democratic and Republican parties qualified for the general election by nominating petition rather than entering those primaries. (elections.virginia.gov)

Voting systems also affected how nominations were determined. Alaska’s August 18 election was a nonpartisan, single-choice primary advancing the four highest-polling candidates regardless of affiliation, followed by a ranked-choice general election. Maine applied ranked-choice voting to Senate primaries and the federal general election, eliminating the need for a separate primary runoff. South Dakota’s runoff rule differed from a majority requirement: in a primary with at least three candidates, a runoff was required if nobody received 35 percent, with July 28 designated as the conditional second-election date. (elections.alaska.gov)

Official nomination records distinguish primary winners from candidates who remain qualified for November. North Carolina’s official March 3 returns identify Roy Cooper as the Democratic primary winner and Michael Whatley as the Republican winner; the state board’s March 25 certification expressly deferred the Senate contest rather than certifying it with most other races. Withdrawal likewise required administrative action. On July 10, Maine’s secretary of state confirmed receipt of Graham Platner’s signed withdrawal, explaining that a public announcement alone was insufficient. His withdrawal before the July 13 deadline removed his name from the general-election ballot and permitted a party replacement by July 27. The original primary candidacy therefore did not establish continuing general-election ballot status. (er.ncsbe.gov)

Northeastern regular elections

Maine. Republican incumbent Susan Collins sought a sixth term in the United States Senate. The Democratic nomination changed after the June 9 primary: Graham Platner won that election but formally withdrew on July 10. Party delegates selected former Maine Senate president Troy Jackson at a July 25 replacement convention; the secretary of state recorded receipt of Jackson’s nomination on July 27. Thus, the November contest was Collins–Jackson, not the Collins–Platner pairing initially produced by the primary. The substitution concerned the party’s nomination, not the Senate seat: Collins remained the incumbent. By October 13, Collins and Jackson had participated in three Senate debates. (apnews.com)

Massachusetts. Democratic incumbent Ed Markey sought a third full term and defeated Representative Seth Moulton in the September 1 primary election. Their nomination contest contrasted Moulton’s call for generational change with Markey’s defense of his legislative record and progressive positions. At the May 30 Democratic convention, Markey received the party endorsement, while Moulton secured sufficient delegate support to qualify for the primary ballot. After conceding the primary, Moulton announced his support for Markey. Republican John Deaton was unopposed for his party’s nomination. The official general-election list contained four candidates: Markey, Deaton, independent Shiva Ayyadurai, and Joe Tache under the Socialism and Liberation designation. (apnews.com)

New Hampshire. Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen announced on March 12, 2025, that she would not seek a fourth term, creating an open-seat election without vacating her existing office. In the September 8 primaries, Representative Chris Pappas defeated four other Democrats, while former senator John E. Sununu defeated seven Republican opponents, including former senator Scott Brown. Sununu had previously held this Senate seat from 2003 until 2009, following his defeat by Shaheen in 2008. President Donald Trump endorsed Sununu during the nomination campaign. The general-election field comprised Pappas, Sununu, and Constitution candidate Edmond Laplante; Pappas’s Senate candidacy also left his First Congressional District House seat open. (shaheen.senate.gov)

New Jersey. Democratic incumbent Cory Booker sought a third full term after his initial election in the 2013 special election. Booker was unopposed in the June 2 Democratic primary. Attorney and former Tabernacle municipal official Justin Murphy won the Republican nomination against Robert Lebovics, Richard Tabor, and Alex Zdan. The state’s official candidate list, dated July 27, certified four names for November: Booker, Murphy, Veronica Fernandez under “End the Corruption!”, and Joanne Kuniansky under “Socialist Workers Party.” These ballot designations distinguish the general-election field from the larger group of candidates who had sought party nominations or registered federal campaign committees. (nj.gov)

Rhode Island. Democratic incumbent Jack Reed sought a sixth term. He defeated Connor Burbridge and Luis Daniel Muñoz in the September 9 Democratic primary; Raymond McKay was unopposed for the Republican nomination. The Department of State’s candidate record, current on October 15, listed Reed, McKay, and independent Michael Bahry as qualified for the general-election ballot. It separately recorded nomination-paper certification and primary victory, rather than treating either a declaration of candidacy or campaign registration as sufficient for ballot placement. (rhodeislandcurrent.com)

The following panel pairs the preceding regular-election result with a common early-cycle financial benchmark. Cash figures are campaign balances on June 30, 2025, not October 2026 fundraising totals; they exclude outside spending. New Hampshire’s financial entry identifies Pappas, the eventual Democratic nominee, rather than the retiring incumbent. (fec.gov)

Historical returns are certified 2020 results; the ballot column records candidates, not projected winners. (election.org)

Southern regular elections

The fourteen Southern regular contests concern U.S. Senate seats whose terms expire in January 2027; Florida’s special election is separate. As of October 15, 2026, the region’s Class II seats were held by eleven Republicans and three Democrats. Alabama, Kentucky, and North Carolina had retiring incumbents; Louisiana and Texas had incumbents defeated for renomination. Oklahoma and South Carolina had appointed senators following changes in incumbency during 2026. All fourteen regular elections were scheduled for November 3. (senate.gov)

The following panel distinguishes incumbency from nomination. “Previous result” gives the winning candidate’s percentage in the preceding regular election for the seat, rounded to one decimal place; Georgia’s election concluded in January 2021. The nominee columns identify the two major-party candidates rather than every independent, minor-party, or write-in candidacy. (fec.gov)

The three retirement-created contests followed distinct timelines. Tuberville announced his gubernatorial candidacy on May 27, 2025; Alabama subsequently required runoffs in both Senate primaries, producing Moore and Wess. McConnell announced on February 20, 2025, that he would not seek an eighth term, and Kentucky selected Barr and Booker by plurality without a second round. Tillis announced his retirement on June 29, 2025; former governor Cooper entered on July 28 and subsequently won the Democratic nomination against five opponents. In Georgia, by contrast, Ossoff faced no primary opposition: Collins led the Republican first round with 40.50%, ahead of Derek Dooley’s 30.19% and Buddy Carter’s 25.11%, before defeating Dooley in June. A general-election runoff was scheduled for December 1, 2026, only if no candidate received a majority in November; its inclusion in the calendar did not establish that a runoff would occur. (thegreenpapers.com)

Louisiana and Texas produced defeats of sitting Republican senators rather than voluntary retirements. Louisiana’s May 16 party primary eliminated Cassidy, leaving Letlow and state treasurer John Fleming to contest the Republican runoff; Letlow won on June 27, when Democrats also nominated Davis. This Senate nomination process was separate from Louisiana’s altered House-election arrangements. In Texas, the March 3 primary election left Cornyn and attorney general Paxton without a majority, requiring the May 26 runoff that Paxton won. Cornyn nevertheless remained senator for the balance of his existing term; losing renomination did not create a vacancy or transfer the office to Paxton. (apnews.com)

Oklahoma’s succession and South Carolina’s replacement nomination required separate administrative actions. Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Armstrong on March 24 after Markwayne Mullin left the Senate to become secretary of homeland security; Armstrong was sworn in that afternoon but did not seek the ensuing six-year term. In South Carolina, Lindsey Graham had already won the June 9 Republican primary before his death on July 11. Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham on July 13, and she was sworn in July 14. The appointment filled the existing office, whereas the August special primary and runoff selected the Republican candidate for the regular November election. Darline Graham won the runoff with 52.5%. She, Andrews, and Libertarian Kasie Whitener participated in an October 11 debate in Columbia. (oklahoma.gov)

The November ballots also included candidates outside the two major parties: Arkansas listed Libertarian Jeff Wadlin; Kentucky listed Kentucky Party candidate Christopher Campbell; Mississippi listed independent Ty Pinkins; North Carolina listed Green Michael Dublin and Libertarian Shannon Bray; Texas listed Libertarian Ted Brown; and West Virginia listed Constitution Party candidate S. Marshall Wilson. These candidacies were distinct from unsuccessful major-party primary campaigns. Dated campaign-finance comparisons likewise require a stated reporting boundary: through June 30, Arkansas’s Cotton and Shoffner reported receipts of approximately $6.23 million and $2.27 million, respectively, while North Carolina’s Cooper and Whatley reported approximately $34.98 million and $11.27 million. In West Virginia, Capito’s principal committee reported $4.62 million in receipts and $4.38 million cash on hand through June 30, compared with Fetty Anderson’s $49,913 and $22,129. Receipts, expenditures, and available cash are different measures and do not establish an election outcome. (thegreenpapers.com)

Midwestern regular elections

Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota were holding regular Class II elections to the United States Senate on November 3, 2026. Three seats were held by Democrats and four by Republicans. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota had open-seat contests following their incumbents’ retirement announcements; Roger Marshall, Pete Ricketts, and Mike Rounds sought reelection. These seven contests were distinct from Ohio’s special election for an unexpired Class III term. The following account reflects the pre-election position on October 15, 2026. (fec.gov)

The common historical baseline was the November 2020 election for these seats. Nebraska subsequently held a special election in 2024, won by Ricketts after his appointment to succeed Ben Sasse. The figures below are winning candidates’ vote totals, not statewide presidential results or forecasts of the 2026 contests. Primary dates varied from March in Illinois to August in Minnesota. (clerk.house.gov)

Illinois and Iowa. Durbin announced on April 23, 2025, that he would not seek a sixth Senate term. Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the March 17 Democratic primary, while former state Republican chair Don Tracy won his party’s nomination. Governor J. B. Pritzker supported Stratton during the nomination campaign. In Iowa, Ernst announced her retirement on September 2, 2025; Representative Ashley Hinson entered the Senate race that day. In the June 2, 2026, primaries, Hinson defeated former state senator Jim Carlin, while state representative Josh Turek defeated state senator Zach Wahls. Both Iowa nominations therefore resulted from contested primaries rather than uncontested endorsements or convention selections. (durbin.senate.gov)

Kansas and Michigan. Marshall won renomination on August 4 with 270,632 votes, or 79.90%, in Kansas’s official primary returns. Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton won the Democratic nomination with 77,607 votes, or 34.63%, in a multicandidate field. Donald Trump publicly urged support for Marshall immediately before the primary. In Michigan, Peters’s January 28, 2025, retirement announcement created an open seat. Former public-health official Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary; former representative Mike Rogers was unopposed in the Republican primary. Rogers and El-Sayed held their first televised general-election debate at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids on October 8. (sos.ks.gov)

Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Smith announced on February 13, 2025, that she would not seek reelection. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan defeated Representative Angie Craig in Minnesota’s August 11 Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary, and former broadcaster Michele Tafoya won the Republican nomination. Nebraska’s nomination sequence included a withdrawal: Cindy Burbank won the May 12 Democratic primary, then filed withdrawal papers on July 17; the secretary of state’s final September 11 list contained no Democratic Senate nominee. Osborn qualified by petition rather than through that primary. South Dakota’s official candidate register recorded Democratic nominee Julian Beaudion’s withdrawal on August 4, leaving Rounds and independent Brian Bengs as the active general-election candidates. Bengs’s independent candidacy was separate from the Democratic nomination. (smith.senate.gov)

Selected campaign-finance snapshots provide a comparable receipts-and-disbursements field for the principal contenders. Amounts below are rounded to millions of dollars from FEC-based compilations; each candidate’s reporting cutoff is retained because the snapshots cover different portions of the campaign. They are candidate totals, not combined candidate-and-outside spending, and receipts minus disbursements should not be substituted for reported cash on hand. (fec.gov)

Western regular elections

The seven Western Class II seats comprised four Republican-held seats—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming—and three Democratic-held seats—Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon. As of October 15, 2026, Dan Sullivan, Jim Risch, John Hickenlooper, Ben Ray Luján, and Jeff Merkley were seeking reelection; Steve Daines and Cynthia Lummis were retiring. All seven contests were regular elections for terms beginning January 3, 2027, rather than elections to complete an unexpired term. (senate.gov)

The following panel identifies the incumbent’s preceding election result and the November ballot field. Percentages refer to the incumbent’s share in the 2020 Senate general election, not to presidential voting or a forecast for 2026. Party abbreviations are D, Democratic; R, Republican; L, Libertarian; and I, independent. (fec.gov)

Alaska used an August 18 all-candidate primary rather than separate party nominations. Sullivan and former U.S. representative Peltola advanced, alongside another Republican named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Heikes. The similar names became a ballot-administration issue: litigation restored the challenger Sullivan’s eligibility after an initial disqualification, and the incumbent appeared as “Dan S. Sullivan.” (apnews.com) Under ranked-choice voting, November first preferences must be distinguished from subsequent elimination-round totals; if no candidate initially receives a majority, ballots transfer according to further rankings as the lowest candidate is eliminated. Comparisons with Sullivan’s 2020 plurality-system result therefore require separate first-round and final-round columns. (elections.alaska.gov)

Colorado held its primary election on June 30. Hickenlooper defeated state senator Julie Gonzales, while Baisley was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Their first general-election debate took place on October 14. The certified field also included four minor-party candidates, with registered write-ins recorded separately from printed ballot choices. (axios.com) Idaho’s May 19 nomination process initially produced a Risch–David Roth major-party contest, but the Democratic nominee announced his campaign’s end on July 28 and formally withdrew from the ballot on August 28. These were distinct events: ending campaign activity alone would not have removed his name. The resulting November field contained Risch, two independents, and a Libertarian, without a Democratic nominee. (fec.gov)

Montana’s open-seat contest followed Daines’s March 4 withdrawal shortly before the filing deadline. Alme filed that day and received Daines’s endorsement; this was a campaign succession, not an appointment to the Senate. Alme and Bankhead won the June 2 Republican and Democratic primaries, while former University of Montana president Bodnar qualified independently. Austin completed the four-candidate general-election field as the Libertarian nominee. (rollcall.com) Wyoming became an open-seat race after Lummis announced on December 19, 2025, that she would not seek another term. U.S. representative Hageman defeated four Republican opponents on August 18; the state’s general-election roster paired her with Democratic former state representative Byrd. (rollcall.com)

New Mexico’s June 2 Democratic primary returned Luján over Matt Dodson with approximately 84% of the vote. Marker secured the Republican nomination through a write-in candidacy, illustrating the distinction between appearing as a printed primary candidate and qualifying for the November ballot through primary write-in votes. (electionstats.sos.nm.gov) Oregon held its primary on May 19: Merkley secured renomination, and state senator Brock Smith won the Republican contest. The November field contained four people, although two carried multiple party nominations; Merkley’s Democratic and Working Families labels and Henry’s Pacific Green and Progressive labels should therefore not be counted as separate candidacies or duplicated in candidate-level financial comparisons. (fec.gov)

Special elections in Florida and Ohio

Florida and Ohio are scheduled to hold special elections on November 3, 2026, for Class III Senate seats vacated in January 2025. Both contests fill the remainder of terms that began on January 3, 2023, and end on January 3, 2029; neither awards a new six-year term. The seats remain in the Class III cycle, with regular elections next due in 2028. Ashley Moody in Florida and Jon Husted in Ohio entered the Senate by gubernatorial appointment, rather than election to those seats. As of October 15, 2026, both are seeking election to complete their predecessors’ terms. (senate.gov)

Florida

Governor Ron DeSantis announced on January 16, 2025, that he had selected Florida attorney general Ashley Moody to succeed Marco Rubio. The announcement preceded the vacancy: Rubio resigned on January 20 to become secretary of state, and Moody was sworn in on January 21. Her appointment therefore provided immediate representation while leaving the remainder of Rubio’s term subject to a statewide election in 2026. (abcnews.com)

Florida’s August 18, 2026, primary produced a Republican nomination for Moody and a Democratic nomination for state representative Angie Nixon. Moody defeated Chris Gleason, Neelam Taneja Perry, and Ernest “Ernie” Rivera; Nixon defeated retired Army lieutenant colonel Alex Vindman. These were completed nomination contests, not alternative general-election matchups. The Division of Elections’ post-primary candidate listing identified the following qualified general-election candidates; its designation “Won” referred to the primary, not the still-pending November election. (results.elections.myflorida.com)

The candidate identities, affiliations, and qualification statuses are recorded in Florida’s official candidate listing. (dos.elections.myflorida.com)

The Democratic nomination campaign included two distinct entries: Vindman announced his candidacy on January 27, 2026, and Nixon subsequently entered with an announcement emphasizing what she described as Florida’s affordability crisis. Nixon’s August victory established her, rather than Vindman, as Moody’s Democratic opponent. Moody campaigned as a sitting senator and former attorney general, but her incumbency derived from DeSantis’s appointment; the special election would provide the first statewide electoral decision on her service in the Senate. (apnews.com)

Ohio

JD Vance’s resignation became effective on January 10, 2025, before he assumed the vice presidency. Governor Mike DeWine appointed lieutenant governor Jon Husted on January 17, and Husted took the Senate oath on January 21. DeWine’s October 29, 2025, writ expressly scheduled the special election for November 3, 2026, under Ohio Revised Code section 3521.02. It also required candidates to be nominated through the procedures used for regular state elections; the accompanying secretary of state directive established the May 5, 2026, primary. (ohiosos.gov)

Former senator Sherrod Brown launched his campaign on August 18, 2025, following his defeat for Ohio’s other Senate seat in 2024. Brown defeated Ron Kincaid in the May 5 Democratic primary, while Husted secured the Republican nomination without opposition. The general-election ballot lists four candidates for the unexpired term. (rollcall.com)

The four-candidate field appears on official county election ballots. (boe.ohio.gov)

Brown’s opening campaign message emphasized workers and representation of organized and unorganized labor; Husted had already received President Donald Trump’s endorsement when Brown entered. Presidential involvement continued into the general-election campaign: Trump appeared at an October 12, 2026, rally in Youngstown to support Husted. These endorsements and appearances supported Husted’s candidacy but did not alter the legal basis of his service: until the special-election outcome, he remained Vance’s appointed successor. (apnews.com)

Campaign issues, endorsements, and public events

Economic policy and the cost of public services featured prominently in documented campaigning through October 15, 2026, although candidates differed over both causes and remedies. In North Carolina, Republican Michael Whatley championed President Donald Trump’s tax overhaul, while Democrat Roy Cooper emphasized health coverage and his gubernatorial record of expanding Medicaid. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), in its March 3 statement supporting Cooper, highlighted Medicaid expansion, employment, and crime. These were campaign arguments advanced by candidates and their national party organization, rather than agreed assessments of the policies’ effects. (apnews.com)

Georgia’s October 8 debate brought national economic disputes into a state-specific discussion of agriculture and disaster recovery. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican Representative Mike Collins appeared in a 60-minute broadcast hosted by Atlanta News First and Gray Media at Assembly Studios in Doraville. Collins blamed the Biden administration’s economic policies for inflation; Ossoff criticized Trump’s tariffs and their effects on families, small businesses, and farmers. They also disputed responsibility for delays in Hurricane Helene assistance. On immigration enforcement, Collins defended border-security policies, while Ossoff argued that enforcement should concentrate on people threatening public safety and described his office’s investigations of detention conditions. These statements represented the candidates’ competing positions, not findings established by the debate. (atlantanewsfirst.com)

In Maine’s first general-election debate, Republican Senator Susan Collins emphasized her disagreements with Trump over trade, immigration enforcement, and the Iran war. Democrat Troy Jackson instead stressed her role in confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and her procedural vote advancing the president’s 2025 tax-and-spending legislation; Collins ultimately voted against that legislation. State concerns included housing and energy costs and commerce with Canada. Collins cited her efforts to secure trade exemptions for products including pulp, concrete, and road salt, while Jackson challenged whether those exemptions adequately addressed household affordability. Collins also presented her Senate seniority as a means of obtaining federal resources for Maine. (ap.org)

Michigan’s October 8 televised debate at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids paired Republican Mike Rogers with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Rogers reiterated his opposition to a prolonged trade dispute with Canada and called for the Iran war to end. His position illustrated that Republican candidates did not uniformly defend the administration’s trade policies. El-Sayed’s campaign emphasized guaranteed health care and paid leave, including at a Port Huron town hall reported by the Associated Press on October 11. National Democratic figures also participated: Reuters reported on October 12 that former Vice President Kamala Harris had campaigned with El-Sayed, while an appearance by former President Barack Obama remained scheduled for later that month. (apnews.com)

Ohio’s campaign connected economic development to electricity costs and local resource use. At an October 3 rally at Butler High School in Vandalia, Trump promoted data-center investment and supported Republican Senator Jon Husted. Democrat Sherrod Brown and allied groups criticized Husted’s role in attracting those developments, raising questions about their effects on utility bills, farmland, and water supplies. Husted sponsored legislation intended to make large electricity users bear more of the associated costs. National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Tim Scott defended Husted’s approach as support for responsible development rather than unconditional approval of individual projects. (apnews.com)

Trump returned to Ohio on October 12, appearing with Husted at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown and emphasizing immigration in his appeal for Republican votes. At an October 14 rally in Kalispell, Montana, he promoted Republican Senate candidate Kurt Alme and invoked gun rights, citing Alme’s favorable National Rifle Association rating. These appearances documented presidential participation in Senate campaigning through joint rallies and public advocacy, alongside the advertising, statements, and surrogate appearances organized by candidates and national party allies. (apnews.com)

Fundraising and campaign expenditure

Financial comparisons for the 2026 Senate elections distinguish money reported by candidates’ authorized committees from spending by parties and outside organizations. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports receipts, disbursements, cash on hand and outstanding debts separately. Receipts include contributions, loans, transfers and other income; disbursements include operating expenses, refunds, loan repayments and transfers, rather than advertising alone. Cash on hand is an end-of-period balance that can include funds accumulated before 2025, while debts are reported separately rather than automatically deducted from that balance. Consequently, receipts minus disbursements during the 2025–2026 period need not equal the closing cash balance. (fec.gov)

The following selected cross-state comparison uses the same January 1, 2025–June 30, 2026 interval for receipts and disbursements, with cash and debts measured on June 30. These are midyear disclosures, not totals through the October 15, 2026 reference date. The figures cover the authorized committees named below and exclude independently financed spending supporting or opposing their candidates. The FEC cautions that newly filed summary information can take up to 48 hours to appear. (fec.gov)

The comparison documents differences in reported financial resources, not differences in electoral support or the effectiveness of expenditure. Ossoff’s and Collins’s candidate pages also display longer election-cycle summaries beginning in 2021; those totals must not be substituted for the two-year figures without changing the period label. (fec.gov)

Candidate committees receive and spend funds authorized by their candidates. Party committees and political action committees (PACs) maintain separate accounts and disclosures; a contribution from either organization to a candidate becomes a receipt of the candidate committee, not additional outside spending. By contrast, an independent expenditure expressly advocates a candidate’s election or defeat without the prohibited coordination with that candidate or campaign. Party-coordinated expenditures are another distinct category: on June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court held the federal limits on those expenditures unconstitutional. Electioneering communications have a different reporting definition, covering qualifying television and radio communications identifying federal candidates within 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election, whether or not they contain express electoral advocacy. (fec.gov)

Combining these categories requires transaction-level reconciliation. A PAC contribution and the candidate’s subsequent purchase with that money cannot both be counted as separate final campaign expenditures. Likewise, an independent expenditure disclosed in a short-notice report appears again in the spender’s regular report. The FEC’s independent-expenditure bulk file retains transactions from original and amended filings, so simply adding every row can inflate totals. Comparisons must identify the operative amendment for the relevant reporting period and remove superseded or repeated entries; expenditure announcements and advertising reservations are not interchangeable with reported disbursements. (fec.gov)

As of October 15, 2026, quarterly reports covering activity through September 30 were due that day. For candidates participating in the November 3 general election, the pre-general report covers October 1–14 and is due October 22; the post-general report covers October 15–November 23 and is due December 3. Contributions or loans of at least $1,000 received October 15–31 require candidate committees to submit 48-hour notices in addition to subsequent regular disclosure. Independent spenders face separate thresholds: expenditures aggregating at least $10,000 per election and race trigger 48-hour reporting through the twentieth day before the election; thereafter, expenditures aggregating at least $1,000 trigger 24-hour reporting until the final 24 hours. Electioneering communications aggregating more than $10,000 in a calendar year require disclosure within 24 hours of public distribution. (fec.gov)

Opinion polling and published race assessments

State-level opinion polls measured preferences among different electorates rather than a single national Senate electorate. Adult samples include people who are not registered to vote; registered-voter samples identify registrants without necessarily predicting their participation; likely-voter samples apply screening or modeling to estimate who will vote. These distinctions affect comparisons because turnout models introduce uncertainty beyond sampling error. A poll’s reported margin of error generally applies to its full specified sample, not automatically to smaller partisan or demographic subgroups. It also does not capture every source of error, including nonresponse and incorrect turnout assumptions. (pewresearch.org)

Selected publicly released surveys available before October 15, 2026, illustrate the distinction between nomination polling and general-election polling. Reported uncertainty below is expressed in percentage points and preserves the publishers’ terminology. (emersoncollegepolling.com)

The Michigan primary’s 519-person Democratic subsample was part of a larger survey of 971 likely primary voters; the overall survey’s ±3.1-point interval therefore was not the appropriate uncertainty measure for the Democratic nomination figures. Its candidate configuration also differed fundamentally from September’s general-election question: preferences among El-Sayed, McMorrow, and Stevens measured competition within a party, whereas El-Sayed’s September margin over Rogers measured an interparty contest. Neither the primary percentages nor their changes can be carried directly into a general-election comparison. (emersoncollegepolling.com)

Question design also affected the treatment of undecided voters. ECU’s October release reported Cooper ahead by seven points, 50%–43%, when respondents could remain undecided, and 53%–46% in a forced-choice version without that option. These were alternative measurements within the same survey, not evidence of movement between surveys. ECU reported that its preceding poll had also shown a seven-point lead, while the undecided share declined from 14% to 6%. The documented change was thus a reduction in expressed indecision, not a widening lead. The two-point Michigan general-election margin likewise remained subject to the survey’s reported uncertainty; a candidate-support interval is not itself a probability of winning. (surveyresearch-ecu.reportablenews.com)

Published race assessments incorporated evidence beyond polling. The Cook Political Report’s August 20 ratings classified Michigan, Maine, Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas as Toss Ups. Cook defined that category as its most competitive group, with either party having a good chance of winning, and described its assessments as incorporating state partisanship, candidate strengths and weaknesses, political conditions, and interviews. Subsequent dated assessments recorded changes: Jessica Taylor’s September 23 overview described three races shifting toward Democrats, and her October 6 overview identified Kansas moving to Toss Up. These were changes in a publisher’s qualitative judgment, not measured percentage-point swings. Such labels differ from numerical forecasts, which express modeled outcome probabilities, and from polling margins, which describe estimated preferences during specified field dates; none constitutes an election result. (cookpolitical.com)

Voting, certification, and the transition to the 120th Congress

As of October 15, 2026, the November 3 general election remained in its pre-election phase: no general-election winners, vote totals, turnout figures, victory margins, or resulting party changes had been established. Advance voting and the distribution of absentee ballots were administrative stages of the election, not election returns. Consequently, neither the membership nor the partisan composition of the incoming 120th Congress had been determined by these contests. The Federal Election Commission’s calendar identifies November 3, 2026, as the general-election date. (fec.gov)

Ballots are cast through several state-administered channels: in-person voting on election day, advance in-person voting where provided, and absentee or mail voting under each state’s eligibility and processing rules. Military and overseas ballots constitute an additional administrative category, while provisional ballots preserve a ballot pending officials’ determination of eligibility. These categories may have different verification and counting schedules. For example, North Carolina’s scheduled early in-person voting period runs from October 15 through October 31, 2026, ending at 3 p.m. on the final day. Its candidate guide also distinguishes absentee ballots whose defects are corrected within the permitted period and qualifying military and overseas ballots received after election day; eligible ballots in these categories are included before the county canvass. (eac.gov)

Unofficial returns, media projections, and certified results describe different stages or assessments. Election-night returns are preliminary tabulations released by election officials; even a display showing all precincts reporting does not necessarily include every eligible ballot. A media organization’s projected winner is an editorial determination, not an official declaration. During the canvass, officials reconcile ballot and voter records, verify that eligible votes have been included, and resolve discrepancies. Certification is the legally prescribed attestation that the resulting totals accurately account for the election. The responsible officials and deadlines differ among states, and preliminary totals can change as outstanding eligible ballots are processed. (eac.gov)

North Carolina illustrates the separation between these stages. Its 2025–2026 candidate guide schedules county canvasses for November 13, 2026, at 11 a.m., and the state canvass for November 24 at 11 a.m. A recount is a separate re-examination of the vote count, not another name for canvassing or certification. Under North Carolina’s statewide-contest rule, a trailing candidate may demand a recount when the margin does not exceed 0.5% of votes cast in the contest or 10,000 votes, whichever is less. The written demand must reach the State Board of Elections by noon on the second business day after the county canvass. These are applicable procedures, not evidence that a recount will occur in the Senate contest. (s3.amazonaws.com)

Any subsequent national seat table and state-by-state returns must distinguish unofficial counts from certified totals and identify their reporting dates. A combined Senate popular-vote figure would aggregate only the states holding Senate elections in this cycle, rather than represent a simultaneous vote by the entire national electorate: the Senate’s staggered classes leave most seats uncontested in any one regular election. Such a total would therefore describe votes in the participating contests, not independently determine chamber control. (eac.gov)

Under the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the new regular Senate terms begin at noon on January 3, 2027; the Class II terms then run until January 3, 2033. Florida’s and Ohio’s special elections instead fill Class III terms ending January 3, 2029, and do not confer new six-year terms. State certification supplies electoral credentials, but Article I, section 5 makes the Senate the judge of its members’ elections, returns, and qualifications. Senators-elect, including reelected incumbents beginning new terms, must take the oath in an open Senate session before undertaking legislative activities; the constitutional commencement of a term is therefore distinct from the actual oath-taking ceremony. (senate.gov)

References

1. 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)archives.gov
2. U.S. Senate: About the Senate & the U.S. Constitution | Senate Classessenate.gov
3. U.S. Senate: Class II - Senators Whose Terms of Service Expire in 2027senate.gov
4. 2026 United States Senate electionsen.wikipedia.org
5. U.S. Senate: Class III - Senators Whose Terms of Service Expire in 2029senate.gov
6. Congressional Primary Dates and Candidate Filing Deadlines for Ballot Accessfec.gov
7. The House Explainedhouse.gov
8. U.S. Senate: Senatorssenate.gov
9. Senate Committee Party Ratios: 98th–119th Congressescongress.gov
10. U.S. Senate: Votes to Break Ties in the Senatesenate.gov
11. U.S. Senate: About Parties and Leadership | Majority and Minority Leaderssenate.gov
12. Senate Committee Party Ratios: 98th–119th Congressescongress.gov
13. U.S. Senate: Committeessenate.gov
14. U.S. Senate: About Votingsenate.gov
15. Testimony of Elizabeth Rybicki on Senate Nominations Proceduresrules.senate.gov
16. Senate Hearing 118-56476govinfo.gov
17. Registering as a candidatefec.gov
18. August and November 2026 US Senate Candidate Bulletinelections.virginia.gov
19. 2026 August Primary Elections US Senate Primary Party Candidate Ballot Access Quick Look One Pagerelections.virginia.gov
20. Louisiana Secretary of State Newsroom: Qualifying Procedures for Closed Party Electionssos.la.gov
21. 2026 Election Calendarsos.state.co.us
22. How to Establish a Political Party in Texassos.state.tx.us
23. Primary Election Moved to August 4elections.virginia.gov
24. Secretary of State’s Office confirms receipt of official withdrawal by US Senate candidate Graham Platnerwww3.maine.gov
25. Qualify for an Electionsos.la.gov
26. Types of Electionssos.la.gov
27. Candidate Withdrawals and Replacement Candidate Nominations after the June 9, 2026 Primarymaine.gov
28. 2026 Maine U.S. Senate Election: Polls, Candidates, Money & Dateselection.org
29. 2026 State Election Candidatessec.state.ma.us
30. After 30 Years Making A Difference, Jeanne Shaheen Announces She Will Not Seek Reelection in 2026shaheen.senate.gov
31. Official List: Candidates for US Senate, Primary Election 06/02/2026nj.gov
32. NJ election 2026: Murphy wins Senate primary, will face Booker in Nov.whyy.org
33. Senate Factsdailypress.senate.gov
34. 2026 Congressional pre-election reporting datesfec.gov
35. Federal Elections 2020fec.gov
36. Alabama 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
37. 2026 United States Senate election in Arkansasen.wikipedia.org
38. Delaware 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
39. 2026 Sample Ballots General Electionelections.delaware.gov
40. Georgia May 19, 2026—Official Primary Resultsresults.sos.ga.gov
41. Kentucky 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
42. 2026 Congressional Primary Election Datesfec.gov
43. Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 2020clerk.house.gov
44. Illinois 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
45. Iowa 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
46. Kansas 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
47. Michigan 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
48. Minnesota 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
49. Nebraska 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
50. South Dakota 2026 General Electionthegreenpapers.com
51. Nebraska Final Statewide General Candidate Listsos.nebraska.gov
52. Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representativesfec.gov
53. 2020 Idaho U.S. Senate Election Resultselection.org
54. 2026 U.S. Senate Candidates in Every Statetheballotbrief.com
55. 2026 General Election Candidates and Ballot Measures - Boulder Countybouldercounty.gov
56. FEDERAL GENERAL 2026 Candidate Listcandidatefiling.mt.gov
57. Elections Database — New Mexico Secretary of Stateelectionstats.sos.nm.gov
58. New Senators 2001–presentsenate.gov
59. Candidate Listing for 2026 General Electiondos.elections.myflorida.com
60. Ashley Moody picked to replace Marco Rubio in Senate, DeSantis announcesabcnews.com
61. States in the Senate: Florida Senatorssenate.gov
62. August 18, 2026 Primary Electionresults.elections.myflorida.com
63. Read the full transcript from the U.S. Senate debate between Jon Ossoff, Mike Collinsatlantanewsfirst.com
64. Ossoff and Collins spar over tariffs, Iran, and healthcare in first debategpb.org
65. In first Maine Senate debate, Collins seeks to distance herself from Trumpap.org
66. Factbox-The races that will decide control of the US Senatekfgo.com
67. Candidate summary file descriptionfec.gov
68. OSSOFF, T. JONATHAN - Candidate overview | FECfec.gov
69. COLLINS, SUSAN M. - Candidate overview | FECfec.gov
70. Independent expenditures file descriptionfec.gov
71. FEC — Party — Independent expenditure reportsfec.gov
72. FEC — Party — Coordinated party expendituresfec.gov
73. Electioneering communications periods: main page (2026)fec.gov
74. October reporting remindersfec.gov
75. Pre- and Post-General Reports (2026)fec.gov
76. 2025 Candidate Committee Webinar — Basics for Beginnersfec.gov
77. Understanding the margin of error in election pollspewresearch.org
78. Can Likely Voter Models Be Improved?pewresearch.org
79. Michigan 2026 Poll: Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow Tied for Lead in Democratic Senate Primaryemersoncollegepolling.com
80. Michigan 2026 Poll: El-Sayed and Rogers Locked in Close Electionemersoncollegepolling.com
81. ECU Poll: Cooper's Lead Holds at 7 Pointssurveyresearch-ecu.reportablenews.com
82. Election Administration in the United Stateseac.gov
83. In-Person Early Voting Period | November 2026 General Election | NCSBEncsbe.gov
84. 2025–26 Statewide Candidate Guides3.amazonaws.com
85. Election Results, Canvass, and Certificationeac.gov
86. Where do I find election results?eac.gov
87. G.S. 163-182.7ncleg.net
88. U.S. Senate: Constitution of the United Statessenate.gov
89. 2026 United States Senate special election in Floridaen.wikipedia.org
90. U.S. Senate: About Traditions & Symbols | Taking the Oathsenate.gov