Thirty-five Senate seats are on the ballot on November 3, 2026: the 33 regular Class II seats plus special elections in Ohio and Florida for the seats JD Vance and Marco Rubio left in 2025. Republicans are defending 22 of them and Democrats 13. The Senate currently has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and 2 independents who caucus with Democrats, so Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win a majority, since Vice President Vance breaks 50-50 ties.
Most primaries are over, and several incumbents won’t be on the ballot. Below is every race with its nominees, followed by the contests forecasters are watching most closely.
Every Senate race in 2026 #
Nominees are as listed by state results and summarized on Wikipedia’s 2026 Senate elections page as of September 2026. Two races are special elections for Class III seats; the rest are regular Class II elections for full six-year terms.
| State | Current senator | 2026 status | Nominees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Tommy Tuberville (R) | Open; running for governor | Barry Moore (R), Everett Wess (D) |
| Alaska | Dan Sullivan (R) | Running | Dan Sullivan (R), Mary Peltola (D) |
| Arkansas | Tom Cotton (R) | Running | Tom Cotton (R), Hallie Shoffner (D) |
| Colorado | John Hickenlooper (D) | Running | John Hickenlooper (D), Mark Baisley (R) |
| Delaware | Chris Coons (D) | Running | Chris Coons (D), Michael Katz (R) |
| Florida (special) | Ashley Moody (R), appointed 2025 | Running | Ashley Moody (R), Angie Nixon (D) |
| Georgia | Jon Ossoff (D) | Running | Jon Ossoff (D), Mike Collins (R) |
| Idaho | Jim Risch (R) | Running | Jim Risch (R), Todd Achilles (I) |
| Illinois | Dick Durbin (D) | Retiring | Juliana Stratton (D), Don Tracy (R) |
| Iowa | Joni Ernst (R) | Retiring | Ashley Hinson (R), Josh Turek (D) |
| Kansas | Roger Marshall (R) | Running | Roger Marshall (R), Adam Hamilton (D) |
| Kentucky | Mitch McConnell (R) | Retiring | Andy Barr (R), Charles Booker (D) |
| Louisiana | Bill Cassidy (R) | Lost primary | Julia Letlow (R), Jamie Davis (D) |
| Maine | Susan Collins (R) | Running | Susan Collins (R), Troy Jackson (D) |
| Massachusetts | Ed Markey (D) | Running | Ed Markey (D), John Deaton (R) |
| Michigan | Gary Peters (D) | Retiring | Abdul El-Sayed (D), Mike Rogers (R) |
| Minnesota | Tina Smith (D) | Retiring | Peggy Flanagan (DFL), Michele Tafoya (R) |
| Mississippi | Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) | Running | Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), Scott Colom (D) |
| Montana | Steve Daines (R) | Retiring | Kurt Alme (R), Alani Bankhead (D) |
| Nebraska | Pete Ricketts (R) | Running | Pete Ricketts (R), Dan Osborn (I) |
| New Hampshire | Jeanne Shaheen (D) | Retiring | Chris Pappas (D), John E. Sununu (R) |
| New Jersey | Cory Booker (D) | Running | Cory Booker (D), Justin Murphy (R) |
| New Mexico | Ben Ray Luján (D) | Running | Ben Ray Luján (D), Larry Marker (R) |
| North Carolina | Thom Tillis (R) | Retiring | Michael Whatley (R), Roy Cooper (D) |
| Ohio (special) | Jon Husted (R), appointed 2025 | Running | Jon Husted (R), Sherrod Brown (D) |
| Oklahoma | Alan Armstrong (R), appointed 2026 | Not eligible to run | Kevin Hern (R), N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas (D) |
| Oregon | Jeff Merkley (D) | Running | Jeff Merkley (D), David Brock Smith (R) |
| Rhode Island | Jack Reed (D) | Running | Jack Reed (D), Raymond McKay (R) |
| South Carolina | Darline Graham (R), appointed 2026 | Running | Darline Graham (R), Annie Andrews (D) |
| South Dakota | Mike Rounds (R) | Running | Mike Rounds (R), Brian Bengs (I) |
| Tennessee | Bill Hagerty (R) | Running | Bill Hagerty (R), Marquita Bradshaw (D) |
| Texas | John Cornyn (R) | Lost primary | Ken Paxton (R), James Talarico (D) |
| Virginia | Mark Warner (D) | Running | Mark Warner (D), Bert Mizusawa (R) |
| West Virginia | Shelley Moore Capito (R) | Running | Shelley Moore Capito (R), Rachel Fetty Anderson (D) |
| Wyoming | Cynthia Lummis (R) | Retiring | Harriet Hageman (R), James W. Byrd (D) |
Which seats are open in 2026? #
An unusual number of incumbents won’t be on the ballot.
Retiring. Republicans Tommy Tuberville (running for Alabama governor), Joni Ernst, Mitch McConnell, Steve Daines, Thom Tillis and Cynthia Lummis. Democrats Dick Durbin, Gary Peters, Tina Smith and Jeanne Shaheen.
Defeated in primaries. Bill Cassidy lost Louisiana’s Republican nomination to Julia Letlow, and John Cornyn lost Texas’s to Ken Paxton.
Changed mid-cycle.
- Oklahoma. Markwayne Mullin resigned on March 23, 2026 to become Secretary of Homeland Security. Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Alan Armstrong, who under state law can’t run for the seat. Representative Kevin Hern is the Republican nominee.
- South Carolina. Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026, after winning his June primary. Governor Henry McMaster appointed his sister, Darline Graham, who then won a special Republican primary runoff on August 25.
- Maine. Graham Platner won the Democratic primary on June 9 but withdrew on July 10. State party delegates chose Troy Jackson as the nominee on July 25. Maine uses ranked-choice voting for this race, explained in how ranked-choice voting works.
For how appointments and special elections work, see how congressional vacancies are filled.
Which 2026 Senate races are most competitive? #
Forecasters generally describe the map as favorable to Republicans, since many of the seats they’re defending are in states Donald Trump won comfortably. The races most often listed as competitive:
Republican-held
- Maine: Susan Collins, the only Republican senator from a state Kamala Harris won in 2024, faces Troy Jackson.
- North Carolina: An open seat between former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley and former Governor Roy Cooper.
- Ohio (special): Appointed Senator Jon Husted against former Senator Sherrod Brown.
- Alaska: Dan Sullivan against former Representative Mary Peltola.
- Texas: Ken Paxton against state Representative James Talarico.
- Iowa: An open seat between Representative Ashley Hinson and Josh Turek.
- Nebraska: Pete Ricketts faces independent Dan Osborn, who held Senator Deb Fischer to a single-digit win in 2024.
Democratic-held
- Michigan: An open seat between Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race, and Abdul El-Sayed.
- Georgia: Jon Ossoff against Representative Mike Collins.
- New Hampshire: An open seat between Representative Chris Pappas and former Senator John E. Sununu.
Ratings move as polls and fundraising change, so treat any list as a snapshot.
What’s the path to a Senate majority? #
With 53 seats, Republicans can lose a net three and keep control, because a 50-50 Senate would be broken by the Republican vice president. Democrats need a net gain of four to reach 51. We explain the tie-breaking rules in when the vice president votes in the Senate.
History and the map cut in different directions. The president’s party usually loses ground in midterms, as covered in why the president’s party loses seats in midterms. But Senate outcomes depend heavily on which states are voting, and this year’s list includes many Republican-leaning states.
How to follow the 2026 Senate races #
With most nominees set, public polling in these races picks up through October. Election Tracker lists every Senate race with published polling on its Senate tab, newest first, with a 30-day average, a lead chip, and a trend line once a race has enough polling. Type a state’s name to filter the list, and pin the races you follow so they stay at the top. Each poll card shows the pollster, sample size, likely-voter or registered-voter population and field dates.
The app’s Market Sentiment tab shows current Polymarket prices on Senate control, how many seats Republicans will hold, and individual races such as Maine and Texas, labeled as trader sentiment rather than forecasts. It also has a countdown to November 3 and optional reminders at 30 days, a week, a day out and on election day. For the full midterm schedule, see our 2026 midterm election calendar.
Frequently asked questions #
Which Senate class is up for election in 2026? #
Class II. Those senators were last elected in 2020, and their terms end on January 3, 2027. The Ohio and Florida special elections are for Class III seats, whose terms run through January 2029. Our guide to Senate classes explains the rotation.
How many Senate seats are Republicans and Democrats defending in 2026? #
Republicans are defending 22 seats, including the Ohio and Florida specials, and Democrats 13. Independents Angus King and Bernie Sanders aren’t up this year.
How many seats do Democrats need to flip the Senate? #
A net gain of four. The Senate has 53 Republicans and 47 senators who caucus with Democrats; with a Republican vice president breaking ties, Democrats need 51 seats to control the chamber.
When do the new senators take office? #
Winners of the regular elections take office on January 3, 2027. Winners of the Ohio and Florida special elections can be sworn in once their results are certified, since they’re finishing terms already in progress.
Are there special Senate elections in 2026? #
Yes, two: Ohio, for the seat Vice President JD Vance left, and Florida, for the seat Secretary of State Marco Rubio left. Both appointees, Jon Husted and Ashley Moody, are running to finish the terms.