2026 United States Senate elections

Two special elections will be held, one in Ohio will be held to fill the remaining two years of JD Vance's term following his election to the vice presidency, and one in Florida to fill the remaining two years of Marco Rubio's term after his nomination as the United States Secretary of State was confirmed.[1] There are five incumbent Democratic senators that represent states won by Kamala Harris by single-digit margins in 2024: New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen, Minnesota's Tina Smith, Virginia's Mark Warner, New Jersey's Cory Booker, and New Mexico's Ben Ray Luján.One Republican, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, is up for re-election in a state won by Trump by a single-digit margin.Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would appoint Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody as an interim successor to serve until the vacancy is filled by a special election in 2026.[48] If Durbin retires, Congresspersons Robin Kelly (IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) are widely seen as potential Democratic candidates.[52] Talk show host Steve Deace has expressed interest in challenging Ernst for the Republican nomination.McConnell retired as leader after the 2024 elections but says he plans to serve out the remainder of his term, leading to speculation that he may not run for re-election.[64] U.S. Representative for Maine's 1st congressional district Chellie Pingree is considering a run for the seat,[43] while Governor Janet Mills, who is term-limited, is a potential candidate.Markey faced multiple calls to step aside due to his age during the Democratic primary for the seat in 2020; if he were to be re-elected, Markey would be the oldest person to represent Massachusetts in Congress in the history of the Commonwealth, surpassing current record-holder Frederick H. Gillett in December 2025.[2] Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is considered to be a potential candidate, as well as state Senator Mallory McMorrow One-term Democrat Tina Smith was re-elected in 2020 with 48.7% of the vote after being appointed by the governor in 2018 and subsequently winning a special election that same year.[20] One-term Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was re-elected in 2020 with 54.1% of the vote after being appointed in 2018 and subsequently winning a special election that same year.[23] Two-term Republican Ben Sasse resigned early in the 118th Congress to become president of the University of Florida.On June 10, 2023, the North Carolina Republican Party censured Tillis over his bipartisan support on gun control and same-sex marriage, and he is seen as especially vulnerable to a primary challenge.[76] Lara Trump, a Wilmington native who in 2024 resigned from her post as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, removed herself from consideration for Florida's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat and said that she would make a "big announcement" in January, prompting speculation about her intentions to run for this seat.[77] Former U.S. Representative Wiley Nickel and former Governor Roy Cooper both publicly expressed their interest in running for the Democratic nomination.[83] Vivek Ramaswamy first withdrew himself from consideration for the pending Senate appointment, then later was expected to run instead in the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election.[43] Incumbent Markwayne Mullin won a special election in 2022 with 61.8% of the vote to complete the remainder of the term vacated by Republican Jim Inhofe, who resigned on January 3, 2023.Representatives Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman have been named as potential challengers for Graham in the Republican primary.Governor Glenn Youngkin, who will leave office in early 2026, is considered a potential candidate for Republicans.