2026 Senate Elections: Complete Race and Candidate Guide

Thirty-five U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot in 2026, including 33 regularly scheduled elections and special elections in Florida and Ohio. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Republicans currently hold a 53–47 majority over the Democratic-aligned Senate caucus. The Democratic total includes two independents who caucus with Democrats, meaning Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the chamber in 2027.

This page tracks every 2026 Senate contest, the incumbent or open-seat status, the major-party general-election field and the latest Cook Political Report rating. Use the search box to find a state or candidate, or sort the table by any column.

2026 Senate elections at a glance

Complete list of 2026 Senate races, candidates and ratings

Table last updated September 29, 2026. Candidate and ballot status will be revised as developments occur through Election Day. Race ratings reflect the Cook Political Report ratings current through September 23, 2026.

State	Incumbent / Seat Status	Democratic Candidate	Republican Candidate	Cook Rating
Alabama	Tommy Tuberville (R) — retiring to run for governor	Everett Wess	Barry Moore	Solid Republican
Alaska	Dan Sullivan (R) — running	Mary Peltola	Dan S. Sullivan; Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.; Gerald Heikes	Toss-up
Arkansas	Tom Cotton (R) — running	Hallie Shoffner	Tom Cotton	Solid Republican
Colorado	John Hickenlooper (D) — running	John Hickenlooper	Mark Baisley	Solid Democratic
Delaware	Chris Coons (D) — running	Chris Coons	Michael Katz	Solid Democratic
Florida	Ashley Moody (R) — appointed; running	Angie Nixon	Ashley Moody	Solid Republican
Georgia	Jon Ossoff (D) — running	Jon Ossoff	Mike Collins	Likely Democratic
Idaho	Jim Risch (R) — running	David Roth	Jim Risch	Solid Republican
Illinois	Dick Durbin (D) — retiring	Juliana Stratton	Don Tracy	Solid Democratic
Iowa	Joni Ernst (R) — not seeking reelection	Josh Turek	Ashley Hinson	Toss-up
Kansas	Roger Marshall (R) — running	Adam Hamilton	Roger Marshall	Lean Republican
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell (R) — retiring	Charles Booker	Andy Barr	Solid Republican
Louisiana	Bill Cassidy (R) — defeated in primary	Jamie Davis	Julia Letlow	Solid Republican
Maine	Susan Collins (R) — running	Troy Dale Jackson	Susan Collins	Toss-up
Massachusetts	Ed Markey (D) — running	Ed Markey	John Deaton	Solid Democratic
Michigan	Gary Peters (D) — retiring	Abdul El-Sayed	Mike Rogers	Toss-up
Minnesota	Tina Smith (D) — retiring	Peggy Flanagan	Michele Tafoya	Likely Democratic
Mississippi	Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) — running	Scott Colom	Cindy Hyde-Smith	Solid Republican
Montana	Steve Daines (R) — not seeking reelection	Alani Bankhead	Kurt Alme	Solid Republican
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts (R) — running	No Democratic nominee	Pete Ricketts	Likely Republican
New Hampshire	Jeanne Shaheen (D) — retiring	Chris Pappas	John E. Sununu	Toss-up
New Jersey	Cory Booker (D) — running	Cory Booker	Justin Murphy	Solid Democratic
New Mexico	Ben Ray Lujan (D) — running	Ben Ray Lujan	Larry E. Marker	Solid Democratic
North Carolina	Thom Tillis (R) — retiring	Roy Cooper	Michael Whatley	Lean Democratic
Ohio	Jon Husted (R) — appointed; running	Sherrod Brown	Jon Husted	Toss-up
Oklahoma	Alan Armstrong (R) — appointed; not seeking full term	N'Kiyla Thomas	Kevin Hern	Solid Republican
Oregon	Jeff Merkley (D) — running	Jeff Merkley	David Brock Smith	Solid Democratic
Rhode Island	Jack Reed (D) — running	Jack Reed	Raymond McKay	Solid Democratic
South Carolina	Darline Graham (R) — appointed; running	Annie Andrews	Darline Graham	Likely Republican
South Dakota	Mike Rounds (R) — running	No Democratic nominee	Mike Rounds	Solid Republican
Tennessee	Bill Hagerty (R) — running	Marquita Bradshaw	Bill Hagerty	Solid Republican
Texas	John Cornyn (R) — defeated in primary runoff	James Talarico	Ken Paxton	Toss-up
Virginia	Mark Warner (D) — running	Mark Warner	Bert Mizusawa	Solid Democratic
West Virginia	Shelley Moore Capito (R) — running	Rachel Fetty Anderson	Shelley Moore Capito	Solid Republican
Wyoming	Cynthia Lummis (R) — retiring	James Byrd	Harriet Hageman	Solid Republican

2026 Senate primary and runoff status

The principal party primaries and runoffs listed in this guide are complete. Candidate and ballot status will continue to be monitored through Election Day.

Senate races to watch in 2026

The contests drawing the most national attention include open seats, recent battleground states and states where a strong challenger could affect control of the Senate. Among the races to follow are Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

Cook currently rates seven contests as Toss-ups: Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas. North Carolina is rated Lean Democratic, while Georgia and Minnesota are Likely Democratic. Kansas is rated Lean Republican, and Nebraska and South Carolina are Likely Republican.

Nebraska remains notable because Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts faces independent Dan Osborn, with no Democratic nominee in the race.

Latest Senate polling averages

Election Central’s Senate polling guide tracks the latest RealClearPolitics averages and race ratings across 12 closely watched contests. This master candidate list will remain the central index for all 35 Senate elections, while the polling page will focus on the races most likely to affect control of the chamber.

View the latest 2026 Senate polling averages →

Sources and update policy

Candidate and ballot-status information is compiled from Ballotpedia’s 2026 Senate election directory, the Federal Election Commission reporting calendar and official state election agencies. Competitiveness assessments reference the latest available Cook Political Report Senate ratings.

Information is current through the date shown above and will be updated when candidate or ballot status changes, race ratings move or other material developments occur.