Rep. Harriet Hageman becomes the 14th U.S. House member to run for U.S. Senate in 2026

By

Briana Ryan

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) announced on Dec. 23, 2025, that she will run for U.S. Senate in 2026 rather than running for another term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The seat is open after incumbent Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R) announced she would not seek re-election. As of Dec. 16, 2025, independent race forecasters The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball have rated the general election as Solid/Safe Republican.

In a video announcing her campaign, Hageman said, “This fight is about making sure the next century sees the advancements of the last while protecting our culture and our way of life. We must dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the next 100 years is the next great American century.”

In 2022, Hageman ran to represent Wyoming’s At-Large Congressional District. In the Republican primary, she defeated then-incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney (R) 66% to 29%. That year, Hageman was one of eight challengers to defeat an incumbent in a Republican primary. 

In the general election, Hageman defeated Lynnette Grey Bull (D) 68% to 24%. Hageman won re-election in 2024 by 48 percentage points.

As of Dec. 23, 2025, Hageman is one of 53 members of the U.S. Congress — nine U.S. senators and 44 U.S. House members — who have announced they will not seek re-election to their current seats in 2026.

Of the 44 U.S. House incumbents who are not seeking re-election:

  • Eighteen — 11 Democrats and seven Republicans — are retiring from public office.
  • Fourteen — seven Democrats and seven Republicans — are running for U.S. Senate.
  • Eleven — one Democrat and 10 Republicans — are running for governor.
  • One Republican is running for state attorney general.

Compared to the last four election cycles, there had been 33 retirement announcements at this point in the 2024 cycle, 30 for 2022, 30 for 2020, and 33 for 2018.

Between January 2011 and December 2025, 343 U.S. House incumbents announced they would not seek re-election. January had the highest number of members announcing they would not run for re-election, at 57. The fewest announcements took place in June at 15.