The final U.S. House primaries are wrapping up on Sept. 15 in Delaware, with a total of seven former House members advancing to the general elections across the country in November. This is down from 10 former members who appeared on general election ballots in 2024 but up from three who did so in 2022.
During this primary cycle, a record-high 22 former members ran for the House after leaving office, either due to defeat, to run for another office, or resignation. This is the most former members running in data Ballotpedia has collected going back to 2016.
Of the seven who have advanced to the general election, six are Democrats, and one is a Republican. The highest number of former members to win in a single cycle is five, which happened in 2020.
A few notable members advancing include:
- Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), who advanced in the Republican primary for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. Alabama redrew its maps, and Carl ran in two separate primaries.
- Colin Allred (D-Texas), who previously ran for U.S. Senate before switching to running for Texas’ 33rd Congressional District, defeated incumbent Julie Johnson (D-Texas) in the May 26 primary runoff.
- Elaine Luria (D-Va.), who is running for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in a rematch of 2022.
The other four members who advanced include Hilda Solis (D) in California’s 38th Congressional District, Melissa Bean (D) in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, Ben McAdams (D) in Utah’s 1st Congressional District, and Tom Perriello (D) in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
This year, 12 former members lost in primaries, seven advanced to the general election, and three withdrew before the primary. Of the former members who ran or are running this year, 13 are Democrats, and nine are Republicans.
A few notable defeats include:
- Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who was defeated in a rematch with Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) in Missouri’s 1st congressional District.
- Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.), who lost the primary for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District nearly 24 years after leaving office.
- Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who resigned four months prior to her primary in Florida’s 20th Congressional District amidst a House Ethics Committee Investigation. In this analysis, Cherfilus-McCormick is counted among former members who lost primaries because she did not withdraw her 2026 candidacy when she resigned.
One state – Virginia – had two former members advance to the general election this year. The states with the most former members running this cycle were Florida and Texas, with four members each. Florida has had the most former members running since 2016, with nine. One of those ran for multiple years.
Additional reading: