On April 14, 2026, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) resigned, leaving California’s 14th Congressional District vacant. Swalwell resigned after the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported on allegations of sexual misconduct.

As of April 14, 2026, Republicans have a 217 to 213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies. Additionally, Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) is an independent who caucuses with Republicans.

Swalwell’s electoral history

In 2012, Swalwell ran for his first term in the U.S. House in California’s 15th Congressional District. In the general election, he defeated incumbent Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) 52% to 48%. In his four subsequent re-election bids in the district, Swalwell won by 40 percentage points in 2014, 48 percentage points in 2016, 46 percentage points in 2018, and 42 percentage points in 2020.

Starting in 2022, Swalwell ran for re-election in California’s 14th Congressional District due to redistricting. He won by 38 percentage points in 2022 and 36 percentage points in 2024.

Vacancies in the 119th Congress

So far in the 119th Congress, there have been 11 in the U.S. House and four in the U.S. Senate. Of those vacancies:

• Three in the U.S. Senate were filled via appointment.
• One in the U.S. Senate was filled when Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) was sworn into office 11 days after the start of the 119th Congress. Justice delayed his swearing-in in order to fulfill the remainder of his term as governor of West Virginia.
• Seven in the U.S. House were filled after special election winners were sworn in.

As of April 14, 2026, the vacancies in California's 14th Congressional District, Texas' 23rd Congressional District, California's 1st Congressional District, and New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District have not been filled.

Of the 15 vacancies, the longest was in Texas' 18th Congressional District, which became vacant on March 5, 2025, following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas). The vacancy ended on Feb. 2, 2026, after 334 days.

Congressional vacancies since the 113th Congress

During the 113th through 118th Congresses, there were 88 vacancies in the U.S. House and 16 in the U.S. Senate. The average length of a vacancy in the U.S. Senate during that period was seven days. The average length of a vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was 138 days.

The longest vacancy in the U.S. Senate during that period was in New Jersey. The vacancy occurred during the 118th Congress, when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) resigned on Aug. 20, 2024. Following Menendez's resignation, the seat was vacant for 20 days.

The longest vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. The vacancy occurred during the 115th Congress, when Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) resigned on Dec. 5, 2017. Following Conyers' resignation, the seat was vacant for 359 days.