2,523 major party candidates filed for 2020 Congress elections, no new retirements last week

By

Amee LaTour

As of February 10, 2020, 2,523 major party candidates have filed to run for the Senate and House of Representatives in 2020.

So far, 355 candidates are filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to run for U.S. Senate in 2020. Of those, 302—159 Democrats and 143 Republicans—were from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 527 candidates filed with the FEC to run for U.S. Senate, including 137 Democrats and 240 Republicans.

For U.S. House, 2,436 candidates are filed with the FEC to run in 2020. Of those, 2,221—1,059 Democrats and 1,162 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 3,244 candidates filed with the FEC, including 1,566 Democrats and 1,155 Republicans.

Thirty-six representatives are not seeking re-election. Of those, 27 are Republican and nine are Democratic. Four senators (three Republicans and one Democrat) are not running for re-election. In 2018, 55 total members of Congress—18 Democrats and 37 Republicans—did not seek re-election.

On November 3, 2020, 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats are up for election. Of those Senate seats, 33 are regularly scheduled elections, while the other two are special elections in Arizona and Georgia. Twelve are Democratic-held seats and 23 are Republican-held seats. In the House, where all seats are up for election, Democrats currently hold a majority with 232 seats.

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