Category: 2026 elections
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Tim Walz (D) is the second governor to run for a consecutive third term in 2026
On September 16, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced that he would seek a third consecutive term as governor in 2026. This makes him the second governor to do so after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), who announced his plans back in June. In July, Ballotpedia covered the number of governors eligible to run for…
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Rep. Michael McCaul becomes the 27th U.S. House member who is not seeking re-election in 2026
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced on Sept. 14, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. On his retirement, McCaul said, “It’s been an honor to serve for over two decades in the Congress […] I’m looking now for a new challenge. I’m going to serve the remainder…
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Thirty-five members of Congress have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026
Thirty-five members of the U.S. Congress—eight U.S. Senate members and 27 U.S. House members—have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. Compared to previous election cycles, 35 is the most retirement announcements we have tracked at this point since 2018. Since our Aug. 18 update, six U.S. House members and one U.S. Senate member…
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Citizen-initiated ballot measures have different signature deadlines in each state; here’s what they are for 2026
Twenty-six states permit citizen-initiated ballot measures, with each state setting its own rules for signature collection and filing deadlines. In Nevada, where the citizens can collect signatures for indirect initiated state statutes that require the state legislature to first consider the proposal before it heads to voters, the deadline was Nov. 20, 2024. One indirect…
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Rep. Morgan Luttrell becomes the 26th U.S. House member who is not seeking re-election in 2026
Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas) announced on Sept. 11, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. On his retirement, Luttrell wrote on X, “Serving Texans in Congress has been the honor of a lifetime, and I will continue to do that until the end of my term. And…
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Rep. Ashley Hinson becomes the 10th U.S. House member who is running for the U.S. Senate in 2026
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) announced on Sept. 2, 2025, that she will run for the U.S. Senate in Iowa in 2026 rather than another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat is open since incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced she would not seek re-election. As of Sept. 2, 2025, independent race forecasters…
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Rep. Jerrold Nadler becomes the 24th U.S. House member who is not seeking re-election in 2026
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) announced on Sept. 1, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. In a statement announcing his retirement, Nadler wrote, “Today, I am announcing that I will not be seeking re-election next year and that this term in Congress will be my last. This…
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Sen. Joni Ernst becomes the eighth U.S. Senate member who is not seeking re-election in 2026
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced on Sept. 2, 2025, that she will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2026. On her retirement, Ernst said, “I never imagined this farm girl would have the opportunity to serve as a lieutenant colonel and then a United States senator. […] While this chapter of elected service…
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Rep. Lloyd Doggett announces that he will not seek re-election if the courts uphold Texas’ new congressional map
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) announced on Aug. 21, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026 if the courts do not overturn Texas’ new congressional map. The Texas House of Representatives passed the map on Aug. 20, 2025, and the Texas Senate passed it on Aug. 23, 2025.…
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Republican party committees maintain fundraising lead in July
As of July 31, 2025, the end of the most recent party committee campaign finance filing period, the three committees associated with the Democratic Party have raised a cumulative $197 million and spent $188 million in the 2026 election cycle, while the three committees associated with the Republican Party have raised $239 million and spent…