Category: 2026 elections
-
Three statewide candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks
As we approach the longest day of the year on June 21, candidates and voters in multiple states have election-related deadlines to be aware of as the 2026 election cycle continues. Three states have statewide candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks. The map and bulleted list below show which states have candidate filing…
-
Five candidates compete in Missouri's 6th District Republican primary as incumbent Graves retires
Five candidates are running in the Republican primary for Missouri's 6th Congressional District on August 4, 2026. Two have led in media attention: Chris Stigall (R) and Nathan Willett (R). Incumbent Sam Graves (R) is retiring from public office. Missouri Independent's Jason Hanccock wrote that the election "could become a proxy war between Trumpworld and…
-
Democrats have the second-highest generic ballot lead in May of any midterm year
The Democratic Party led the generic congressional ballot by 7.6 points at the end of May, according to RealClearPolitics. Since the start of the second Trump Administration, the highest Democratic lead recorded by RCP was on May 28, 2026, when Democrats led Republicans 49% to 41%, an eight-point margin. This is the second-highest lead either…
-
Robert White wins Democratic primary in race to succeed 18-term U.S. House incumbent in Washington, D.C.
Robert White defeated Trent Holbrook, Greg Jaczko, Brooke Pinto, and Kinney Zalesne in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C., on June 16, 2026. White, Pinto, and Zalesne led in polling and campaign fundraising ahead of the election. On January 26, 2026, incumbent Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) announced she would…
-
Party control informs state legislative competitiveness trends ahead of 2026 elections
Across 31 states with completed candidate filing data, an average of 23% of incumbent state legislators are running in contested primaries this year — the second-highest share since 2010, trailing only 2022. At the same time, the average share of open seats, at 17.4%, is the second-lowest since 2010. Among the 31 states with completed…
-
Fewer open Washington state legislative seats than recent years
Nineteen seats are open in Washington’s state legislative elections this year, meaning no incumbents filed. That is down 27% from 26 open seats in each of the previous two elections and means newcomers are guaranteed 13% of the legislature next year. Twenty-nine incumbents face primary contests in Washington’s state legislative elections this year, one above…
-
So far in 2026, no mayors in the 100 largest cities holding elections are voluntarily retiring
Twenty-two of the nation’s 100 most populous cities are holding mayoral elections this year, and so far, no mayors are voluntarily retiring. (Note: This analysis does not include Washington, D.C.) An average of 63.4% of mayors ran for re-election between 2020 and 2025, and an average of 16.3% of mayors retired (not including term-limited mayors).…
-
Letlow and Fleming face off in Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Louisiana after incumbent Bill Cassidy finished third in primary
Julia Letlow (R) and John Fleming (R) advanced to a June 27 Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Louisiana, with 45% and 28% of the primary vote, respectively. Incumbent Bill Cassidy finished third, with 24% of the vote. NOLA's Tyler Bridges wrote, "As during the primary, Letlow and Fleming are both claiming to be…
-
Four Republicans running to succeed U.S. Rep. John James (R) in Michigan's 10th Congressional District
Four candidates — Michael Bouchard, Steffan Demetropoulos, Justin Kirk, and Robert Lulgjuraj — are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan's 10th Congressional District on August 4, 2026. Bouchard and Lulgjuraj lead in polling, fundraising, and media attention. Incumbent John James (R) announced in 2025 that he would not seek…
-
Larry Rhoden and Toby Doeden to face off in first-ever primary runoff for South Dakota governor
Incumbent Larry Rhoden and Toby Doeden are running in the Republican primary runoff for governor of South Dakota on July 28. The gubernatorial primary runoff is the first since South Dakota passed a 1985 law requiring a candidate to receive 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff. In the June 2, primary, Doeden received…