2026 Senate Races, State by State
| State | Seat | Incumbent party |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Alaska | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Arkansas | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Colorado | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Delaware | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Georgia | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Idaho | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Illinois | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Iowa | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Kansas | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Kentucky | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Louisiana | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Maine | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Massachusetts | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Michigan | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Minnesota | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Mississippi | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Montana | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Nebraska | Class 2 - regular | R |
| New Hampshire | Class 2 - regular | D |
| New Jersey | Class 2 - regular | D |
| New Mexico | Class 2 - regular | D |
| North Carolina | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Oklahoma | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Oregon | Class 2 - regular | D |
| Rhode Island | Class 2 - regular | D |
| South Carolina | Class 2 - regular | R |
| South Dakota | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Tennessee | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Texas | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Virginia | Class 2 - regular | D |
| West Virginia | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Wyoming | Class 2 - regular | R |
| Florida | Special election | R |
| Ohio | Special election | R |
The Senate half of the 2026 ballot is bigger than most cycles: 35 contests rather than the usual 33. Thirty-three states have a Class 2 seat up โ the senators elected in 2020 whose six-year terms end in January 2027 โ and two more, Ohio and Florida, hold special elections for seats that opened mid-term. If your state is on the table above, you have a Senate race to vote in this November 3.
Bottom line: Republicans defend 22 of the 35 seats on the ballot, Democrats 13 โ 20 Republican and 13 Democratic regular Class 2 seats, plus both special elections. That asymmetry is the structural story of the night: the minority party's map is lighter to defend, while the majority has to run behind its 2020 wave-year class almost everywhere.
The table marks the incumbent party as of publication, deliberately without names. Senate retirement announcements, primaries and appointments keep moving through election year โ several incumbents listed have already announced they will not run again โ so the durable fact is the state and the seat, not the person. Treat any specific matchup you see elsewhere as a snapshot that this table intentionally avoids.
Why classes exist at all: the Senate staggers its terms into three groups so only about a third of the chamber turns over every two years. Class 2 is the oldest rotation โ its seats were last up in 2020 and return in 2026, 2032, 2038. Your state's other senator, if it has one, is in Class 1 or 3 and is not on any 2026 ballot.
How to use
- Find your state's row; the seat column tells you whether it is the regular Class 2 cycle or one of the two specials.
- The party letter shows who holds the seat today โ the defensive side of that contest this fall.
- Copy the table for election night or share it ahead of registration deadlines in your state.
Frequently asked questions
Why are 35 Senate seats up in 2026 instead of 33?
Because seats vacated mid-term are filled by special election at the next general election. Ohio and Florida both had Senate seats open through resignation, and the appointees serving in the meantime must win the 2026 special elections to keep them. Add those two to the 33 regular Class 2 contests and the ballot carries 35 Senate races.
What is a Senate class, and why is my senator not up this year?
The Senate divides its 100 seats into three classes with staggered six-year terms, so only about a third of the chamber stands for election in any even year. Your state's Class 2 senator is up in 2026; the other senator belongs to Class 1 or Class 3 and was elected on a different cycle โ one is up in 2024's class, the other in 2028's.
Which party has more Senate seats to defend in 2026?
Republicans hold 22 of the 35 seats on the ballot and Democrats 13 โ including both specials. The map is heavy with states the GOP carried in 2020, which is the reverse of 2024's Senate map, when Democrats were defending far more terrain. Numbers like these describe the board, not the outcome; individual races run far ahead of or behind their state's baseline.
When were these senators last elected?
Almost all in November 2020, the pandemic election. Their six-year terms run to January 2027, which is why 2026 is their turn. The two special-election seats are the exception: their current occupants were appointed after mid-term vacancies and are running for the first time to finish terms that also end in January 2027.