What vacancies have already been announced that will trigger 2025–2026 House special elections?
Executive summary
As of late 2025, multiple vacancies have already been announced or occurred that will produce special elections to fill U.S. House seats during the 2025–2026 cycle: notable confirmed vacancies include Florida’s open seat following Marco Rubio’s January 20, 2025 resignation to become U.S. secretary of state (triggering a special election), the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (TX-18) on March 5, 2025, and the death of Rep. Raúl Grijalva on March 13, 2025 (each prompting state calls for special elections) [1] [2]. Additional known departures include Mark Green’s July resignation that produced a Tennessee special (TN-7) and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s announced resignation effective Jan. 5, 2026, which Gov. Kemp is expected to fill with a special election [3] [4].
1. What’s already vacant and why it matters
Several high-profile vacancies have already occurred in 2025, and each state law determines how and when the governor must call a special election. Florida’s Marco Rubio resigned to join the administration on Jan. 20, 2025, creating a vacancy that will be filled by a special election; Texas’s Sylvester Turner died March 5, 2025, and Arizona’s Raúl Grijalva died March 13, 2025 — both deaths produced gubernatorial calls for special elections to fill those seats [1] [2]. These contests matter because the House majority is narrow — every seat filled can shift control or affect key legislative votes [1].
2. Timeline and procedure differences by state
State rules govern timing. Arizona law requires the governor to announce dates for a special primary and general within 72 hours of a vacancy, while other states set different windows [5]. New York, Texas, Florida and other states vary: some schedule specials soon after a vacancy, others tie them to the next statewide election. The U.S. Constitution requires House vacancies be filled by election; governors cannot appoint interim representatives [6] [7].
3. Seats already contested or decided in 2025
Several special elections were held in 2025: two in Florida’s 1st and 6th districts in April, special elections in Virginia’s 11th and Arizona’s 7th in September, and Texas’s 18th in November — totaling at least six special elections during the 119th Congress in 2025 [8] [2]. Tennessee’s 7th district vacancy from Mark Green’s resignation produced a December special election in which Republican Matt Van Epps won, reflecting how off-cycle contests continued to alter the narrow House balance [3] [9].
4. Vacancies already announced but scheduled into 2026
Some vacancies are announced to occur near or in early 2026 and will trigger future special elections: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her resignation effective Jan. 5, 2026, and Georgia’s governor is expected to call a special election [4]. Other seats created by deaths or resignations in 2025 may see special election schedules that stretch into 2026 because of state-run calendars and runoff rules [10].
5. How many special elections to expect across 2025–2026
Reporting and election trackers counted at least six special elections during 2025, with additional contests scheduled or expected in 2026. Wikipedia and Ballotpedia sources note multiple specials tied to Rubio’s resignation and other departures; other coverage projects at least three special elections in 2026 related to vacancies like TX-18 and Rubio’s seat being filled alongside 2026 regular elections [8] [11] [1]. Available sources do not provide a single definitive final count for all 2025–2026 special elections, but they document multiple specific contests and several seats still pending scheduling.
6. Political stakes and competing interpretations
Analysts note these special elections are consequential because the GOP held a narrow 219–213 majority with several vacancies at times in 2025; each special can change the working margin and affect critical votes [1]. Reuters and analysts emphasize how individual special-election outcomes — like TN-7 — alter the chamber’s arithmetic and can be targeted by national parties [12]. Other sources focus on procedural questions — runoffs and state deadlines — that prolong vacancies and affect when a vote is finally cast [10] [5].
Limitations and what’s not in the record
This account relies on the cited election trackers and news summaries provided. Available sources do not mention an exhaustive, up-to-the-minute list of every announced special-election date across all states nor do they produce a single authoritative tally for all 2025–2026 House specials; state secretaries of state and Ballotpedia remain the best ongoing trackers for individual schedules [5] [1].