Which specific special elections to the 119th Congress are scheduled for 2026 and what are their current partisan histories?
Executive summary
Four House special elections and two Senate special elections are scheduled in 2026 to fill seats vacated during the 119th Congress: three House seats tied to recent resignations or deaths (Texas’s 18th, New Jersey’s 11th, Georgia’s 14th) plus at least one other House special flagged in consolidated reporting, and two Senate specials in Florida and another seat being filled concurrently on November 3, 2026; the contests range from safely Democratic (TX‑18, PVI D+21) to competitive (NJ‑11, PVI D+5) and include reliably Republican territory where a high‑profile GOP resignation occurred (GA‑14) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting outlets disagree on the running total of called specials for the 119th Congress, so precise counts vary across sources [4] [5].
1. How many special elections and which chambers are affected — a messy count
Multiple public trackers identify special elections in both chambers: Wikipedia and Ballotpedia list a cluster of House special elections in 2026 and note two special Senate contests concurrently with the 2026 general election; Ballotpedia and related pages report differing totals (Ballotpedia saying five called at one point, another Ballotpedia page listing as many as 11 called), while Wikipedia summarizes “four special elections scheduled in 2026 to the 119th United States Congress,” illustrating real‑time divergence among databases as vacancies are created and election calendars are set [2] [4] [5] [3].
2. The Senate specials: Florida’s Rubio vacancy (and a second concurrent special) — national stakes
Florida’s Class 3 Senate seat is the clearest Senate special: Marco Rubio resigned January 20, 2025, to take an executive post, Governor DeSantis appointed Ashley Moody as interim senator, and a special election to fill Rubio’s unexpired term will be held concurrently with the November 3, 2026 regularly scheduled contests [1] [3]. Ballotpedia and other trackers likewise identify two Senate special elections tied to vacancies in the 119th Congress, with at least Rubio’s seat explicitly scheduled on the 2026 ballot [1] [3].
3. House specials in play — district identities and partisan footprints
Aggregated reporting identifies at least four House special elections in 2026: Texas’s 18th District (Houston area), New Jersey’s 11th District, and Georgia’s 14th District are repeatedly cited across coverage, and sites say there are additional House specials called as vacancies occur [1] [6] [2]. Texas’s 18th is described as strongly Democratic (Cook PVI D+21) and already produced a Democratic runoff and subsequent swearing‑in (Christian Menefee), which narrows the GOP House margin [1] [7] [6]. New Jersey’s 11th became vacant after Rep. Mikie Sherrill resigned to become governor and is rated more competitive (PVI around D+5), making it a potential turf battle though currently Democratic‑held [1] [5]. Georgia’s 14th is a vacancy left by the resignation of Marjorie Taylor Greene (R), signaling a Republican‑held seat that will be defended to maintain the GOP’s slim majority [1] [6].
4. Partisan histories and why each special matters to control of the House
The partisan history matters unevenly: TX‑18’s D+21 profile means its special was always expected to stay Democratic and in practice added a Democratic member who narrowed the GOP edge [1] [7]. NJ‑11’s D+5 lean makes it competitive on paper — a Democratic vacancy in a modestly blue district that could be targeted by national Republicans or defended by Democrats depending on national dynamics [1]. GA‑14’s vacancy is a Republican hold that, if flipped, could have outsized impact given the House’s narrow majority; its pedigree as Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat gives it high symbolic and practical value to both parties [1] [6]. Aggregate trackers underline that even a handful of special‑election turnovers in 2026 can shift Speaker Johnson’s fragile majority, which has been razor‑thin since the 119th convened [7].
5. Caveats, source discrepancies, and what remains uncertain
Data sources disagree on the exact number of called special elections in the 119th Congress — Ballotpedia pages at different times list five, 11, or other totals, while Wikipedia and other trackers list four House specials and two Senate specials — reflecting the fluid nature of vacancies, scheduling rules, and state decisions about primaries and dates [4] [5] [2] [1]. The reporting here draws on those primary trackers; if a claim about a specific district or PVI is not in the cited sources, that gap is noted rather than asserted.