When do special Senate elections occur and are any scheduled for 2026?
Executive summary
Special (vacancy) Senate elections are held to fill unexpired terms when a senator leaves office; many states schedule the special election to coincide with the next general election more than 180 days after the vacancy, meaning winners often serve only the remainder of the original term [1] [2]. Current reporting shows two U.S. Senate special elections scheduled on November 3, 2026 — in Florida (to finish Marco Rubio’s Class 3 term) and in Ohio (to finish J.D. Vance’s Class 3 term) — and these will be held alongside the regular 2026 contests [3] [2] [1] [4].
1. What a “special” Senate election means — the short, legal answer
A special election fills an unexpired six‑year Senate term after a vacancy; state law typically lets a governor appoint an interim senator and then requires a special election at the next qualifying statewide election — often the next general election occurring more than 180 days after the vacancy — with the winner serving only the remainder of the original term [1] [2] [3].
2. How states implement that rule — appointments, timing, and variety
States vary. Some governors appoint temporary senators until a special election; others set different primary dates or thresholds. For example, Ohio law provides for a gubernatorial appointment until December 15 following the next regularly scheduled statewide election more than 180 days after the vacancy, and then a special election is held concurrently with that regular election [1]. Florida law likewise allows a governor’s temporary appointment until a special election at the next general election; Florida’s special primary is scheduled for August 18, 2026 [2].
3. Why November 3, 2026 is important — synchronizing special and regular contests
Because both Ohio and Florida vacancies occurred early in the 119th Congress, state rules make the next eligible statewide general election the November 3, 2026 general election; therefore both states scheduled their special Senate contests that day so winners will fill the remaining two years of the original 2022‑elected terms [3] [1] [2] [4].
4. Which special Senate elections are already scheduled for 2026
Reporting consistently lists two special Senate elections on November 3, 2026: Florida’s special election to finish Marco Rubio’s term (after his 2025 resignation) and Ohio’s special election to finish J.D. Vance’s term (after his 2025 resignation to become vice president) [3] [2] [1] [4].
5. How these special races interact with the regular 2026 Senate slate
The 2026 cycle already includes 33 regular Class 2 seats; with the two special elections in Florida and Ohio, observers count as many as 35 Senate contests in 2026 depending on the source. Forecasters and trackers therefore list 33 regular contests plus the two special elections in their maps and models [5] [6] [7]. Some sites present the total as 35 seats up in 2026, including those specials [6] [8].
6. Who is involved and what the calendar looks like
State reporters list primary dates and filing deadlines: Ohio’s special primary is May 5, 2026, with a February 4, 2026 filing deadline noted by Ballotpedia; Florida’s special primary is August 18, 2026, with an April 24, 2026 filing deadline for that contest [9] [4] [2]. Governors in both states made appointments: Florida’s governor appointed Ashley Moody, and Ohio’s governor appointed Jon Husted to serve until the special elections [2] [1].
7. Why this matters politically — quick implications
Special elections can change Senate arithmetic midterm and attract outsized national attention; analysts already count Florida and Ohio as part of the battleground for control of the Senate in 2026 because they add to the number of competitive contests that year [6] [7]. Forecasting sites and advocacy groups include these specials in their models and endorsement strategies [8] [7].
8. Limits of current reporting and what’s not in these sources
The available sources catalog the scheduled special elections, dates, appointments and some candidate names, but they do not provide up‑to‑the‑minute lists of every declared candidate beyond a few noted entrants [1] [2] [9] [4]. Available sources do not mention any additional special Senate elections scheduled for 2026 beyond Florida and Ohio, though they note that future vacancies in other classes could create more simultaneous specials [5].
If you want, I can track declared candidates and polling for the Florida and Ohio specials and produce a brief tracker of filing and primary deadlines as those dates approach (sources: Ballotpedia, state filings, Wikipedia trackers noted above) [9] [4] [2] [1].