United States Congress elections, 2020

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2020 Congress Elections
Election Date
November 3, 2020
U.S. Senate Elections by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona (special) • Arkansas • Colorado • Delaware • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming
U.S. House Elections by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

A total of 470 seats in the U.S. Congress (35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) were up for election on November 3, 2020, including two special elections for U.S. Senate.

Elections covered on this page may have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. To read more about those elections and changes to them, click here.

On this page, you will find:

Election results

U.S. Senate

Democrats gained a net three Senate seats in the 2020 general elections, winning control of the chamber. Republicans held 50 seats following the election, while Democrats had 48 seats and independents who caucus with Democrats held the remaining two. Vice President Kamala Harris (D) had the tiebreaking vote.

U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of January 3, 2019 After the 2020 Election
     Democratic Party 45 48[1]
     Republican Party 53 50
     Independent 2 2[1]
     Vacancies 0 0
Total 100 100

U.S. House

Following the 2020 general elections, the Democratic Party held the majority in the U.S. House. Democrats gained control of the chamber in the 2018 elections.

The Republican Party would have needed to pick up 21 seats in November 2020 to win the chamber. They gained a net total of 12 seats.

U.S. House Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 3, 2020 After the 2020 Election
     Democratic Party 232 222
     Republican Party 197 213
     Libertarian Party 1 0
     Vacancies 5 0
Total 435 435


Historical party control

The charts below show historical partisan breakdown information for each chamber.




Seats flipped

Republicans gained 16 seats in the 2020 elections for the U.S. Congress, including 14 House seats from Democrats, one House seat from a Libertarian, and one Senate seat from a Democrat.

Democrats gained seven seats, all from Republicans—four in the Senate and three in the House.

U.S. Senate

2020 Senate election flipped seats
State 2008 margin of victory[2] 2014 margin of victory[3] Pre-election incumbent Open seat? 2020 Winner
Alabama Republicans+26.9 Republicans+94.6 Democratic Party Doug Jones No Republican Party Tommy Tuberville
Arizona (special) Republicans+24.2 Republicans+13.0 Republican Party Martha McSally No Democratic Party Mark Kelly
Colorado Democrats+10.3 Republicans+1.9 Republican Party Cory Gardner No Democratic Party John Hickenlooper
Georgia Republicans+3.0 Republicans+7.7 Republican Party David Perdue No Democratic Party Jon Ossoff
Georgia (special) Republicans+19.3 Republicans+13.8 Republican Party Kelly Loeffler No Democratic Party Raphael Warnock

U.S. House

Updated March 11, 2021

The table below shows which U.S. House districts flipped partisan control as a result of the 2020 elections.

2020 House election flipped districts
District 2016 margin of victory 2018 margin of victory Pre-election incumbent Open seat? 2020 Winner
California's 21st Congressional District Republicans+13.4 Democrats+0.8 Democratic Party TJ Cox Republican Party David G. Valadao
California's 39th Congressional District Republicans+14.4 Democrats+3.2 Democratic Party Gil Cisneros Republican Party Young Kim
California's 48th Congressional District Republicans+16.6 Democrats+7.2 Democratic Party Harley Rouda Republican Party Michelle Steel
Florida's 26th Congressional District Republicans+11.8 Democrats+1.8 Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Republican Party Carlos Gimenez
Florida's 27th Congressional District Republicans+9.8 Democrats+6.0 Democratic Party Donna Shalala Republican Party Maria Elvira Salazar
Georgia's 7th Congressional District Republicans+20.8 Republicans+0.2 Republican Party Rob Woodall ✔ Democratic Party Carolyn Bourdeaux
Iowa's 1st Congressional District Republicans+7.6 Democrats+3.6 Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer Republican Party Ashley Hinson
Iowa's 2nd Congressional District Democrats+7.5 Democrats+12.2 Democratic Party Dave Loebsack ✔ Republican Party Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Michigan's 3rd Congressional District Republicans+22.0 Republicans+11.2 Libertarian Party Justin Amash ✔ Republican Party Peter Meijer
Minnesota's 7th Congressional District Democrats+5.1 Democrats+4.3 Democratic Party Collin Peterson Republican Party Michelle Fischbach
New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District Republicans+25.5 Democrats+1.8 Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Republican Party Yvette Herrell
New York's 11th Congressional District Republicans+24.9 Democrats+6.4 Democratic Party Max Rose Republican Party Nicole Malliotakis
New York's 22nd Congressional District Republicans+5.4 Democrats+1.8 Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Republican Party Claudia Tenney
North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District Republicans+13.4 Republicans+5.5 Republican Party George Holding ✔ Democratic Party Deborah Ross
North Carolina's 6th Congressional District Republicans+18.4 Republicans+13.0 Republican Party Mark Walker ✔ Democratic Party Kathy Manning
Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District Republicans+20.3 Democrats+1.4 Democratic Party Kendra Horn Republican Party Stephanie Bice
South Carolina's 1st Congressional District Republicans+21.8 Democrats+1.4 Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Republican Party Nancy Mace
Utah's 4th Congressional District Republicans+12.5 Democrats+0.2 Democratic Party Ben McAdams Republican Party Burgess Owens


The map below shows flipped districts.

Incumbents defeated

Twenty-six incumbent members of Congress were defeated in the 2020 elections. This figure includes four Republican senators, one Democratic senator, and 13 Democratic House members who were defeated in general elections as well as five Republican and three Democratic House members who were defeated in primaries or conventions.

U.S. Senate members defeated in the general election

The following table lists incumbents defeated in the 2020 general election for U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senate incumbents defeated in the 2020 general election
State Incumbent Election winner
Alabama Democratic Party Doug Jones Republican Party Tommy Tuberville
Arizona Republican Party Martha McSally Democratic Party Mark Kelly
Colorado Republican Party Cory Gardner Democratic Party John Hickenlooper
Georgia Republican Party David Perdue Democratic Party Jon Ossoff
Georgia Republican Party Kelly Loeffler Democratic Party Raphael Warnock


U.S. House members defeated in the general election

The following table lists incumbents defeated in the 2020 general election for U.S. House.

U.S. House incumbents defeated in the 2020 general election
District Incumbent Election winner
California's 21st Democratic Party TJ Cox Republican Party David G. Valadao
California's 39th Democratic Party Gil Cisneros Republican Party Young Kim
California's 48th Democratic Party Harley Rouda Republican Party Michelle Steel
Florida's 26th Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Republican Party Carlos Gimenez
Florida's 27th Democratic Party Donna Shalala Republican Party Maria Elvira Salazar
Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer Republican Party Ashley Hinson
Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson Republican Party Michelle Fischbach
New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Republican Party Yvette Herrell
New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose Republican Party Nicole Malliotakis
New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Republican Party Claudia Tenney
Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn Republican Party Stephanie Bice
South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Republican Party Nancy Mace
Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams Republican Party Burgess Owens


U.S. House members defeated in primaries or conventions

The following table lists incumbents defeated in 2020 House primary elections or conventions.

Incumbents defeated in primaries
District Incumbent Primary election/convention winner
Illinois' 3rd Democratic Party Daniel Lipinski Democratic Party Marie Newman
Iowa's 4th Republican Party Steve King Republican Party Randy Feenstra
Virginia's 5th Republican Party Denver Riggleman Republican Party Bob Good
New York's 16th Democratic Party Eliot Engel Democratic Party Jamaal Bowman
Colorado's 3rd Republican Party Scott Tipton Republican Party Lauren Boebert
Kansas' 2nd Republican Party Steve Watkins Republican Party Jacob LaTurner
Missouri's 1st Democratic Party William Lacy Clay Democratic Party Cori Bush
Florida's 15th Republican Party Ross Spano Republican Party Scott Franklin


U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate elections, 2020

There were 12 Democratic seats and 23 Republican seats up for election in 2020. In 2014, the Republican Party picked up nine seats, resulting in their having more seats to defend in 2020. The map below shows what seats were up for election and the incumbent heading into the election in each race.

U.S. House

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 2020

All 435 U.S. House seats were up for election.

Candidate breakdown

The following shows a breakdown of candidates who had filed for 2020 U.S. House and Senate elections by party as of August 17, 2020.

Annual Congressional Competitiveness Report, 2020

See also: Annual Congressional Competitiveness Report, 2020

Ballotpedia's Annual Congressional Competitiveness report for 2020 includes information on the number of elections featuring candidates from both major parties, the number of open seats, and more.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • More U.S. House races were contested by members of both major parties than in any general election since at least 1920, with 95.4% of races (415 of 435) featuring major party competition.[4][5]
  • Of the U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators who were eligible to run for re-election in 2018, 55 of them (11.8%) did not appear on the general election ballot in 2020.
  • In the 53 open seats where an incumbent either did not seek re-election or was defeated in a primary, there were 13 races where the incumbent's district overlapped at least one pivot county (a county that voted for President Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, before switching to support President Donald Trump (R) in 2016).
  • In 20 races, only one major party candidate appeared on the general election ballot, the lowest number compared to the preceding decade.


    • Click here to view the full report.


    Incumbents who didn't seek re-election in 2020

    See also: List of U.S. Congress incumbents who did not run for re-election in 2020

    Four U.S. senators and 36 U.S. representatives did not run for re-election.

    U.S. Senate

    • Democratic Party 1 Democrat
    • Republican Party 3 Republicans
    Retiring from public office, 2020
    Name Party State Date announced 2020 winner's party
    Lamar Alexander Republican Party Republican Tennessee December 17, 2018 Republican Party Republican
    Mike Enzi Republican Party Republican Wyoming May 4, 2019 Republican Party Republican
    Pat Roberts Republican Party Republican Kansas January 4, 2019 Republican Party Republican
    Tom Udall Democratic Party Democratic New Mexico March 25, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic

    U.S. House

    Thirty-six representatives did not seek re-election to their U.S. House seats (not including those who left office early):

    • Democratic Party 9 Democratic members of the U.S. House
    • Republican Party 26 Republican members of the U.S. House
    • Libertarian Party 1 Libertarian member of the U.S. House

    The chart below shows the number of announced retirements by party over time beginning in January 2019.

    Incumbents who retired from public office

    • Democratic Party 5 Democratic members of the U.S. House
    • Republican Party 20 Republican members of the U.S. House
    • Libertarian Party 1 Libertarian member of the U.S. House
    Retiring from public office, 2020
    Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
    Rob Woodall Republican Party Republican Georgia's 7th February 7, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic Yes
    Jose Serrano Democratic Party Democratic New York's 15th March 25, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Dave Loebsack Democratic Party Democratic Iowa's 2nd April 12, 2019 Republican Party Republican Yes
    Susan Brooks Republican Party Republican Indiana's 5th June 14, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Paul Mitchell Republican Party Republican Michigan's 10th July 24, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Pete Olson Republican Party Republican Texas' 22nd July 25, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Martha Roby Republican Party Republican Alabama's 2nd July 26, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Mike Conaway Republican Party Republican Texas' 11th July 30, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Will Hurd Republican Party Republican Texas' 23rd August 1, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Kenny Marchant Republican Party Republican Texas' 24th August 5, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    John Shimkus Republican Party Republican Illinois' 15th August 30, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Bill Flores Republican Party Republican Texas' 17th September 4, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Susan Davis Democratic Party Democratic California's 53rd September 4, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Jim Sensenbrenner Republican Party Republican Wisconsin's 5th September 4, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Mac Thornberry Republican Party Republican Texas' 13th September 30, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Nita Lowey Democratic Party Democratic New York's 17th October 10, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Francis Rooney Republican Party Republican Florida's 19th October 19, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Greg Walden Republican Party Republican Oregon's 2nd October 28, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Peter Visclosky Democratic Party Democratic Indiana's 1st November 6, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Peter King Republican Party Republican New York's 2nd November 11, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    George Holding Ends.png Republican North Carolina's 2nd December 6, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic Yes
    Ted Yoho Ends.png Republican Florida's 3rd December 10, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Mark Walker Ends.png Republican North Carolina's 6th December 16, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic Yes
    Phil Roe Ends.png Republican Tennessee's 1st January 3, 2020 Republican Party Republican No
    Ralph Abraham Ends.png Republican Louisiana's 5th February 26, 2020 Republican Party Republican No
    Justin Amash Specialsession.png Libertarian Michigan's 3rd July 16, 2020 Republican Party Republican Yes

    Incumbents who sought other offices

    U.S. House members who ran for President

    • Democratic Party 1 Democratic member of the U.S. House
    Running for president, 2020
    Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
    Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Party Democratic Hawaii's 2nd October 25, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No

    U.S. House members who sought a seat in the U.S. Senate

    • Democratic Party 2 Democratic members of the U.S. House
    • Republican Party 3 Republican members of the U.S. House
    Running for Senate, 2020
    Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
    Bradley Byrne Republican Party Republican Alabama's 1st February 20, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Ben Ray Lujan Democratic Party Democratic New Mexico's 3rd April 1, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Roger Marshall Republican Party Republican Kansas' 1st September 7, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Joseph Kennedy III Democratic Party Democratic Massachusetts' 4th September 21, 2019 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Doug Collins Republican Party Republican Georgia's 9th January 29, 2020 Republican Party Republican No

    U.S. House members who ran for governor

    • Republican Party 1 Republican member of the U.S. House
    Running for governor, 2020
    Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
    Greg Gianforte Republican Party Republican Montana At-Large June 6, 2019 Republican Party Republican No

    U.S. House members who ran for another office

    • Republican Party 2 Republican members of the U.S. House
    • Democratic Party 1 Democratic member of the U.S. House
    Running for another office, 2020
    Name Party Seat Date announced 2020 winner's party Party change?
    Paul Cook Republican Party Republican California's 8th September 17, 2019 Republican Party Republican No
    Denny Heck[6] Electiondot.png Democratic Washington's 10th April 9, 2020 Democratic Party Democratic No
    Rob Bishop[7] Republican Party Republican Utah's 1st January 16, 2020 Republican Party Republican No

    Historical comparison

    The following table includes figures on Democratic and Republican members of Congress who either left office during their term or announced that they would not seek re-election for each election year since 2012.

    Outgoing members of Congress, 2012-2018
    Year Chamber Democrats not seeking re-election Republicans not seeking re-election Total not seeking re-election Democrats leaving office early Republicans leaving office early Total leaving office early
    2018
    U.S. Senate 0 3 3 1 2 3
    U.S. House 18 34 52 3 14 17
    Total 18 37 55 4 16 20
    2016
    U.S. Senate 3 2 5 0 0 0
    U.S. House 16 24 40 2 5 7
    Total 19 26 45 2 5 7
    2014
    U.S. Senate 5 2 7 3 2 5
    U.S. House 16 25 41 3 6 9
    Total 21 27 48 6 8 14
    2012
    U.S. Senate 6 3 10[8] 0 0 0
    U.S. House 23 20 43 4 1 5
    Total 29 23 53 4 1 5

    Battlegrounds

    U.S. Senate

    See also: U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2020

    Ballotpedia identified 16 races as general election battlegrounds. Of the 16 seats, four had Democratic incumbents and 12 had Republican incumbents heading into the election.

    These battleground seats were selected by examining the results of the 2016 presidential election in the state, whether the incumbent was seeking re-election, and whether the incumbent was serving his or her first term in the Senate. Race ratings from the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales were also considered. For more information on our methodology, click here.

    The following map displays the 2020 Senate battlegrounds shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Hover over a state for more information.

    Battleground U.S. Senate elections, 2020
    State Incumbent Open seat? 2014 margin 2016 presidential margin 2020 election result
    Alabama Democratic Party Doug Jones No R+94.5 R+27.7 R+20.4
    Arizona (special) Republican Party Martha McSally No R+13.0[9] R+3.5 D+2.4
    Colorado Republican Party Cory Gardner No R+1.9 D+4.9 D+9.3
    Georgia Republican Party David Perdue No R+7.7 R+5.2 D+1.2
    Georgia (special) Republican Party Kelly Loeffler No R+13.8[10] R+5.2 D+2.0
    Iowa Republican Party Joni Ernst No R+8.3 R+9.4 R+6.5
    Kansas Republican Party Pat Roberts Yes R+10.6 R+20.6 R+11.4
    Kentucky Republican Party Mitch McConnell No R+15.5 R+29.8 R+19.6
    Maine Republican Party Susan Collins No R+36.2 D+3.0 R+8.6
    Michigan Democratic Party Gary Peters No D+13.3 R+0.2 D+1.7
    Minnesota Democratic Party Tina Smith No D+10.2 D+1.5 D+5.2
    Montana Republican Party Steve Daines No R+17.7 R+20.5 R+10.0
    New Hampshire Democratic Party Jeanne Shaheen No D+3.2 D+0.4 D+15.6
    North Carolina Republican Party Thom Tillis No R+1.6 R+3.7 R+1.8
    South Carolina Republican Party Lindsey Graham No R+17.7 R+14.2 R+10.2
    Texas Republican Party John Cornyn No R+27.2 R+9.0 R+9.6


    U.S. House

    See also: U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020

    Democrats lost seats but maintained their majority, winning 222 seats to Republicans' 213.

    Ballotpedia identified 41 of the 435 House races (9.4%) as battlegrounds. Of the 41 seats, 20 had Democratic incumbents, 20 had Republican incumbents, and one had a Libertarian incumbent. For more information on our methodology for identifying battlegrounds, click here.

    The following map displays the 2020 House battlegrounds shaded by the incumbent's or most recent incumbent's political affiliation. Hover over a state for more information.

    Battleground U.S. House elections, 2020
    District Incumbent Open seat? 2018 margin
    Arizona's 6th Republican Party David Schweikert No R+10.4
    Arkansas' 2nd Republican Party French Hill No R+6.3
    California's 21st Democratic Party TJ Cox No D+0.8
    California's 25th Republican Party Mike Garcia No D+8.7
    Florida's 26th Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell No D+1.8
    Georgia's 6th Democratic Party Lucy McBath No D+1.0
    Georgia's 7th Republican Party Rob Woodall Yes R+0.2
    Illinois' 13th Republican Party Rodney Davis No R+0.8
    Indiana's 5th Republican Party Susan Brooks Yes R+13.5
    Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer No D+5.1
    Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack Yes D+12.2
    Iowa's 3rd Democratic Party Cindy Axne No D+2.2
    Maine's 2nd Democratic Party Jared Golden No D+1.3
    Michigan's 3rd Libertarian Party Justin Amash Yes R+11.2
    Michigan's 6th Republican Party Fred Upton No R+4.6
    Michigan's 8th Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin No D+3.8
    Minnesota's 1st Republican Party Jim Hagedorn No R+0.5
    Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson No D+4.3
    Missouri's 2nd Republican Party Ann Wagner No R+4.0
    Nebraska's 2nd Republican Party Don Bacon No R+2.0
    New Jersey's 2nd Republican Party Jeff Van Drew No D+7.7
    New Jersey's 3rd Democratic Party Andrew Kim No D+1.3
    New Jersey's 7th Democratic Party Tom Malinowski No D+5.0
    New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small No D+1.9
    New York's 2nd Republican Party Peter King Yes R+6.2
    New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose No D+6.5
    New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi No D+1.8
    Ohio's 1st Republican Party Steve Chabot No R+4.4
    Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn No D+1.4
    Pennsylvania's 10th Republican Party Scott Perry No R+2.6
    Pennsylvania's 17th Democratic Party Conor Lamb No D+12.5
    South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham No D+1.4
    Texas' 21st Republican Party Chip Roy No R+2.6
    Texas' 22nd Republican Party Pete Olson Yes R+4.9
    Texas' 23rd Republican Party Will Hurd Yes R+0.4
    Texas' 24th Republican Party Kenny Marchant Yes R+3.1
    Texas' 25th Republican Party Roger Williams No R+8.7
    Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams No D+0.3
    Virginia's 2nd Democratic Party Elaine Luria No D+2.2
    Virginia's 5th Republican Party Denver Riggleman Yes R+6.6
    Virginia's 7th Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger No D+1.9

    Fundraising by candidate

    The following tables show the top U.S. Senate and U.S. House fundraisers of the 2020 election cycle based on FEC filings between June 30 and July 15, 2020.

    Fundraising by party

    See also: Party committee fundraising, 2019-2020

    The Democratic and Republican national party committees and campaign party committees reported the following monthly fundraising amounts during the 2019-2020 election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission. The six party committees are:



    Special elections

    See also: Special elections to the 116th United States Congress (2019-2020)

    This section tracked special elections to the 116th Congress in 2019-2020.

    House

    Results of special elections to the 116th Congress (House)
    Race Election date Incumbent Winner Election MOV Previous election MOV 2016 Presidential election MOV[11]
    Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District May 21, 2019 Republican Party Tom Marino Republican Party Fred Keller R+36 R+32 R+37
    North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District September 10, 2019 Republican Party Walter Jones[12] Republican Party Greg Murphy R+24 R+100 R+24
    North Carolina's 9th Congressional District[13] September 10, 2019 Republican Party Robert Pittenger Republican Party Dan Bishop R+2 R+16 R+11
    Maryland's 7th Congressional District April 28, 2020 Democratic Party Elijah Cummings Democratic Party Kweisi Mfume D+49 D+55 D+55
    California's 25th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Democratic Party Katie Hill Republican Party Mike Garcia R+12 D+9 D+7
    Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Republican Party Sean Duffy Republican Party Tom Tiffany R+14 R+21 R+20
    New York's 27th Congressional District June 23, 2020 Republican Party Chris Collins Republican Party Christopher Jacobs R+5 R+0.3 R+25
    Georgia's 5th Congressional District December 1, 2020 Democratic Party John Lewis Democratic Party Kwanza Hall D+8[14] D+100 D+73

    Senate

    Results of special elections to the 116th Congress (Senate)
    Race Election date Incumbent Winner Election MOV Previous election MOV 2016 Presidential election MOV
    U.S. Senate in Arizona November 3, 2020 Republican Party Martha McSally[15] Democratic Party Mark Kelly D+3 D+2 R+4
    U.S. Senate in Georgia January 5, 2021 (runoff) Republican Party Kelly Loeffler[16] Democratic Party Raphael Warnock D+2.1 R+14 R+5

    Historical special election data

    Special elections, 2013-2022

    From 2013 to 2022, 67 special elections to the United States Congress were called during the 113th through 117th Congresses. During that time, special elections were called for 23 seats vacated by Democrats and 44 vacated by Republicans.

    The table below details how many congressional seats changed parties as the result of a special election between 2013 and 2022. The numbers on the left side of the table reflect how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the numbers on the right side of the table show how many vacant seats each party won in special elections.

    Congressional special election vacancies and results, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
    Congress Total elections held Vacancies before elections Seats held after elections Net change
    Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans
    117th Congress 17 7 10 7 10 No change
    116th Congress 10 3 7 4 6 +1D, -1R
    115th Congress 17 4 13 8 9 +4 D, -4 R
    114th Congress 7 2 5 2 5 No change
    113th Congress 16 7 9 7 9 No change
    Averages 13 4 8 5 7 N/A


    U.S. Senate special election partisan change from special elections, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
    Party As of special election After special election
    Democratic Party Democrats 5 8
    Republican Party Republicans 7 4
    Total 12 12
    U.S. House special election partisan change from special elections, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
    Party As of special election After special election
    Democratic Party Democrats 18 20
    Republican Party Republicans 37 35
    Total 55 55


    Special elections, 1986-2012

    The table below presents the results of special elections to Congress from 1986 to 2012. Contact Ballotpedia at editor@ballotpedia.org for access to earlier data.

    Results of special elections to Congress (1986-2012)
    Election cycle Total special elections U.S. House elections Seats changing partisan control U.S. Senate elections Seats changing partisan control
    2011-2012 11 11 None None None
    2009-2010 15 10 3 (2 Democratic gains; 1 Republican gain) 5 2 (all Republican gains)
    2007-2008 14 12 3 (2 Republican gains; 1 Democratic gain) 2 None
    2005-2006 12 12 3 (all Democratic gains) None None
    2003-2004 6 6 None None None
    2001-2002 6 5 2 (all Democratic gains) 1 1 (Republican gain)
    1999-2000 9 8 1 (Republican gain) 1 1 (Democratic gain)
    1997-1998 3 3 None None None
    1995-1996 11 9 1 (Republican gain) 2 1 (Democratic gain)
    1993-1994 9 6 1 (Republican gain) 3 3 (all Republican gains)
    1991-1992 10 7 2 (all Republican gains) 3 1 (Democratic gain)
    1989-1990 10 8 1 (Democratic gain) 2 None
    1987-1988 12 12 3 (2 Democratic gains; 1 Republican gain) None None
    1985-1986 8 8 1 (Republican gain) None None
    Total 136 117 21 (11 Democratic gains; 10 Republican gains) 19 9 (6 Republican gains; 3 Democratic gains)

    Presidential data

    U.S. Senate

    • Democrats were defending 2 seats in states won by Donald Trump (R) in the 2016 presidential election: Alabama (held by Doug Jones) and Michigan (held by Gary Peters). Trump won Alabama by 28 points and Michigan by less than 1 percentage point.
    • Republicans were defending 2 seats in states won by Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election: Colorado (held by Cory Gardner) and Maine (held by Susan Collins). Clinton won Colorado by 5 points and Maine by 3 points.

    U.S. House

    The following statistics were compiled using the Daily Kos' presidential results by congressional district data. These trends can be used as an indicator of expected competitive districts in the 2020 elections.[28]

    Democrats won House seats in 2018 in 31 districts that Donald Trump (R) carried in 2016.

    U.S. House districts won by Democrat in 2018 and Donald Trump in 2016
    District 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin[29] 2012 presidential margin[29]
    Arizona's 1st Democratic Party Tom O'Halleran D+7.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+2.5
    Georgia's 6th Democratic Party Lucy McBath D+1.0 Trump+1.5 Romney+23.3
    Illinois' 14th Democratic Party Lauren Underwood D+5.0 Trump+3.9 Romney+10
    Illinois' 17th Democratic Party Cheri Bustos D+24.2 Trump+0.7 Obama+17
    Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer D+5.1 Trump+3.5 Obama+13.7
    Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack D+12.2 Trump+4.1 Obama+13.1
    Iowa's 3rd Democratic Party Cindy Axne D+2.2 Trump+3.5 Obama+4.2
    Maine's 2nd Democratic Party Jared Golden D+1.3 Trump+10.3 Obama+8.6
    Michigan's 8th Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin D+3.8 Trump+6.7 Romney+3.1
    Michigan's 11th Democratic Party Haley Stevens D+6.7 Trump+4.4 Romney+5.4
    Minnesota's 2nd Democratic Party Angie Craig D+5.5 Trump+1.2 Obama+0.1
    Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson D+4.3 Trump+30.8 Romney+9.8
    Nevada's 3rd Democratic Party Susie Lee D+9.1 Trump+1.0 Obama+0.8
    New Hampshire's 1st Democratic Party Chris Pappas D+8.6 Trump+1.6 Obama+1.6
    New Jersey's 2nd Democratic Party Jeff Van Drew[30] D+7.7 Trump+4.6 Obama+8.1
    New Jersey's 3rd Democratic Party Andrew Kim D+1.3 Trump+6.2 Obama+4.6
    New Jersey's 5th Democratic Party Josh Gottheimer D+13.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+3.0
    New Jersey's 11th Democratic Party Mikie Sherrill D+14.6 Trump+0.9 Romney+5.8
    New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small D+1.9 Trump+10.2 Romney+6.8
    New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose D+6.5 Trump+9.8 Obama+4.3
    New York's 18th Democratic Party Sean Maloney D+10.9 Trump+1.9 Obama+4.3
    New York's 19th Democratic Party Antonio Delgado D+5.2 Trump+6.8 Obama+6.2
    New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi D+1.8 Trump+15.5 Romney+0.4
    Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn D+1.4 Trump+13.4 Romney+18.4
    Pennsylvania's 8th Democratic Party Matt Cartwright D+9.3 Trump+9.6 Obama+11.9
    Pennsylvania's 17th Democratic Party Conor Lamb D+12.5 Trump+2.6 Romney+4.5
    South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham D+1.4 Trump+13.1 Romney+18.1
    Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams D+0.3 Trump+6.7 Romney+37.0
    Virginia's 2nd Democratic Party Elaine Luria D+2.2 Trump+3.4 Romney+2.3
    Virginia's 7th Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger D+1.9 Trump+6.5 Romney+10.5
    Wisconsin's 3rd Democratic Party Ron Kind D+19.3 Trump+4.5 Obama+11


    The table below displays the presidential election results in each of the 435 Congressional districts in 2020. Click [show] to view the full list.[31]


    Republicans won House seats in 2018 in three districts that Hillary Clinton (D) carried in 2016:

    U.S. House districts won by Republican in 2018 and Hillary Clinton in 2016
    District 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin[29] 2012 presidential margin[29]
    New York's 24th Republican Party John Katko R+6.3 Clinton+3.6 Obama+15.9
    Pennsylvania's 1st Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick R+2.6 Clinton+2.0 Obama+1.6
    Texas' 23rd Republican Party Will Hurd R+0.5 Clinton+3.4 Romney+2.6


    Important dates and deadlines

    See also: United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020 and United States House Republican Party primaries, 2020

    The table below lists filing deadlines and primary dates in each state for Democratic Party and Republican Party candidates for congressional and state-level office.[32]

    Primary dates and filing deadlines, 2020
    State Filing deadline for primary candidates Primary date Primary runoff date
    Alabama 11/08/2019 03/03/2020 7/14/2020[33]
    Arkansas 11/12/2019 03/03/2020 03/31/2020
    Illinois 12/02/2019 03/17/2020 N/A
    California 12/06/2019 03/03/2020 N/A
    Texas 12/09/2019 03/03/2020 07/14/2020[34]
    Ohio 12/18/2019 04/28/2020[35] N/A
    North Carolina 12/20/2019[36] 03/03/2020 06/23/2020[37]
    Mississippi 01/10/2020 03/10/2020 06/23/2020[38]
    Kentucky 01/10/2020 06/23/2020[39] N/A
    Maryland 01/24/2020 06/02/2020[40] N/A
    West Virginia 01/25/2020 06/09/2020[41] N/A
    Indiana 02/07/2020 06/02/2020[42] N/A
    Pennsylvania 02/18/2020 06/02/2020[43] N/A
    Nebraska 03/02/2020 05/12/2020 N/A
    Georgia 03/06/2020 06/09/2020[44] 08/11/2020[45]
    Montana 03/09/2020 06/02/2020 N/A
    New Mexico 03/10/2020 06/02/2020 N/A
    Oregon 03/10/2020 05/19/2020 N/A
    Idaho 03/13/2020 06/02/2020[46] N/A
    Iowa 03/13/2020 06/02/2020 N/A
    Nevada 03/13/2020 06/09/2020 N/A
    Maine 03/16/2020 07/14/2020[47] N/A
    Colorado 03/17/2020 06/30/2020 N/A
    Utah 03/19/2020 06/30/2020 N/A
    Virginia 03/26/2020 06/23/2020[48] N/A
    New Jersey 03/30/2020 07/07/2020[49] N/A
    South Carolina 03/30/2020 06/09/2020 06/23/2020
    Missouri 03/31/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    South Dakota 03/31/2020 06/02/2020 08/11/2020
    New York 04/02/2020 06/23/2020 N/A
    Tennessee 04/02/2020 08/06/2020 N/A
    Arizona 04/06/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    North Dakota 04/06/2020 06/09/2020 N/A
    Oklahoma 04/10/2020 06/30/2020 08/25/2020
    Michigan 04/21/2020 (offices with option to pay filing fee) &
    05/08/2020 (offices requiring nominating petitions)[50]    		 08/04/2020 N/A
    Florida 04/24/2020 (congressional and judicial offices) &
    6/12/2020 (state legislators)    		 08/18/2020 N/A
    Massachusetts 05/05/2020 (local) & 06/02/2020 (state)[51] 09/01/2020 N/A
    Washington 05/15/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    Vermont 05/28/2020 08/11/2020 N/A
    Wyoming 05/29/2020 08/18/2020 N/A
    Alaska 06/01/2020 08/18/2020 N/A
    Kansas 06/01/2020 08/04/2020 N/A
    Wisconsin 06/01/2020 08/11/2020 N/A
    Hawaii 06/02/2020 08/08/2020 N/A
    Minnesota 06/02/2020 08/11/2020 N/A
    Connecticut 06/11/2020[52] 08/11/2020 N/A
    New Hampshire 06/12/2020 09/08/2020 N/A
    Rhode Island 06/24/2020 (declaration of candidacy due)
    07/10/2020 (nomination papers due)    		 09/08/2020 N/A
    Delaware 07/14/2020 09/15/2020 N/A
    Louisiana 07/24/2020[53] 11/03/2020 N/A

    Congressional approval rating

    See also: Ballotpedia's Polling Index: Congressional approval rating

    The congressional approval rating indicates public satisfaction in the job performance of the members of the United States Congress. It is the percentage of people polled who responded favorably toward the work of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

    Analysis of federal elections, 2020

    See also: Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020


    All 435 U.S. House seats, 34 U.S. Senate seats, and the presidency were up for regular elections in the 2020 elections. At the time of the election, the president and a majority of members of the U.S. Senate were Republicans, while a majority of members of the U.S. House were Democrats.

    Election analysis

    Presidential election

    Congressional elections

    See also

    External links


    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Independent Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) caucus with Democrats
    2. ↑ 2010 for the Arizona and Georgia special elections.
    3. ↑ //2016 for the Arizona and Georgia special elections.
    4. ↑ This considers major party competition at the time of the primary in states with top-two primaries (CA, LA, and WA) and at the time of the general election for all other states.
    5. ↑ In this analysis, a race without major party competition is defined as a race for an office where at no point in the election cycle a Republican appears on the ballot with a Democrat or vice versa. In most instances, this would be the general election ballot. In the case of top-two primary states, that primary would also be taken into consideration even if two candidates from the same party eventually advance to the general election. This definition differs from elsewhere on Ballotpedia and therefore numbers for this metric on other pages might not equal what is included here. Ballotpedia is in the process of updating competitiveness data from 2010 to 2020 and bringing this section in line with the definition used elsewhere will be part of that process.
    6. ↑ Heck announced December 4, 2019, that he would not run for re-election. The New York Times, "Denny Heck, a Washington Democrat, Won’t Seek House Re-election," December 4, 2019
    7. ↑ Bishop announced in July 2019 that he would retire from Congress.
    8. ↑ Figure includes Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
    9. ↑ This seat was last up for regular election in 2016. Incumbent John McCain (R) won re-election by a margin of 13.0 percent.
    10. ↑ This seat was last up for regular election in 2016. Incumbent Johnny Isakson (R) won re-election by a margin of 13.8 percent.
    11. ↑ Daily Kos, "2008, 2012, & 2016 Presidential Election Results by District," accessed February 1, 2019
    12. ↑ Jones died on February 10, 2019.
    13. ↑ The 9th District was not filled in the 2018 elections due to allegations of electoral fraud. In February 2019, the North Carolina Board of Elections called for a new election to fill the vacant seat.
    14. ↑ This election was between two Democrats
    15. ↑ In December 2018, McSally was appointed to fill the Senate seat previously held by John McCain (R), who passed away in August 2018. Jon Kyl (R) was first appointed to the seat and held it from September 2018 to December 2018. The 2020 special election decided who would serve out the rest of the six-year term McCain was elected to in 2016.
    16. ↑ Isakson announced his resignation effective December 31, 2019. The 2020 special election decided who would serve out the rest of the six-year term Isakson was elected to in 2016.
    17. ↑ Both general election candidates were Republicans.
    18. ↑ This race was unopposed.
    19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Both general election candidates were Democrats.
    20. ↑ Lamb won by a margin of 0.4 percentage points.
    21. ↑ Wild won by a margin of 0.2 percentage points.
    22. ↑ The state Board of Elections declined to certify the results of the 2018 election following allegations of absentee ballot fraud.
    23. ↑ Collins won by 0.3 percentage points.
    24. ↑ This special election was called to fill the vacancy left by 2020 Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (R), who died before being sworn in to Congress.
    25. ↑ Runoff MOV between two Republican candidates.
    26. ↑ Runoff MOV between two Democratic candidates.
    27. ↑ Runoff MOV between two Republican candidates.
    28. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for the 2016 and 2012 elections," accessed July 12, 2019
    29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2016, 2012, and 2008," accessed January 8, 2020
    30. ↑ Van Drew switched his affiliation to Republican in 2019.
    31. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," November 19, 2020
    32. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections 2020 primary calendar," June 4, 2019
    33. ↑ Note: Alabama's primary runoff election was postponed from March 31 to July 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    34. ↑ Note: Texas' primary runoff election was postponed from May 26 to July 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    35. ↑ Note: Ohio's primary election was postponed from March 17 to April 28, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    36. ↑ Note: On November 20, 2019, a three-judge panel of North Carolina's state superior court issued an order delaying the congressional candidate filing period for the 2020 election cycle while the state's U.S. House district plan was reviewed. The filing period for U.S. House candidates, set to open on December 2 and close on December 20, 2019, was temporarily delayed while a three-panel judge heard arguments on December 2, 2019. The judges ruled that the redrawn congressional maps should stand, meaning the filing period would open and close as scheduled.
    37. ↑ Note: North Carolina's primary runoff election was postponed from May 12 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    38. ↑ Note: Mississippi's primary runoff election was postponed from March 31 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    39. ↑ Note: Kentucky's primary election was postponed from May 19 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    40. ↑ Note: Maryland's primary election was postponed from April 28 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    41. ↑ Note: West Virginia's primary election was postponed from May 12 to June 9, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    42. ↑ Note: Indiana's primary election was postponed from May 5 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    43. ↑ Note: Pennsylvania's primary election was postponed from April 28 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    44. ↑ Note: Georgia's primary election was postponed from May 19 to June 9, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    45. ↑ Note: Georgia's primary runoff election was postponed from July 21 to August 11, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    46. ↑ Note: Idaho's primary election election was postponed from May 19 to June 2, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    47. ↑ Note: Maine's primary election was postponed from June 9 to July 14, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    48. ↑ Note: Virginia's primary election was postponed from June 9 to June 23, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    49. ↑ Note: New Jersey's primary election was postponed from June 2 to July 7, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    50. ↑ Note: Michigan's primary filing deadline was postponed from April 21 to May 8, 2020, for offices that require nominating petitions and do not have the option to pay a filing fee to access the ballot. The change was in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    51. ↑ To appear on the ballot in Massachusetts, prospective candidates must submit nomination papers for certification to the registrars of the cities or towns in which signatures were collected and to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The local filing deadline must occur four weeks prior to the candidate's second filing deadline with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. In 2020, the local-level filing deadline was May 5 and the state-level filing deadline was June 2. Click here to learn more.
    52. ↑ Note: Connecticut's candidate filing deadlines were postponed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
    53. ↑ Note: Louisiana's candidate filing deadlines were postponed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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