US Election News Dashboard
Covering Special/Off-Year Elections, 2026 Midterms (House/Senate), and 2028 Presidential Outlook | Updated: Nov 19, 2025
Special & Off-Year Elections (2025 Results & 2026 Upcoming)
2025 off-year elections saw Democratic gains in key races, signaling momentum against the Trump administration. Special congressional elections filled vacancies; more expected in 2026.
Key 2025 Off-Year Highlights
Democrats swept gubernatorial races in NJ (Mikie Sherrill defeats Jack Ciattarelli) and VA (Abigail Spanberger wins open seat). NYC elects Zohran Mamdani as mayor in historic high-turnout race.[CBS] [Fox]
Dems overperform in special elections, flipping Trump-won districts by avg. 15% margin; wins in PA courts, GA PSC, and MS Senate seats break GOP supermajorities.[NPR] [Guardian]
CA Prop 50 passes, redrawing districts to add Dem-leaning seats.[Brookings]
2025 Congressional Specials
FL-1 & FL-6 (Apr 1): Dems hold after Gaetz resignation.[Wiki]
VA-11 (Sep 9): James Walkinshaw (D) wins after Connolly death.[Wiki]
AZ-7 (Sep 23): Adelita Grijalva (D) elected.[Wiki]
TX-18 (Nov 4): Runoff Jan 31, 2026 between Christian Menefee (D) & Amanda Edwards (D).[Ballotpedia]
TN-7 (Dec 2): Pending after Green resignation.[Wiki]
Upcoming 2026 Specials
FL Senate Special (Nov 3): Ashley Moody (R, appointed) vs. Dem challengers; fills Rubio vacancy.[Ballotpedia]
OH Senate Special (Nov 3): Jon Husted (R, appointed) vs. Sherrod Brown (D).[Wiki]
TX House-18 Runoff (Jan 31): Menefee vs. Edwards; new maps signed Aug 2025.[Ballotpedia]
AL House-98 Special (Jan 6): Pending primary runoff.[270toWin]
2026 Midterms: House & Senate
Republicans hold slim majorities (House: R+3 needed for Dem flip; Senate: R 53-47, defending 22 seats). 7 Senate incumbents retiring; Dems eye NC, ME, IA for gains amid Trump unpopularity.
Senate Key Races & Retirements
Open/Retiring: AL (Tuberville to Gov), MN (Tina Smith), MI (Gary Peters), NC (Tillis), OH (special), WI (Baldwin? speculated).
Battlegrounds: NC open (Roy Cooper D vs. Michael Whatley R); ME (Susan Collins R vulnerable); IA (Joni Ernst R vs. Angie Craig/Royce White primaries).[Reuters] [Politico]
Dems recruiting in red states (e.g., MS DA Scott Colom vs. Hyde-Smith); Schumer targets 3-4 flips.[NYT]
Forecast: Dems need +4; competitive in OH (Brown vs. Husted), MI (Mike Rogers R vs. open D).[RTW]
House Overview
All 435 seats; Dems target 16 Trump-won D districts & 3 Harris-won R districts. 23 Reps retiring.[Ballotpedia]
Post-2025 momentum: Dems overperformed specials by 14%; eye FL, TX redistricting fights.[Reuters]
At least 2 specials (TBD); focus on battlegrounds like PA, WI, AZ.[Wiki]
2028 Presidential Early Buzz
Trump ineligible; open field. Dems lead with Newsom/Harris (55% consideration); Rs favor Vance (65%). Swing states: PA, WI, MI, AZ, GA, NV, NC.
Democratic Contenders
Top: Gavin Newsom (CA Gov, 23% ideal), Kamala Harris (54% consider), Gretchen Whitmer (MI Gov), Josh Shapiro (PA Gov), Andy Beshear (KY Gov).[YouGov] [The Hill]
Rising: AOC (8%), Pete Buttigieg, Wes Moore (MD Gov), Ro Khanna (CA Rep), Ruben Gallego (AZ Sen).[Wiki] [NBC]
Others: JB Pritzker (IL), Tim Walz (not running), Andrew Cuomo speculated.[Ballotpedia]
Republican Contenders
Leading: JD Vance (VP, 65% consider), Glenn Youngkin (VA, term-limited), Ron DeSantis (FL Gov).[YouGov]
Potential: Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AR Gov), Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley (if re-enters).[Ballotpedia]
Early polling: Rs expect win (36% vs. Dems 30%); focus on Rust/Sun Belts.[YouGov]
Data sourced from Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, Reuters, NPR, etc. For real-time updates, check official sites.