US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 include 4 Republican senators (Susan Collins, Roger Marshall, Jon Husted and Darline Graham), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and at least 8 Republican House members, according to Associated Press projections and other outlets as of November 4, 2026. No Democratic senator lost, while Ballotpedia counted 4 House Democrats among the first 11 House incumbents to fall.
US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 – Introduction
The US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 list shows how hard voters hit sitting officials on November 3, 2026. Republican incumbents took most of the losses, from a Maine senator who first won in 1996 to a Texas governor who sought a record fourth term. Democrats won both the House and the Senate. Fortune called it only the third time in 50 years that control of both chambers changed in the same election.
This report names the senators, representatives and governors who lost, counts them by party, and explains why. It also covers the primaries, where 13 incumbents lost before November. All general-election figures are projections and unofficial tallies as of November 4, 2026, and some races remain uncalled. Lists of defeated House members grow as counts finish, so treat the numbers below as a floor.
Interesting Facts: US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026
Incumbents defeated in the general election (each █ = 1 incumbent)
Senators |████ 4
Governors |█ 1
House (named) |████████ 8+
| Metric | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Senators defeated in the general election | 4 (all Republicans) |
| Democratic senators defeated | 0 |
| Governors defeated | 1 (Greg Abbott, Texas) |
| House incumbents defeated, Ballotpedia early count | 11 (7 Republicans, 4 Democrats) |
| Republican House members named as defeated | At least 8 |
| Incumbents who lost primaries | 13 |
| Senators who retired or ran for other office | 13 |
| House members who retired or ran for other office | 60 |
Source: Associated Press projections; Fortune (November 4, 2026); Ballotpedia; NPR; NBC News; CBS News.
Four Republican senators lost: Susan Collins in Maine, Roger Marshall in Kansas, Jon Husted in Ohio and Darline Graham in South Carolina. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Democratic senators held every seat they defended, including Jon Ossoff in Georgia. Ballotpedia’s early count showed 11 House incumbents down, and later reports name more.
The pressure began long before Election Day. NPR reported record departures and defeats in the primary season: 13 senators and 60 House members retired or ran for other offices, and 13 incumbents lost their primaries. In 2022, only 6 House Democrats lost out of more than 365 districts with an incumbent on the ballot. The US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 tally is far larger.
Senators Defeated in 2026: Which Senate Incumbents Lost Their Seats
Senate incumbents defeated, by party (each █ = 1 senator)
Republicans |████ 4
Democrats | 0
| Incumbent | State | Winner | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Collins (R) | Maine | Troy Jackson (D) | Seat held since 1997; Jackson led 52.4% to 47.5% in NBC’s count |
| Roger Marshall (R) | Kansas | Adam Hamilton (D) | First Kansas Democrat elected to the Senate in nearly a century |
| Jon Husted (R) | Ohio | Sherrod Brown (D) | Husted was appointed in January 2025 |
| Darline Graham (R) | South Carolina | Annie Andrews (D) | Graham was appointed in July; Trump won the state by 18 points |
Source: Associated Press projections via TIME and CNBC; Fortune (November 4, 2026); NBC News; The Hill.
Susan Collins was the only Republican defending a Senate seat in a state Kamala Harris won in 2024. Harris carried Maine by 7 points. Democrats had not won a Maine Senate race since 1988. Collins had beaten every Democratic challenger before this one, including in 2020. Roger Marshall, who sought a second term with Trump’s backing, lost to Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor.
Husted and Graham both reached the Senate by appointment and lost their first elections. Husted lost to Sherrod Brown, a former three-term senator. Graham’s loss gave Democrats a South Carolina seat that Republicans had held since 1964, according to CNN as cited by Fortune. Republican appointee Ashley Moody survived in Florida, and Pete Ricketts held Nebraska. The US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 Senate list is entirely Republican.
House Incumbents Defeated in 2026: Representatives Who Lost Re-Election
House incumbents defeated, Ballotpedia early count (each █ = 1 member)
Republicans |███████ 7
Democrats |████ 4
| Incumbent | State | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Kean Jr. (R) | New Jersey (7th) | Rebecca Bennett (D) |
| Jen Kiggans (R) | Virginia | Elaine Luria (D) |
| Gabe Evans (R) | Colorado (8th) | Manny Rutinel (D) |
| Max Miller (R) | Ohio (7th) | Brian Poindexter (D) |
| Ryan Mackenzie (R) | Pennsylvania (7th) | Bob Brooks (D) |
| Monica De La Cruz (R) | Texas (15th) | Bobby Pulido (D) |
| Richard Hudson (R) | North Carolina | Richard Ojeda II (D) |
| Victoria Spartz (R) | Indiana | Defeated, per NBC News |
Source: Associated Press projections via CNBC; CBS News; Decision Desk HQ via NewsNation; NBC News; Ballotpedia.
Ballotpedia counted 11 House incumbents defeated in the general election when Fortune published, 7 Republicans and 4 Democrats. Later reports name at least 8 Republicans. NBC said a quartet of Republican incumbents lost in Pennsylvania. Hudson chaired the House Republican campaign arm, which made his loss one of the night’s biggest. Elaine Luria won back the seat she lost to Kiggans in 2022.
Some losses carried personal stories. Max Miller lost after domestic violence allegations from his ex-wife, which he denied. Tom Kean Jr. lost to Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, after mental health challenges sidelined him for months in the last Congress. The sources reviewed did not name the 4 Democratic House incumbents who lost. The US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 House list will grow as counts finish.
Governors Defeated in 2026: Incumbent Governors and Open-Seat Flips
Incumbent governors defeated, called so far (each █ = 1 governor)
Greg Abbott (R, Texas) |█
| State | Incumbent Status | Winner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Greg Abbott (R) lost | Gina Hinojosa (D) | First Democratic governor since 1990 |
| Nevada | Joe Lombardo (R) | Aaron Ford (D) led early returns | Not called in sources reviewed |
| Georgia | Open seat | Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) | Democratic flip |
| Iowa | Open seat | Rob Sand (D) | Democratic flip |
| Ohio | Open seat | Amy Acton (D) | Democratic flip |
| Arizona and Pennsylvania | Katie Hobbs and Josh Shapiro (D) | Both won re-election | Incumbents survived |
Source: Associated Press via TIME; Fortune (November 4, 2026); NBC News; Washington Post.
Greg Abbott lost his bid for a record fourth term to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. His defeat ended a run of Republican governors in Texas dating to 1995. A CNBC voter poll found 52% of respondents had an unfavorable view of him. Trump had endorsed Abbott, then wrote on Truth Social that Abbott would not have lost if he had not become a “RINO.” Abbott is the only incumbent governor confirmed defeated.
The other Democratic flips came in open seats, so no incumbent lost there. Associated Press said 19 of 36 governor races had no incumbent. Democrats flipped Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas. Nevada’s race between Gov. Joe Lombardo and Aaron Ford was not called in the sources reviewed, so Lombardo’s status is open. Hobbs and Shapiro won re-election. The US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 governor list may grow by one.
Incumbents Who Lost Primaries in 2026 and Record Retirements
Departures and defeats before November (each █ = 2 members)
Senators retiring or leaving |██████▌ 13
Primary losses |██████▌ 13
House members retiring or leaving |██████████████████████████████ 60
| Metric | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Senators retired or ran for other office | 13 |
| House members retired or ran for other office | 60 |
| Incumbents who lost primaries | 13 |
| Notable primary loss | Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), March 2026 |
| Primary season end | September 15, 2026 |
Source: NPR (September 16, 2026); NBC News; Ballotpedia.
NPR called the primary season one of record departures and defeats. 13 senators and 60 House members left or sought other offices, and 13 incumbents lost their primaries. Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his Texas primary in March to a challenger who said he was not loyal enough to Trump’s agenda. Primary losses removed incumbents before voters ever reached the general election.
These departures set up the November map. Open seats gave Democrats easier targets than seats with incumbents, as in Iowa and North Carolina, where retiring senators left open races. Primary results also shaped nominee quality. In Texas, Republicans nominated Ken Paxton, who lost to James Talarico for a seat John Cornyn had held. The count of US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 would be larger if primary losses were added to general-election losses.
Party Breakdown 2026: Republican vs Democratic Incumbents Defeated
Incumbents defeated, by office and party (each █ = 1 incumbent)
Senate (R) |████ 4
Senate (D) | 0
Governor (R) |█ 1
House (R, early) |███████ 7
House (D, early) |████ 4
| Office | Republicans Defeated | Democrats Defeated |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | 4 | 0 |
| Governor | 1 (called) | 0 |
| House (Ballotpedia early count) | 7 | 4 |
| Total (early count) | 12 | 4 |
Source: Ballotpedia; Fortune (November 4, 2026); Associated Press projections.
Republicans bore the brunt. Every defeated senator and the one defeated governor were Republicans. Among House members, Ballotpedia’s early count had 7 Republicans and 4 Democrats, and later reports named more Republicans. Democrats still lost some House seats. Fortune noted that the backlash hit Republican incumbents hardest but did not spare every Democrat.
Appointed senators fared worst. Both Husted and Graham lost their first elections after being appointed, and Ashley Moody was the exception in Florida. Trump had rallied for Husted and Graham repeatedly in the final weeks. An NBC analyst described Trump’s heavy involvement in candidate selection as backfiring. These US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 results suggest party ties mattered more than individual records.
Why Incumbents Lost in 2026: Exit Poll Statistics
Exit poll findings (each █ = 2%)
Disapprove of Trump |███████████████████████████████ 62%
Approve of Trump |███████████████████ 38%
Negative view of GOP |█████████████████████████████▌ 59%
GOP negative, 2022 |██████████████████████████ 52%
| Metric | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Voters who disapproved of Trump | 62% |
| Voters who approved of Trump | 38% |
| Negative view of the Republican Party | 59% (52% in 2022) |
| Top issues | Cost of living and government corruption |
| Unfavorable view of Gov. Abbott (CNBC poll) | 52% |
| Texas early voting share of registered voters | 40.5% |
| North Carolina early ballots vs 2022 | Up 31% |
Source: NBC News exit poll; AP exit polls via Axios; CNBC; Texas Tribune; WUNC; Fortune (November 4, 2026).
The clearest factor was the president. Only 38% of voters approved of Trump and 62% disapproved, according to NBC’s exit poll. Nearly half said they saw the election as a chance to rebuke him. The share with a negative view of the Republican Party rose from 52% in 2022 to 59%. Republicans also lost their edge on the economy, the issue they leaned on for two years.
Costs gave challengers an opening. In Ohio, the Associated Press reported that tariffs, the trade war with Canada and the Iran war, which raised fuel prices, helped Sherrod Brown reach rural and working-class voters. Texas set a modern midterm early-turnout record of 40.5%, and North Carolina early ballots rose 31%. High turnout and weak approval ratings explain the US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 results better than any single race.
Historical Comparison 2026: Incumbents Defeated in Past Midterms
Incumbent losses in recent midterm waves (each █ = 1 notable loss)
2018 (named by Fox) |██████ 6+
2022 House Democrats |██████ 6
2026 House (early) |███████████ 11
| Midterm Year | Incumbent Losses | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Walker (WI Gov.), Heller, Heitkamp, Comstock, Brat, Faso | Democrats won the House; Republicans gained in the Senate |
| 2022 | 6 House Democrats lost out of 365+ incumbent races | No Senate incumbent had lost at the time of the report |
| 2026 | 4 senators, 1 governor, 11+ House members | Democrats won both chambers |
| Both-chamber flips since WWII | 1946, 1994, 2006, 2026 | Fortune and PBS count 4 |
Source: Fox News (2018 list); New York Times via Deccan Herald (2022); Fortune; PBS NewsHour; Ballotpedia.
Past waves look small by comparison. In 2022, despite high inflation, only 6 House Democrats lost out of more than 365 districts with an incumbent. No Senate incumbent had lost at the time of that report. In 2018, Fox listed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Dean Heller and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp among those ousted. The 2026 losses reach into all three offices at once.
Control of both chambers changed in the same election only three times since World War II before 2026: 1946, 1994 and 2006. PBS noted that the common thread in those years is an electorate clamoring for change. Fortune counted 2026 as the third such change in 50 years. TIME counted it as the fifth since World War II, so outlets differ. Either way, the US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 list is historic.
Final Count Status 2026: Which Incumbent Races Are Still Uncalled
Race status as of November 4, 2026 (each █ = 1 race group)
Called and defeated |████████ 8+
Still uncalled |██ Nevada governor, 4 Senate seats
| Item | Status as of November 4, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Senate incumbents defeated | 4, all called |
| Senate seats uncalled | 4 per Forbes’ count |
| Nevada governor | Not called in sources reviewed |
| House defeated list | Growing; Ballotpedia’s early count was 11 |
| Certification | Within weeks; deadlines vary by state |
| New Congress convenes | January 2027 |
Source: Forbes; Associated Press; Ballotpedia; state election offices (.gov).
The list is still moving. Four Senate seats were uncalled when Forbes published its 54–42 count, and Nevada’s governor race had not been called in the sources reviewed. Ballotpedia’s House tally of 11 was an early count, and later reports named more. Late mail ballots and close margins can change outcomes in tight districts. Readers should check the Associated Press for current calls.
A race call is not certification. State and county officials finish counting and canvassing, then certify results on their own deadlines. Recounts can follow in close races. The new Congress convenes in January 2027. Treat the US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026 list as preliminary until certified, and expect updates as the last races are called.
US Midterm Election Incumbents Defeated 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
Which senators lost in the 2026 midterm elections?
Four Republicans lost: Susan Collins (Maine), Roger Marshall (Kansas), Jon Husted (Ohio) and Darline Graham (South Carolina). No Democratic senator lost.
Who beat Susan Collins in 2026?
Democrat Troy Jackson beat Collins, who had held her Maine seat since 1997. Jackson led 52.4% to 47.5% in NBC’s count, and Collins conceded.
Which governor lost re-election in 2026?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. He had sought a record fourth term. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s race was not called in the sources reviewed.
How many House incumbents lost in 2026?
Ballotpedia counted 11 House incumbents defeated in the general election, 7 Republicans and 4 Democrats, in its early tally. Later reports name at least 8 Republicans.
Which House Republicans lost in 2026?
Named losses include Tom Kean Jr., Jen Kiggans, Gabe Evans, Max Miller, Ryan Mackenzie, Monica De La Cruz, Richard Hudson and Victoria Spartz. NBC also reported a quartet of Republican incumbents lost in Pennsylvania.
Did any Democratic senators lose in 2026?
No. Democratic incumbents held every Senate seat, including Jon Ossoff in Georgia, who beat Rep. Mike Collins.
Why did so many incumbents lose in 2026?
NBC’s exit poll found 62% of voters disapproved of Trump and 59% had a negative view of the Republican Party. Voters named the cost of living and government corruption as top issues.
How many incumbents lost their primaries in 2026?
NPR reported that 13 incumbents lost their primaries. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas was among them, losing in March.
Who is Darline Graham?
Darline Graham is a Republican who was appointed to the Senate in July after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, according to Fortune. She lost to Democrat Annie Andrews.
Were appointed senators defeated in 2026?
Yes. Jon Husted of Ohio and Darline Graham of South Carolina, both appointed, lost their first elections. Appointed Florida Sen. Ashley Moody won.
Is the list of defeated incumbents final?
No. Some races are uncalled, and House tallies are still growing. Results are unofficial until states certify them.
When will the defeated incumbents leave office?
Their terms end when the new Congress convenes in January 2027. Most governors’ terms also end in January 2027, though dates vary by state.
Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.