2026 Senate and governor candidates
This page lists every candidate on the ballot for US Senate and governor this year, plus the recent events that changed these races. It does not endorse anyone. States are in alphabetical order, and so are the two major parties. Other candidates are sorted by last name.
How this was checked: Every Democratic and Republican nominee was found in three independent sources: the race’s Wikipedia article, 270toWin’s candidate data, and Ballotpedia’s general election listing. The “Also on the ballot” column comes from Ballotpedia, which tracks who qualified for the ballot. Write-in candidates and running mates are not listed. Where sources disagree, the notes say so. Candidates can withdraw late, so confirm with your sample ballot before you vote.
Recent political updates
Events in 2026 that changed who is on the ballot, newest first.
- Massachusetts. Shawn Oliver, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and Mike Minogue’s running mate, suspended his campaign after a crash and arrest. UPI
- Rhode Island. Governor Dan McKee lost the Democratic primary to Helena Foulkes. He is the first elected governor to lose renomination since 2014.
- South Carolina. Appointed Senator Darline Graham won the Republican special runoff over Representative Ralph Norman.
- Oklahoma. N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas won the Democratic Senate runoff.
- Florida. Angie Nixon beat Alex Vindman for the Democratic Senate nomination in an upset.
- Wisconsin. David Crowley won the Democratic primary for governor over Francesca Hong.
- South Dakota. Democratic Senate nominee Julian Beaudion withdrew, leaving independent Brian Bengs as Senator Mike Rounds’s main opponent. Ballotpedia News
- Michigan. Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic Senate primary.
- Idaho. Democratic Senate nominee David Roth withdrew after Democratic leaders backed independent Todd Achilles.
- Maine. A Democratic convention chose Troy Jackson as the Senate nominee.
- South Carolina. Senator Lindsey Graham died, weeks after winning the Republican primary.
- Maine. Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner withdrew after sexual assault accusations and other controversies.
- Nebraska. Democratic Senate nominee Cindy Burbank withdrew to support independent Dan Osborn.
- Louisiana. Julia Letlow won the Republican Senate runoff. Senator Bill Cassidy had finished third in the May 16 primary.
- Texas. Ken Paxton beat Senator John Cornyn in the Republican runoff.
- Oklahoma. Senator Markwayne Mullin resigned to become secretary of homeland security. Alan Armstrong was appointed to the seat.
- Montana. Senator Steve Daines withdrew minutes before the filing deadline and endorsed Kurt Alme.
- Minnesota. Governor Tim Walz ended his bid for a third term. Amy Klobuchar later won the Democratic nomination.
US Senate
There are 35 Senate races: 33 regular races, plus special elections in Florida and Ohio.
| State | Democratic | Republican | Also on the ballot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Everett Wess | Barry Moore | Open seat. Tommy Tuberville is not running. | |
| Alaska | Mary Peltola | Dan S. Sullivan incumbent Daniel J. Sullivan Gerald Heikes | Top-four primary and ranked-choice general election. Wikipedia and 270toWin list Daniel J. Sullivan as a Republican; Ballotpedia lists him with no party. | |
| Arkansas | Hallie Shoffner | Tom Cotton incumbent | Jeff Wadlin Libertarian | |
| Colorado | John Hickenlooper incumbent | Mark Baisley | Chris Baum Approval Voting Party Bob Chew Colorado Forward Party Blake Huber Libertarian Adam Withrow Unity Party | |
| Delaware | Chris Coons incumbent | Michael Katz | ||
| Florida (special) | Angie Nixon | Ashley Moody incumbent | Neil Gillespie No Party Affiliation | Special election for the rest of Marco Rubio’s term. Moody was appointed in 2025. |
| Georgia | Jon Ossoff incumbent | Mike Collins | ||
| Idaho | None | Jim Risch incumbent | Todd Achilles Independent Natalie Fleming Independent Matt Loesby Libertarian | No Democratic nominee. The Democratic nominee withdrew after Democratic leaders backed independent Todd Achilles. |
| Illinois | Juliana Stratton | Don Tracy | Whitfield Harrington Jr. American Center Party | Open seat. Dick Durbin is not running. |
| Iowa | Josh Turek | Ashley Hinson | Thomas Laehn Libertarian | Open seat. Joni Ernst is not running. |
| Kansas | Adam Hamilton | Roger Marshall incumbent | David Graham Libertarian | |
| Kentucky | Charles Booker | Andy Barr | Christopher Campbell Kentucky Party | Open seat. Mitch McConnell is not running. |
| Louisiana | Jamie Davis | Julia Letlow | Incumbent Bill Cassidy lost the Republican primary. | |
| Maine | Troy Jackson | Susan Collins incumbent | Graham Platner won the Democratic primary, then withdrew. A party convention chose Troy Jackson. Ranked-choice voting. | |
| Massachusetts | Ed Markey incumbent | John Deaton | Shiva Ayyadurai Unenrolled Joseph Tache Party for Socialism and Liberation | |
| Michigan | Abdul El-Sayed | Mike Rogers | Lydia Christensen Libertarian Walter Kristy Natural Law Party Timothy Long U.S. Taxpayers Party Douglas P. Marsh Green | Open seat. Gary Peters is not running. |
| Minnesota | Peggy Flanagan | Michele Tafoya | Marisa Simonetti Unaffiliated Rebecca Whiting Libertarian | Open seat. Tina Smith is not running. |
| Mississippi | Scott Colom | Cindy Hyde-Smith incumbent | Ty Pinkins Independent | |
| Montana | Alani Bankhead | Kurt Alme | Kyle Austin Libertarian Seth Bodnar Independent | Open seat. Steve Daines is not running. |
| Nebraska | None | Pete Ricketts incumbent | Chuck Conboy America First Party Mike Marvin Legal Marijuana Now Party Dan Osborn Nonpartisan Robin Richards Nebraska Working People Party | No Democratic nominee. The Democratic nominee withdrew to back independent Dan Osborn. |
| New Hampshire | Chris Pappas | John E. Sununu | Edmond Laplante Constitution Party | Open seat. Jeanne Shaheen is not running. |
| New Jersey | Cory Booker incumbent | Justin Murphy | Veronica Fernandez End the Corruption! Party Joanne Kuniansky Socialist Workers Party | |
| New Mexico | Ben Ray Luján incumbent | Larry Marker | ||
| North Carolina | Roy Cooper | Michael Whatley | Shannon Bray Libertarian Michael Dublin Green | Open seat. Thom Tillis is not running. |
| Ohio (special) | Sherrod Brown | Jon Husted incumbent | Gregory Levy Independent Bill Redpath Libertarian | Special election for the rest of JD Vance’s term. Husted was appointed in 2025. |
| Oklahoma | N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas | Kevin Hern | Ron Meinhardt Independent Curtis Stinnett Independent Sevier White Libertarian | Appointed Senator Alan Armstrong cannot run for a full term under state law. |
| Oregon | Jeff Merkley incumbent | David Brock Smith | Gary Dye Libertarian Chris Henry Pacific Green Party and Progressive Party | Merkley is also on the Working Families Party line. |
| Rhode Island | Jack Reed incumbent | Raymond McKay | Michael Bahry Independent | |
| South Carolina | Annie Andrews | Darline Graham incumbent | Mark Hackett Constitution Party Kasie Whitener Libertarian | Lindsey Graham won the Republican primary, then died on July 11. His sister Darline Graham was appointed and won a special primary. |
| South Dakota | None | Mike Rounds incumbent | Brian Bengs Independent | No Democratic nominee. The Democratic nominee withdrew. Independent Brian Bengs is running. |
| Tennessee | Marquita Bradshaw | Bill Hagerty incumbent | Tharon Chandler Independent Andrew Gerena Independent Jeremy Hearn Independent Robert Jones Independent James Macon III Independent Yoshi Matthews Independent David Sutman Jr. Independent Catherine Whitson Independent | |
| Texas | James Talarico | Ken Paxton | Ted Brown Libertarian | Incumbent John Cornyn lost the Republican runoff. |
| Virginia | Mark Warner incumbent | Bert Mizusawa | ||
| West Virginia | Rachel Fetty Anderson | Shelley Moore Capito incumbent | S. Marshall Wilson Constitution Party | |
| Wyoming | James W. Byrd | Harriet Hageman | Open seat. Cynthia Lummis is not running. |
Governor
There are 36 governor races.
| State | Democratic | Republican | Also on the ballot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Doug Jones | Tommy Tuberville | Open seat. Kay Ivey is not running. | |
| Alaska | Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins | Bernadette Wilson Dave Bronson Treg Taylor | Open seat. Mike Dunleavy is not running. Top-four primary and ranked-choice general election. Three of the four finalists are Republicans. | |
| Arizona | Katie Hobbs incumbent | Andy Biggs | Teri Hourihan No Labels Party Risa Lombardo Green | |
| Arkansas | Fredrick Love | Sarah Huckabee Sanders incumbent | Colt Shelby Libertarian | |
| California | Xavier Becerra | Steve Hilton | Open seat. Gavin Newsom is not running. | |
| Colorado | Phil Weiser | Victor Marx | Stephen Hamilton Constitution Party Greg Lopez Unaffiliated Eric Mulder Libertarian Jeff Peckman Unity Party Erik Underwood Approval Voting Party | Open seat. Jared Polis is not running. |
| Connecticut | Ned Lamont incumbent | Ryan Fazio | Lamont is also on the Working Families Party line, and Fazio on the Independent Party line. | |
| Florida | David Jolly | Byron Donalds | Dean Abrams No Party Affiliation Charles Burkett No Party Affiliation Jeffrey Datto No Party Affiliation Moliere Dimanche No Party Affiliation Scott Jewett Libertarian Frank Russo No Party Affiliation | Open seat. Ron DeSantis is not running. |
| Georgia | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Rick Jackson | Open seat. Brian Kemp is not running. | |
| Hawaii | Josh Green incumbent | Gary Cordery | ||
| Idaho | Terri Pickens | Brad Little incumbent | Pro-Life Constitution Party Paul Sand Libertarian John R. Stegner Unaffiliated | “Pro-Life” is the Constitution Party candidate’s legal name. |
| Illinois | JB Pritzker incumbent | Darren Bailey | Collin Corbett Independent | |
| Iowa | Rob Sand | Zach Lahn | Open seat. Kim Reynolds is not running. | |
| Kansas | Cindy Holscher | Ty Masterson | Open seat. Laura Kelly is not running. | |
| Maine | Hannah Pingree | Bobby Charles | Rick Bennett Independent | Open seat. Janet Mills is not running. |
| Maryland | Wes Moore incumbent | Dan Cox | Andy Ellis Green Cathy White Working Class Party | |
| Massachusetts | Maura Healey incumbent | Mike Minogue | Andrea James Unenrolled | Minogue’s running mate suspended his campaign on October 18. |
| Michigan | Jocelyn Benson | John James | Donna Brandenburg U.S. Taxpayers Party Douglas Campbell Green Anthony Hudson Libertarian | Open seat. Gretchen Whitmer is not running. |
| Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar | Lisa Demuth | Steven Young Green | Open seat. Tim Walz is not running. |
| Nebraska | Lynne Walz | Jim Pillen incumbent | Rick Beard Legal Marijuana Now Party Brett Lindstrom America First Party | |
| Nevada | Aaron Ford | Joe Lombardo incumbent | Danielle Ford No Political Party | |
| New Hampshire | Cinde Warmington | Kelly Ayotte incumbent | Stephen Villee Libertarian | |
| New Mexico | Deb Haaland | Gregg Hull | Open seat. Michelle Lujan Grisham is not running. | |
| New York | Kathy Hochul incumbent | Bruce Blakeman | Hochul is also on the Working Families Party line. Blakeman is also on the Conservative and Vote Affordable lines. | |
| Ohio | Amy Acton | Vivek Ramaswamy | Don Kissick Libertarian | Open seat. Mike DeWine is not running. |
| Oklahoma | Cyndi Munson | Mike Mazzei | Robert Brooks Independent Orlando Lynn Bush Independent Jerry Griffin Independent | Open seat. Kevin Stitt is not running. |
| Oregon | Tina Kotek incumbent | Christine Drazan | Brett Smith Pacific Green Party | Kotek is also on the Working Families Party line, and Drazan on the Libertarian line. |
| Pennsylvania | Josh Shapiro incumbent | Stacy Garrity | Ken Krawchuk Libertarian | |
| Rhode Island | Helena Foulkes | Aaron Guckian | Ken Block Independent Jasjit Gotra Independent Christopher Reynolds Independent | Incumbent Dan McKee lost the Democratic primary. |
| South Carolina | Jermaine Johnson | Alan Wilson | Michael Addison United Citizens Party Walid Hakim Green | Open seat. Henry McMaster is not running. |
| South Dakota | Dan Ahlers | Larry Rhoden incumbent | ||
| Tennessee | Jerri Green | Marsha Blackburn | Misam Abidi Independent Dean Brewer Independent Ray Brown Independent David Hatley Independent Wendell Jackson Independent Charles Morgan Independent Eddie Lee Murphy Independent Lauren Pinkston Independent Victor Scoggin Independent Dave Seeman Independent Karl Smithson Independent L. Webb Taylor Independent Robert Vick Independent | Open seat. Bill Lee is not running. |
| Texas | Gina Hinojosa | Greg Abbott incumbent | Pat Dixon Libertarian | |
| Vermont | Amanda Janoo | Phil Scott incumbent | June Goodband Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party Brian Judd Independent Dean Roy Freedom and Unity Party | |
| Wisconsin | David Crowley | Tom Tiffany | Open seat. Tony Evers is not running. | |
| Wyoming | Kenneth Casner | Eric Barlow | Rebecca Bextel Constitution Party | Open seat. Mark Gordon is not running. |
House and local races
All 435 House seats and thousands of state and local offices are also on the ballot. These free, nonpartisan tools show the exact candidates on your own ballot:
- VOTE411, from the League of Women Voters. Enter your address for a personal voter guide with candidates' own answers.
- Ballotpedia's sample ballot lookup. It covers federal, state, and many local races.
- vote.gov, the official US government site, for registration and your state's election office.
- Your county or state election office, which publishes the official sample ballot.
What you can do with this
Look up your own ballot, then read each candidate's own website and a news source you trust. If something on this page is wrong or out of date, report it with a link to an official source.
Sources:
- Wikipedia's article on each 2026 Senate and governor race, read October 22, 2026.
- Ballotpedia’s page on each 2026 Senate and governor race, read October 22, 2026.
- UPI, October 18, 2026, and Ballotpedia News, August 6, 2026, for two of the updates.
- 270toWin: 2026 Senate election and 2026 governor election, read October 22, 2026.