In the 2026 election cycle, 22 former members of the United States House of Representatives — 13 Democrats and nine Republicans — have announced candidacies for a non-consecutive term in the 2026 election cycle. As of June 24, 2026, six have lost their primaries, four have advanced from the primary, and three have withdrawn. The remaining nine have yet to face the electorate.
The 22 members running represent the highest number since 2016. In that period, the number of members running has increased each cycle: 10 members in 2016, 12 in 2018, 14 in 2020 and 2022, and 15 in 2024. Some members ran soon after leaving office, while others have run again after a longer absence. The member with the longest gap between leaving office and the date of election was Elizabeth Holtzman (D-N.Y.), who ran for New York’s 10th Congressional District nearly 42 years after leaving office in 2022. In 2026, across all members who ran, the average time between leaving office and running again is 7.5 years, or almost four full House terms.
