In America’s state legislatures, there are no off-years or even off-months. Special elections occur year-round across the country, and these races often represent significant opportunities for us to build and protect Democratic power.
In 2025, the DLCC won majority-deciding special elections in five chambers, protecting Democratic majorities in Minnesota, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We’ve also flipped three districts that Trump won by double-digits and broken supermajorities in Iowa and Mississippi.
We’re already preparing for even more high-stakes special election opportunities ahead of the 2026 midterms, with majority-deciding elections and key races expected everywhere from Michigan to Minnesota, Florida to New York. We must be prepared to respond quickly to protect and grow Democratic power when vacancies arise.
DLCC Spotlight Candidate Rob Long’s Palm Beach area special election in early December will give Democrats an important chance to protect a seat in the Florida House. This seat is not only a key foothold for Florida Democrats today, but also represents an important step towards eventually breaking the chamber’s Republican supermajority.
Rob Long is a civil engineer from Delray Beach running to protect an open Florida House seat in a December special election.
South Louisville native Gary Clemons is running in a special election this December to defend a vacant seat in the Kentucky Senate. Holding this seat and defeating a Republican with a history of disparaging women is critical for building Democratic power in Kentucky.
Gary Clemons is a union leader and United States Army veteran, born and raised in South Louisville, running in a December special election for the Kentucky Senate.
Renee Hardman is running in a December special election to become the first Black woman to ever serve in the Iowa Senate. Democrats broke the GOP supermajority in the Iowa Senate in an August 2025 special election victory, and winning Renee’s race is critical to stopping Republicans from regaining a stranglehold over the chamber.
Renee Hardman is a nonprofit leader running in a December special election to represent her West Des Moines district in the Iowa Senate.
The Minnesota House is one of the nation’s most competitive battlegrounds in 2026. Two majority-deciding special elections in January will give Democrats a chance to build on their successes from 2025 and preserve the tie in the chamber heading into the 2026 midterms.
Virginia Democrats have defended their hard-won majority in the state Senate for years, and the next key moment in the fight to keep Virginia blue is approaching in the form of a January special election, with the majority at stake.
Michigan is one of the DLCC’s top battlegrounds of 2026, and a special election in May will determine whether or not Democrats maintain a one-seat majority in the chamber ahead of the general election in November.
Pennsylvania will hold four special elections in early 2026, each of which could determine the balance of power in the state House, currently controlled by Democrats by a single seat. The DLCC has played a key role for years in protecting that single-seat majority, including through eight majority-making special elections last cycle.
New York Democrats aren’t taking a single district for granted, as Republicans attempt to chip away at the blue majority at every turn. In early 2026, two special elections for the New York Assembly will be the next moment to rally support to keep the GOP from gaining a foothold in Albany.
Mississippi held special elections across the state in November after a judge threw out the GOP’s racially gerrymandered legislative maps. Democrats capitalized on the opportunity to win three seats and break the GOP supermajority in the Mississippi Senate.
DLCC Spotlight candidate Catelin Drey claimed victory in a tightly contested special election to fill a vacant seat in the Iowa Senate on August 26. By flipping this district and defeating one of the most extreme MAGA candidates on the ballot this year, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the chamber and provided a check on Republican power.
Catelin Drey claimed victory in a tightly contested special election, flipping a seat in the Iowa Senate and breaking Republicans’ supermajority in the chamber.
In January, DLCC Spotlight candidate Mike Zimmer pulled off an upset victory for the Iowa Senate, winning a district that Donald Trump carried by 21 points last November. His victory was the first state legislative flip of the cycle and a significant win for Democrats in the first month of the year. The DLCC is continuously on the lookout for opportunities to flip seats in red and blue states.
Mike Zimmer is a small business owner and educator who flipped his Iowa Senate district in a January special election.
The Pennsylvania Senate represents one of Democrats’ best opportunities to build influence in an important chamber and steadily close the gap on Republicans’ majority. In March, DLCC Spotlight candidate James Malone gave Democrats their latest victory in the chamber when he flipped his Lancaster County district blue.
James Malone is a public servant from Lancaster County who flipped his Pennsylvania Senate district blue in a special election.
