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 As of June 24, 2026, six have lost their primaries, four have advanced from the primary, and three have withdrawn.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.
The states with the most members running in 2026 are Florida and Texas, with four members each. Florida is also the state with the most former members running since 2016, with nine former members having run.
In Florida, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) is running in Florida’s 20th Congressional District after resigning in April. The August primary is occurring just under four months after her resignation. Additionally, two former members are running in Florida’s 19th Congressional District, despite previously representing different states: Madison Cawthorn (R), formerly of North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, and Chris Collins (R), formerly of New York's 27th Congressional District. A fourth member, Alan Grayson (D), has run more than any previous member of Congress since 2016, with his 2026 run being his fourth run in his fourth district, and his third as a Democrat, having run as an independent in 2020.
In every cycle from 2016 to 2024, former members were largely unsuccessful in seeking their old seats. The most successful cycle for former members was in 2020, when five former members won a non-consecutive term. The least successful cycle was 2022, when only one former member, Ryan Zinke (R) of Montana’s 1st Congressional District, won back his seat. In the 2026 election cycle, four members have advanced to the general election. If those members win in November, and two more members advance from the primary and win the general election, 2026 will have both the most former members running and the most former members elected.
Additionally, three former senators are also running for non-consecutive terms, including Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Scott Brown (R-N.H.), and John Sununu (R-N.H.).
To read more about former members of Congress running for non-consecutive terms, click here. To read more about the 2026 House elections, click here.
