{"id":2454152,"date":"2025-07-01T08:48:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T12:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-wave-of-house-members-eye-promotions-in-the-2026-midterms\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T08:49:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T12:49:59","slug":"a-wave-of-house-members-eye-promotions-in-the-2026-midterms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-wave-of-house-members-eye-promotions-in-the-2026-midterms\/","title":{"rendered":"A wave of House members eye promotions in the 2026 midterms"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-wave-of-house-members-eye-promotions-in-the-2026-midterms%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2454152&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nrcc-chief-looks-to-expand-2026-majority-with-compelling-candidates-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"NRCC chief looks to expand 2026 majority with &#039;compelling&#039; candidates - Washington Examiner\">upcoming 2026 midterm elections<\/a> in the United States, which are gaining momentum as many current and former House members are starting to launch bids for higher offices, such as the Senate and gubernatorial positions. A number of House members are already in the race following significant announcements of retirements among sitting senators, creating opportunities in both the Senate and gubernatorial elections. Specifically, there are 33 Senate and 36 gubernatorial races to be contested, with several House members actively seeking to ascend to these roles. Notable developments include Rep. Haley Stevens&#8217; bid for the Senate seat in Michigan being vacated by retiring Senator Gary Peters, and a crowded primary emerging in Georgia against Sen. Jon ossoff. The article also highlights retiring senators and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-vice-presidential-pick-wont-matter\/\" title=\"The selection of ...&#039;s VP won&#039;t be significant\">mentions potential candidates<\/a>, emphasizing the competitive landscape as various lawmakers strategize for the upcoming elections. the 2026 midterms are shaping up to be a pivotal moment for both parties, with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >numerous current members stepping<\/a> into races across the country.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Higher calling: Ambitious House members eye promotions in the 2026 midterm elections<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2162633\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/MIDTERMS\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">midterm<\/a> contests are heating up, and many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">House<\/a> members have begun to launch or weigh bids at higher offices across the country.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A dozen current or former House members have already launched bids for 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Senate<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">gubernatorial<\/a> races, which will feature 33 Senate and 36 gubernatorial races, respectively.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3458826\/gop-takes-aim-roy-cooper-north-carolina-senate-seat\/\">GOP takes aim at Roy Cooper, Democrats&rsquo; ideal recruit for North Carolina Senate seat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3458241\/don-bacon-will-not-seek-reelection-2026-swing-district\/\">Don Bacon will not seek reelection in 2026 in key swing district<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3457696\/tillis-surprise-retirement-scrambles-2026-senate-map\/\">Tillis&#8217;s surprise retirement scrambles 2026 Senate map and turns North Carolina into top target<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3449209\/stefanik-governor-shadow-campaign-new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"STEFANIK MOUNTS &lsquo;SHADOW CAMPAIGN&rsquo; FOR NEW YORK GOVERNOR AFTER UN LETDOWN\">STEFANIK MOUNTS &lsquo;SHADOW CAMPAIGN&rsquo; FOR NEW YORK GOVERNOR AFTER UN LETDOWN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following a sweeping loss for Democrats in 2024 that caused the Senate and White House to flip, the Senate battlefield for 2026 will be challenging for Democrats to regain control. Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, 53-47, including two independents, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME), who caucus with Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Five current members of the lower chamber have launched bids to join the upper chamber in Washington following a large wave of retirements from sitting senators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) launched a bid to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) after he announced his retirement just days into President Donald Trump&rsquo;s second term. Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) has also launched a bid to flip the seat, which is considered a &ldquo;toss-up.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) announced her candidacy for the open Minnesota Senate seat that is held by Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), who announced her retirement early this year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Georgia is set to have a crowded primary against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) after Gov. Bryan Kemp (R-GA) decided not to run when his term as governor ends. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) announced his candidacy early on, but Reps. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Mike Collins (R-GA) have considered bidding against their colleagues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Senate race is also expected to be a crowded primary after longtime Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced his retirement following seven terms in the House and and five in the Senate. Reps. Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) have both launched bids since the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-who-backed-mcconnells-ukraine-boondoggle-dont-deserve-to-replace-him\/\" title=\"...ublicans who supported McConnell&#039;s Ukraine debacle are unfit to succeed him\">senior senator announced<\/a> his retirement. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3427031\/darin-lahood-republicans-illinois-senate-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"expected to run\">expected to run<\/a> from the other side of the aisle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another one in the wave of retirements is Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) announced he was running for the upper chamber after holding a historically purple seat since 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/51kqRHM0kXg?feature=shared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"launched\">launched<\/a> on Tuesday a second bid for Senate, as Sen. John Cornyn&rsquo;s (R-TX) primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3426469\/cornyn-character-primary-race-against-paxton\/\" target=\"_blank\">contentious<\/a><\/span>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are 13 Senate Democrats up for reelection, with four competitive seats for which they will have to defend heavily: incumbent Ossoff in Georgia and three open seats in Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For Republicans, 22 lawmakers are up for reelection, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) rated as a competitive seat, along with Sen. Thom Tillis&rsquo; (R-NC) seat after he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3457548\/thom-tillis-announces-retirement-opposing-trump-tax-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced his retirement<\/a> Sunday. Rep. Pat Harrigan&rsquo;s (R-NC) name has been floated to run for Tillis&rsquo;s seat, as former Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) is expected to jump in from the other side.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/ratings\/governor-race-ratings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Cook Political Report\">Cook Political Report<\/a>, there are 19 Republican and 19 Democratic-held governor&rsquo;s races with elections in 2026. The &ldquo;toss-up&rdquo; races are in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Six current or former House members have launched gubernatorial bids, as a wave of governors will reach their term limits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3458203\/dusty-johnson-running-south-dakota-governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">jumped into the race Monday<\/a>, after hinting for months, to be the next governor of South Dakota, as the sitting Gov. Larry Rhoden (R-SD) has yet to announce his future plans.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">One of the first House members to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3330423\/byron-donalds-2026-florida-governor-candidacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">jump into a gubernatorial<\/a>&nbsp;race<\/span> was Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who would be taking the place of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who ran for president in 2024 and is term-limited come 2026. Former Rep. David Jolly, a former Republican turned Democrat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3432187\/converted-democrat-david-jolly-bid-florida-governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">will run<\/a> against Donalds for a seat that is considered &ldquo;solid Republican.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. John Rose (R-TN) announced his candidacy for governor to replace Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN), but Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is expected to jump into the race as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will be term-limited as he has gone head-to-head with Trump over the last few weeks following the ICE raids in Los Angeles. Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) jumped into the race to become governor of the largest state, with more expected, including former Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has said he would back Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) if he were to run against Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), although Meuser has not made any announcements thus far. This comes after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) beat incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) in the closest Senate race of 2024.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has entered what is considered a &ldquo;toss-up&rdquo; race to be Arizona&rsquo;s next governor, although current Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) has not yet announced her plans.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Along with Peters&rsquo; retirement in Michigan, the spot for the state&rsquo;s next governor will also be open as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) has reached her term limit. Rep. John James (R-MI) jumped into the crowded race for the seat considered a &ldquo;toss-up.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>South Carolina is also expected to shape up to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kathy-hochul-rejects-pelosi-blame-for-2022-house-losses-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Kathy Hochul rejects Pelosi blame for 2022 ... losses - Washington Examiner\">competitive governor&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s race<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">, as Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) are both heavily weighing bids. Norman told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;he is leaning toward running and&nbsp;<\/span>is confident he could beat Mace.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Competition is good, you give people a choice,&rdquo; Norman said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what made the country great, and I love the competitive part.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3458241\/don-bacon-will-not-seek-reelection-2026-swing-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>DON BACON WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION IN 2026 IN KEY SWING DISTRICT <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is planning her gubernatorial run against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) after pulling her nomination for Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet. The New York Republican is a close ally of Trump and has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3457322\/stefanik-hits-back-at-hochul-mulls-gubernatorial-bid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">taken jabs<\/a> at Hochul in recent months, as Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) also weighs a bid for governor.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2025\/upfront-tiffany-to-decide-by-august-whether-to-run-for-governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">WisPolitics<\/a> reported that Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) said he would make a decision if he wants to launch a gubernatorial bid by the August recess.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2162633\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2162633\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House members are eyeing higher offices in the 2026 elections<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2454153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/byron-donalds-governor-florida-2026.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49768,6571,43731,32504,11555],"class_list":["post-2454152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2026-midterms","tag-elections","tag-house-members","tag-political-strategy","tag-promotions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/byron-donalds-governor-florida-2026.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454152"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2454156,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454152\/revisions\/2454156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2454153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}