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.
Upcoming Special Elections
February
Pennsylvania House – February 24
Pennsylvania has two special elections in February, 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.
Maine House – February 24
A February special election for the Maine House will bring a critical opportunity for Democrats to defend their majority in the chamber. Republicans only need to flip two seats to take control of the chamber, which is why Maine Democrats and the DLCC aren’t taking a single district for granted in 2026.
March
Arkansas House – March 3
Democrats have a chance to break into Republicans’ supermajority with a special election in a vacant district in March. The DLCC is investing in blue, red, and purple districts across the country to defend, win, and flip these seats.
Florida House – March 24
Florida will hold four special elections in Republican strongholds, where Democrats are prepared to run up the numbers and chip away at the GOP majority. The DLCC has contributed to numerous Democratic overperformances in special elections across the country over the past year.
Pennsylvania House
On the heels of February’s races, Pennsylvania will hold two more special elections in March, each of which could also determine the balance of power in the state House, currently controlled by Democrats by a single seat.
May
Michigan Senate – May 5
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.
Special Election Victories
New York Assembly – February 3
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, Jeremy Zellner won a special election for the New York Senate and kept the GOP from gaining a foothold in Albany.
Texas Senate – January 31
Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmet claimed a stunning upset victory in a January runoff election for the Texas Senate. Taylor flipped the Fort Worth-area seat held by the GOP for over 30 years, a massive win for Texas Democrats as they fight to build power in this GOP-controlled chamber.
Minnesota House – January 27
Meg Luger-Nikolai won a majority-deciding special election for the Minnesota House in January, one of the nation’s most competitive battlegrounds in 2026. The race gave Democrats a chance to build on their successes from 2025 and preserve the tie in the chamber heading into the 2026 midterms.
Virginia Senate – January 6
Democrats won a key race to defend their majority in the state Senate on January 6th, with a Richmond-area special election to fill the seat formerly held by Lt. Gov.-Elect Ghazala Hashmi. This race will defend Democrats’ majority in this chamber and protect the Democratic trifecta we secured in November.
Iowa Senate – 2025
Renee Hardman won 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 Renee’s race was critical to stopping Republicans from regaining a stranglehold over the chamber.
Kentucky Senate – 2025
South Louisville native Gary Clemons won a special election in December to defend a vacant seat in the Kentucky Senate. Holding this seat and defeating a Republican with a history of disparaging women was critical for building Democratic power in Kentucky.
Florida House – 2025
DLCC Spotlight Candidate Rob Long’s Palm Beach area special election Victory in early December protected an important seat for Democrats in the Florida House. This seat is not only a key foothold for Florida Democrats today, but also represents a crucial step towards eventually breaking the chamber’s Republican supermajority.
Mississippi House & Senate – 2025
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.
Iowa Senate – 2025
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.
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.
Pennsylvania Senate – 2025
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.
In the Press
- Democrats poised to maintain majority in Minnesota Senate following special election (New From the States)
- Democrats Flip Iowa State Senate Seat (The Hill)