ROUNDUP: State Democrats are Defying the Odds in Special Elections

Democrats have now flipped 28 seats since Trump’s election, while Republicans have still flipped zero

WASHINGTON — State legislative Democrats are on a roll in special elections, clinching upset win after upset win – including just this week in New Hampshire. Democrats have undeniable “momentum heading into midterms,” giving Republicans “fresh reason to worry” amid a “larger pattern with Trump’s GOP.” Every Tuesday reiterates that voters across the political spectrum are fed up with Republicans’ agenda that’s raising costs and neglecting kitchen-table issues. State Democrats have now flipped a staggering 28 seats across the country since Trump’s election. Republicans have flipped…*checks notes*…none.  The DLCC is ready to carry this momentum to our historic target map and deliver the biggest gains in two decades this November. RECAP OF SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN 2026: This week, Bobbi Boudman flipped a seat in New Hampshire that Trump easily won in 2020 and 2024:

• MS NOW: Dems score upset win in New Hampshire special election, giving GOP fresh reason to worry
• The Guardian: Democrats deliver stunning flip in New Hampshire special election
• The New Republic: Democrats Score Stunning Victory in District Trump Won Easily in 2024
• Alternet: Humiliating defeat in key swing state ‘reinforces larger pattern’ with Trump’s GOP
• Union Leader: Stunning upset win for Dem Bobbi Boudman in red NH House district
• Boston Globe: N.H. Democrat wins hyperlocal special election in GOP-leaning district, fueling talk of ‘momentum’ heading into midterms

Last week, Alex Holladay flipped a seat in Arkansas that Republicans had held for 12 years:

• The Hill: Holladay wins Arkansas special election in key Democratic pickup
• Newsweek: Democrats Just Flipped a Republican Seat in a State Trump Won Three Times
• MS NOW: Dems score upset win in Arkansas special election, giving GOP one more reason to worry
• The Downballot: Arkansas Democrats just flipped a Republican seat
• Arkansas Times: Alex Holladay wins special election to replace Carlton Wing

Last month, Chasity Verret Martinez defended a tough seat in a Trump +13 district in Louisiana:

• CBS: Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez wins Louisiana state House special seat in district Trump won
• Newsweek: Democrat Wins Election ‘Comfortably’ in Big Donald Trump District
• The Downballot: Democrats resoundingly defend red district in Louisiana, denying GOP its first pickup
• USA Today: ‘This is how a wave starts’: Democrat wins Louisiana special election

• NOLA.com: This Democrat won in a Louisiana district that went heavily for Trump. Here’s how she did it.

Earlier this year, Taylor Rehmet flipped a 35-year GOP stronghold in a Trump +17 district in Texas:

• The New York Times: Democratic Upset in Deep Red Texas District Rattles Republicans
• CNN: Why Democrats’ upset in a Texas state Senate race is a big deal
• NPR: Democrat Taylor Rehmet wins a reliably Republican Texas state Senate seat, stunning GOP
• The Guardian: Democrat flips reliably red Texas district in victory that stuns Republican party 
• Reuters: Texas Democrat’s win a ‘wake-up call’ for Republicans ahead of 2026 elections

All of which doesn’t look good for Republicans this November:

• NBC: Democrats have flipped 9 seats in state legislative special elections under Trump, while Republicans are at zero
• USA Today: ‘This is how a wave starts’: Democrats win another special election
• Axios: GOP angst over voter turnout builds as losses pile up
• Raw Story: ‘The numbers are startling’: GOP strategists fret over electoral ‘pattern’ that’s emerging
• Salon: Democrats build momentum through special elections
• Daily Kos: Recent special elections point to a blue tsunami this fall

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the campaign arm of Democratic state legislatures and leads the national strategy for building power and winning new majorities. Over the last three decades, we have strategized cycle over cycle to win majorities and lead the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level, winning nearly a dozen new chamber majorities over the last decade. Our work has ensured that nearly half of Americans are represented by at least one Democratic majority in their statehouse. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class and advancing opportunity, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.