Special Election News

When an elected office becomes vacant, voters may be asked to choose a replacement before the next regular election. Find Special Election News explaining why seats are open, who is running, when ballots will be cast, and the outcomes of congressional, state, and local contests.
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  • analysis

    Red, Purple, or Blue State? Democrats Make Gains in Ohio
    For the first time in 20 years, Ohio elected a Democrat governor, as well as its first Jewish and female governor, with Amy Acton. In a race that was called by Decision Desk at 10:30 p.m., Acton prevailed over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy with 52.3% of the vote to 44.4%. Whether or not Ohio would retain…
    Rebecca Downs
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  • news

    Former Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown to Return to Senate in Comeback Bid
    Democrats achieved a key pickup in Ohio on Tuesday night, as former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will once more return to the U.S. Senate chamber. He had been defeated by Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno in 2024, though the two will now have to serve alongside each other. With 91% of the votes counted, Brown defeated…
    Rebecca Downs
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  • news

    Donald Trump Appears in Northern KY to Campaign for Ohio Candidates
    While President Donald Trump appeared in Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Ohio candidates running statewide and those in the Cincinnati area received some love as well. As he’s done for his previous rallies, Trump asked attendees to vote as if he were on the ballot, since that increases turnout and Republicans do well. “In this election,…
    Rebecca Downs
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  • exclusive

    Jon Husted, AFP Action Make Final Push Weeks Before Special Election
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Weeks before the election, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is making the final push against former Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, and he’s doing so with continued help from Americans for Prosperity Action. After endorsing Husted in March and releasing a series of ad campaigns since then, AFP Action is continuing to support…
    Rebecca Downs
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  • exclusive

    AFP Action Continues to Fight for Sen. Jon Husted Ahead of Special Election in Ohio
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—With the midterms less than five months away, Americans for Prosperity Action is engaged in another ad campaign in support of Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, ahead of his special election. Husted, who was appointed to office by Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2025 to replace Vice President JD Vance, is facing…
    Rebecca Downs
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  • news

    Virginia Democrats’ Redistricting Gamble Succeeds in Special Election
    Virginians voted in favor of Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats’ effort to completely overhaul the commonwealth’s congressional map to favor Democrats, the Associated Press reported Tuesday evening. The Associated Press called the race in favor of “yes” at 8:50pm eastern time with an estimated 81% of the votes counted. At the time of the…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    Special Election to Replace Greene May Test Trump’s Grip on Georgia GOP 
    Northwest Georgia faces a crowded race to fill the surprise vacancy in Congress created by the sudden departure of Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene, who represented the state’s 14th Congressional District, recently resigned from Congress following escalating disputes with President Donald Trump.  The dispute erupted after Greene pushed for the release of Justice Department files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, causing Trump…
    Reagan Campbell
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  • opinion

    Flashing Red: Why GOP Lost Texas Special Elections
    Just how badly did Republicans do in two Texas special elections last weekend? Not as badly as apocalyptic headlines in liberal-leaning outlets would suggest—but badly enough that Republicans nationwide have to learn some searing lessons. Although the GOP lost both races, one was for a U.S. House seat that’s been in Democrats’ hands for decades:…
    Daniel McCarthy
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  • news

    Republican Strategists Discuss Implications of Tennessee Special Election Results
    GOP strategists are weighing in on what Republican candidate Matt Van Epps’ victory in yesterday’s special congressional election in Tennessee means for Republican chances in the upcoming midterm elections. Epps, a former combat veteran and West Point graduate, defeated his Democrat opponent Aftyn Behn last night by a margin of nearly nine points in a…
    Jacob Adams
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  • news

    Scramble Begins for Control of Former Dem Congressman’s Seat as Virginia Heads to Special Election
    The death of longtime U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., has triggered a high-stakes political scramble in Northern Virginia, as both parties prepare to nominate candidates Saturday ahead of a rare special election Sept. 9. Virginia Republicans and Democrats will hold “firehouse primaries”—primary elections run by the political parties instead of the state—to determine their candidates. …
    Christina Lewis
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  • news

    Florida Special Elections for House Seen as Barometer on Trump Policies
    Two special elections Tuesday for House seats from Florida will be a test of the popularity of the first 70 days of President Donald Trump’s second term and will decide whether or not Republicans can maintain their already slender margin of control in the House of Representatives. The stakes are high. With four seats currently…
    George Caldwell
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  • news

    Democrat Conor Lamb Clinches Pennsylvania Special Election
    In a race determined by hundreds of votes out of about 228,000 cast, the Republican candidate for a Pennsylvania district conceded Wednesday to his Democratic opponent. Democrat Conor Lamb announced Wednesday night that his GOP opponent, Rick Saccone, had called to concede the Nov. 13 election in the Pittsburgh area district. “Just got off the…
    Amber Randall
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  • opinion

    Pennsylvania’s Special Election Is a Wake-Up Call. Here Are 2 Lessons for Conservatives.
    I’m perplexed why many in Republican circles are rationalizing and dismissing the gravity of the Democratic victory in the recent special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th District. My sentiments are more with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is cautioning Republicans to view this as a wake-up call to a possible disaster in the fall elections…
    Star Parker
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  • news

    7 Big Takeaways From That Special Election in Pennsylvania
    Little more than 600 votes out of more than 227,000 cast separate the top two candidates in the special election for a House seat in Pennsylvania, as Democrat Conor Lamb maintained a slim lead over Republican Rick Saccone, with no official winner. #BREAKING: With 100% precincts reporting, Democrat Conor Lamb has 113,111 votes and Republican…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    In Blow to Trump, Democrat Poised to Win Close Pennsylvania Special Election
    Democrat Conor Lamb appears to have captured a tight victory in a special election for a Pennsylvania U.S. House seat. But the final verdict still hinges on absentee and provisional ballots. As of Wednesday morning, the Associated Press is not calling the race. However, Lamb has declared victory, as has the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee….
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    Alabama Special Election GOP Primary Goes to September Runoff
    Two Republicans, Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, will compete in a runoff election in September after failing to garner 50 percent of the vote in Alabama’s special election to fill the seat of now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The winner of the GOP runoff, which will be Sept. 26, will…
    Rachel del Guidice
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  • opinion

    The Left Spent at Least $32 Million on 4 Special Elections. And They Still Lost All of Them.
    Sometimes, politics boils down to narratives. This was the case in Tuesday’s special election in Georgia, where Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff to take a House seat previously occupied by Tom Price—now the secretary of health and human services. The election became a nationalized proxy war between Republicans and Democrats, drawing intense news…
    Jarrett Stepman
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  • news

    2 Republicans Battle in Razor-Tight Runoff Primary Ahead of South Carolina June Special Election
    In South Carolina’s hotly-contested primary runoff for Mick Mulvaney’s old seat, it looks like the Republican candidates are headed for a recount. Two GOP candidates, Ralph Norman and Tommy Pope, were running to fill a seat vacated by Mulvaney, who now serves as director of Office of Management and Budget. Norman received 50.3 percent of…
    Rachel del Guidice
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