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By Andrew Stanton
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Incumbents in Congress are having a challenging primary season, with Colorado's Diana DeGette being the latest member to lose renomination so far in the 2026 midterm election cycle, according to Decision Desk HQ on Tuesday night.
The significant number of incumbent losses reflects changes in both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Many Democratic voters are frustrated with party leadership over what they view as a weak response to President Donald Trump’s second term in office and have backed some insurgent progressives, while other primaries have come down to generational questions. Meanwhile, several Republicans who have sparked Trump's ire have lost their renomination bids, with the president backing primary challengers.
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More than a dozen additional states have primaries over the coming months that could add to incumbent losses.
How Does This Compare to Recent Cycles?
House of Representative Incumbent Losses
So far, seven incumbents in the House of Representatives have lost renomination in primaries, up from four in 2024.
In 2020, eight incumbents lost in primaries—a modern record for a non-redistricting cycle—while four lost in 2018. In 2016, five incumbent House members lost in primaries, while one Democrat lost to another Democrat in the general election. Five incumbents lost renomination in 2014, and four lost in 2010.
The redistricting years 2012 and 2022 both saw more defeats—15 incumbents lost in 2022 and 12 in 2012. This is because several incumbents were drawn into the same districts if their states significantly redrew lines, so some primary elections were held between two incumbents.
Senate Incumbent Losses
Senate primary defeats are rarer, but so far, two incumbent GOP senators have lost renomination.
The last time a senator lost a primary was in 2017, when Senator Luther Strange, an appointee, lost the GOP primary in Alabama. Before that, in 2012, GOP Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana lost renomination. And Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski lost her primary in 2010 but went on to successfully run a write-in campaign to win the general election.
Why Are Incumbents Losing in 2026?
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told Newsweek that incumbents are losing because "voters often want what they do not have, and that regularly leads to painful midterms for the president’s party."
"2026 seems particularly intense because President Trump has been very aggressive in purging Republican incumbents who he considers insufficiently loyal to him personally," he said. "The anger is also showing up in the Democratic contests, as many D primary voters want nominees who promise to be far more combative with President Trump than some elected officials have been over the past two years. "
Which Incumbents Have Lost So Far in 2026?
Here is a look at the Democratic and Republican incumbents who have lost renomination so far in this year's primaries.
Senator Bill Cassidy (Louisiana Republican)
Cassidy, first elected in 2014, did not win renomination in Louisiana’s Senate race. Instead, the Trump-backed Representative Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming advanced to the runoff, with Letlow eventually winning the nomination.
Cassidy was one of the seven Republican senators who voted against Trump in his impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, when a group of Trump supporters violently protested the 2020 election results. Cassidy faced significant backlash from Louisiana conservatives over the vote. He was never seen as a particularly staunch Trump ally in the Senate, but he generally votes along party lines and has been supportive of Trump in the past.
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A doctor, Cassidy has been critical of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccinations but had also sought to downplay differences between himself and Trump on the campaign trail. Louisiana voters, ultimately, went in a more MAGA direction.
Senator John Cornyn (Texas Republican)
Cornyn also lost to a Trump-endorsed primary challenger, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
First elected in 2002, Cornyn has been seen as a more traditional Republican who is not particularly aligned with MAGA. He has drawn criticism from parts of the Republican base over his support for a 2022 bipartisan gun‑safety bill and for saying in 2023 that he did not believe Trump would win the 2024 presidential election.
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“I think President Trump’s time has passed him by,” he said in remarks reported by The Houston Chronicle.
He advanced to a runoff against Paxton but ended up losing by roughly a 64-36 margin. Democrats are hoping their candidate, state legislator James Talarico, may be competitive against Paxton, a staunch supporter of the president, in November, as polls show a tight race.
Representative Dan Crenshaw (Texas Republican)
Trump endorsed against Crenshaw, who has clashed with the president a bit over the years. Trump backed Steve Toth, who was seen as a more MAGA-aligned conservative, though Crenshaw is seen as fairly conservative himself. Crenshaw faced criticism from MAGA for supporting aid to Ukraine and voting to certify former President Joe Biden’s 2020 Electoral College victory.
He addressed his loss on CBS News earlier this year.
"The lesson to be learned is...you've got to get the truth out," Crenshaw told CBS News' Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. "You gotta try. But ultimately, this is a question for the American people. Are you going to believe everything you read online or that's sent to you in your mail?"
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Representative Diana DeGette (Colorado Democrat)
Melat Kiros, a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, unseated DeGette in the Democratic primary for Colorado’s 1st District on Tuesday night. The district has been viewed as more progressive. While DeGette has represented Denver for about 30 years, she is viewed as less progressive than Kiros on some issues, including Israel.
Decision Desk HQ called the race for Kiros at 10:31 p.m. ET, in Tuesday’s primary, making the Colorado Democrat the latest incumbent to lose.
DeGette addressed her defeat in a video posted to X on Wednesday.
“Frankly, this was not the way I would have wanted to end my career in politics, but I’m proud of my accomplishments, from protecting the environment and cleaning up toxic waste, to jumpstarting research that will cure previously deadly diseases, to protecting reproductive rights, I strive every day to be the quintessential legislator, passing bills of my own design and collaborating with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make a better society for all Americans,” she said.
She criticized a “toxic political environment” that leaves “little room for that type of politician.”
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Representative Adriano Espaillat (New York Democrat)
Espaillat represents New York’s 13th District, based around parts of Manhattan and the Bronx, but lost renomination last week to Darializa Avila Chevalier, a progressive activist and member of the DSA.
Avila Chevalier has argued that the incumbent is insufficiently progressive on certain issues, with support for Israel being a major sticking point in the primary. She was supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and won by fewer than four percentage points in the primary for the safe Democratic district.
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Representative Dan Goldman (New York Democrat)
Goldman, who represents New York’s 10th District in Brooklyn and Manhattan, also lost to a progressive challenger, former city Comptroller Brad Lander. Lander is a close ally of Mamdani. Both ran for mayor in 2025, and Lander encouraged his voters to rank Mamdani second to boost his chances over other more moderate candidates. Mamdani endorsed Lander's congressional campaign this year, and Lander is part of a wave of more progressive lawmakers poised to join Congress this year.
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Many progressive Democrats viewed Goldman as a poor fit for the district because he is not viewed as particularly progressive, and the district backed Mamdani in last year’s mayoral race. He has also drawn scrutiny from some on the left over his support for Israel.
Representative Al Green (Texas Democrat)
Green lost to Representative Christian Menefee in the Democratic primary for the Houston-based district. Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting put them both in the same district, and voters elected Menefee.
Generational debate defined the race more than an ideological clash, as Menefee is 38 and Green is 78 and has represented the district since 2005.
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Concerns about aging leadership have followed the Democratic Party since former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and the death of several prominent, aging lawmakers. In fact, Menefee entered office following the death of Representative Sylvester Turner in March 2025. Turner was elected to follow the late Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who also died in office in July 2024.
Representative Julie Johnson (Texas Democrat)
Johnson’s primary loss was also less about ideology. She lost to former Representative Collin Allred, who represented parts of the suburban Dallas district from 2019 through 2025 before leaving Congress to run for Senate. This district was also affected by redistricting, as Johnson’s current seat was redrawn to become much more conservative.
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Representative Thomas Massie (Kentucky Republican)
Massie lost renomination to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein in the northern Kentucky district after becoming one of the top Trump foes in the GOP conference.
Massie and Trump had clashed at times over the years, but their relationship became even icier in the president’s second term in office. Massie has voted against parts of Trump’s agenda, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has also opposed Trump’s foreign policy actions, including military strikes on Iran.
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The Jeffrey Epstein files have also become a sticking point in their relationship.
Massie led an effort alongside Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California to force the Justice Department to release the files related to Epstein, a sex offender and disgraced financier who died by suicide in a New York City federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Massie on social media, and his endorsement was viewed as a major contributing factor to his loss.
Competitive Primaries to Watch
There are still numerous primaries over the coming months that experts believe could be competitive. The organization Justice Democrats has endorsed Donavan McKinney, a state lawmaker, against Representative Shri Thanedar in Michigan, and former Representative Cori Bush against Representative Wesley Bell in Missouri.
The group also backed Mai Vang against Representative Doris Matsui and Angela Gonzales-Torres against Representative Jimmy Gomez in California. Both progressive challengers advanced to the general election against incumbents, presenting two more opportunities for the left to pick up seats.
In a less ideological battle, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee has trailed in the polls against his challenger Helena Foulkes. McKee’s unpopularity is more tied to local issues such as his handling of the closure of the Washington Bridge, which connects Providence to East Providence, that began in 2023.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Commander and Gray R. Thomas
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