As the 2026 midterm elections approach, a growing number of former House and Senate members are positioning themselves for political comebacks, drawn by an unusually large slate of open seats and a volatile electoral map.
The comeback candidates come from both parties and from different corners of the country, a sign of just how much turnover is reshaping these races. With more lawmakers choosing to step aside, seats that once felt settled are suddenly wide open, forcing parties and candidates alike to rethink their strategies.
Some former members are seeking to rebound after recent losses or brief stints in office. Others have been out of Washington for years but see an opening in an election cycle where experience and familiarity may carry renewed appeal, especially as control of Congress once again hangs in the balance.
These attempted comebacks highlight a defining tension of the 2026 campaign: an election fueled by change, but increasingly shaped by familiar political figures betting that unfinished business still resonates with voters.
These are the former lawmakers who have re-entered the political arena, mounting campaigns to return to Congress in 2026.
House
Former Rep. Colin Allred (D), Texas’ 33rd District
After stepping away from the House to wage an unsuccessful Senate bid against Republican Ted Cruz in 2024, Allred spent months on the statewide campaign trail before pivoting back to House politics late in the cycle, just ahead of Jasmine Crockett’s (D-TX) entry into this year’s Senate race.
The move set up a high-profile primary clash in Texas’s newly drawn 33rd District, where Allred is now challenging Rep. Julie Elizabeth Johnson (D-TX), the lawmaker who succeeded him. The Dallas–Fort Worth-based seat overlaps territory both have previously represented, and Johnson enters the contest with endorsements from the top three Democrats in House leadership.
Former Rep. Melissa Bean (D), Illinois’s 8th District
Bean was swept out of office during the 2010 midterm elections, when the tea party surge handed Republicans the majority and reshaped suburban districts after her three terms in the House. More than a decade later, she is attempting a return, arguing that the political moment has shifted once again.
She is one of eight Democrats vying for the open 8th District in the Chicago suburbs, a seat left vacant by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) as he launches a Senate bid. Bean enters the crowded primary with endorsements from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund.
Former Rep. Cori Bush (D), Missouri’s 1st District
Bush first entered Congress after unseating longtime Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay in a 2020 primary, but her tenure ended four years later when St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated her.
She moved quickly to set up a comeback bid, announcing in October that she plans to run again in Missouri’s St. Louis-based 1st District. The race is expected to draw renewed attention from outside groups, including the United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which spent heavily against Bush in 2024 and could reengage in 2026.
Former Rep. Francisco “Quinco” Canseco (R), Texas’s 23rd District
A former one-term lawmaker who briefly represented a sprawling South Texas border seat is again seeking a path back to Congress after multiple failed attempts. Canseco first won office during the Republican surge of 2010, defeating Democratic Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, but lost the seat two years later and has not returned despite primary bids in 2014 and 2018.
His latest effort puts him in a high-stakes Republican contest against Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who faces renewed pressure from the Right after a razor-thin runoff victory last cycle. The GOP primary field also includes pro-gun activist Brandon Herrera, who fell just 354 votes short of unseating Gonzales in 2024, while the incumbent now carries an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R), Florida’s 19th District
Madison Cawthorn’s congressional career unraveled quickly, with his first term ending after Republican voters in North Carolina rejected him in a 2022 primary amid controversy and shifting political terrain.
He is now attempting a return to Washington from an entirely different region, jumping into a Florida race far from the district that once elected him. Cawthorn will join a crowded GOP primary to fill the deep-red seat being vacated by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who is running for governor in Florida.
Former Rep. Chris Collins (R), Florida’s 19th District
Chris Collins, a former New York congressman who once represented a Buffalo-area district for four terms, has publicly said he plans to seek election in Florida’s 19th District. As of now, however, there is no indication that he has formally launched a campaign or filed the necessary paperwork to begin fundraising.
Collins’s exit from Congress came under a cloud of legal uncertainty. A vocal early supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, he stepped down from the House in 2019 and later admitted guilt in an insider trading case. He was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison, but served only a short portion of that term before receiving a presidential pardon from Trump.
Former Rep. Mayra Flores (R), Texas’s 34th District
After capturing a South Texas House seat in a June 2022 special election, Flores was unable to hold the district, falling twice to Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in later general elections. Now, she is making another bid to unseat Gonzalez in a district that shifted further to the right under Texas’s latest congressional map.
Her path back to November runs through a crowded Republican primary. Flores is facing competition from Army veteran Eric Flores, who has secured Trump’s endorsement, as well as businessman Scott Mandel.
Former Rep. Van Hilleary (R), Tennessee’s 6th District
Two decades after his last term in Congress, Hilleary is again pursuing a House seat, this time in Middle Tennessee. The former lawmaker has spent recent years back on Capitol Hill not as an elected official, but as chief of staff to Rep. John W. Rose (R-TN), a role he assumed in 2019. With Rose leaving the House to run for governor, Hilleary has entered a competitive Republican primary to fill the open seat.
The bid is not Hilleary’s first effort to reenter public office. He previously ran in the 2006 Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat, finishing behind two other candidates, following his narrow loss in Tennessee’s 2002 gubernatorial race.
Former Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D), Illinois’s 2nd District
After more than a decade and a half representing Illinois in Congress, Jackson’s House career ended abruptly in 2012 amid a federal investigation that culminated in a guilty plea for misusing campaign funds and a 30-month prison sentence. Now, more than a decade later, he is attempting a return to elected office.
Jackson entered the race for Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District after Rep. Robin Kelly vacated the seat to pursue a Senate run. Despite the district’s deep Democratic tilt and Cook County base, Jackson faces a crowded March primary field with nine other Democratic contenders.
Former Rep. Elaine Luria (D), Virginia’s 2nd District
Elaine Luria is positioning herself for a rematch in Virginia’s Hampton Roads-based congressional district, targeting Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) after falling short in the 2022 general election. That loss came after redistricting nudged the seat toward the GOP, ending Luria’s tenure following two terms in the House.
Since launching her 2026 campaign in November, Luria has moved quickly to solidify Democratic backing, clearing much of the primary field as several potential challengers stepped aside. Her comeback bid could also be shaped by ongoing Democratic efforts to revisit Virginia’s congressional map, which, if successful, would likely produce a more favorable political landscape for her candidacy.
Former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D), New Jersey’s 11th District
A crowded Democratic primary is taking shape in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, where voters will choose a nominee in an April special election to serve out the remainder of Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s term. The blue-leaning North Jersey seat has attracted several elected officials, turning the race into a high-profile intraparty contest.
Among the candidates is former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who is attempting a return to Congress after a single-term loss in a neighboring district. Malinowski was first elected during the Democrats’ 2018 midterm surge but was defeated in 2022 by Republican Thomas H. Kean Jr. after redistricting altered the district’s political balance. His current bid is backed by Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), providing him with an early indication of institutional support in a crowded field.
Former Rep. Ben Adams (D), Utah’s 1st District
Utah’s redrawn congressional lines have reopened the door for former Rep. Ben McAdams, setting the stage for a possible return to the House in 2026. The centrist Democrat has reentered the political picture after the state’s court-ordered map reshaped the terrain in ways that did not exist during his previous campaigns.
McAdams last held office after narrowly capturing a competitive seat in 2018, only to be defeated two years later by Republican Burgess Owens. While the new map creates an opening, the path is far from straightforward: The reconfigured 1st District is now firmly anchored in Salt Lake City and leans heavily towards the Democratic Party, drawing multiple Democratic contenders into the race.
Former Rep. Tom Perriello (D), Virginia’s 5th District
Following strong Democratic performances in Virginia’s recent off-year elections, former Rep. Tom Perriello has launched a bid to unseat first-term Republican Rep. John McGuire, marking his first run for Congress in more than a decade.
Perriello has lined up early support from Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), as well as former Gov. Ralph Northam.
Former Rep. Jerry Carl (R), Alabama’s 1st District
Redistricting upended Carl’s political footing in Alabama, ultimately leading to his defeat in a member-on-member Republican primary against Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL). With Moore now vacating the House seat to pursue a Senate run, Carl is seeking another shot at returning to Congress.
The path back is not uncontested. Carl is navigating a Republican primary that includes state Rep. Rhett Marques and Air Force veteran Austin Sidwell.
Former Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D), California’s 38th District
Solis is mounting a bid to return to the House, stepping back into federal politics after nearly two decades away. She left Congress to serve as labor secretary in President Barack Obama’s administration and later built her political career in the Los Angeles County government as a supervisor.
Solis entered the race after voters approved a new congressional map and has quickly locked down support from top Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Former Rep. Steve Stockman (R), Texas’ 9th District
Stockman has reentered electoral politics, launching a campaign in a newly configured Houston-area House district that strongly favors Republicans. The seat’s redraw has helped attract a crowded GOP primary field.
Stockman previously served two nonconsecutive terms in Congress before his political career unraveled with a 2018 conviction on 23 felony counts tied to the misuse of charitable funds. His remaining prison sentence was later commuted by Trump in 2020.
Former Rep. David Trone (D), Maryland’s 6th District
After stepping away from the House in 2024 to pursue an unsuccessful Senate run, former Rep. David Trone is moving to reclaim a seat in Congress, launching a primary challenge against the Democrat who succeeded him.
Money is expected to play a central role in the race. Both contenders are poised to rely heavily on personal wealth, with Trone already making it clear that he is willing to invest millions of dollars in the campaign.
Senate
Former Sen. Scott P. Brown (R), New Hampshire
Brown has spent more than a decade orbiting the Senate map, moving from Massachusetts to New Hampshire in pursuit of a political comeback. He first entered the chamber through a 2010 special election in Massachusetts but failed to hold the seat two years later, losing to Democrat Elizabeth Warren. After relocating north, Brown mounted a 2014 Senate challenge against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), coming up three points short.
Between campaigns, Brown served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during Trump’s first term. He announced in June that he would once again seek Shaheen’s Senate seat.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), Ohio
After a narrow defeat in 2024 ended his Senate tenure, former Sen. Sherrod Brown is moving quickly to reinsert himself into Ohio’s political landscape. Brown lost that race to Republican Bernie Moreno, a result that underscored the state’s recent GOP drift after decades as a battleground.
Now, Democrats see a new opening. Brown has entered the race against Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who was appointed to the seat after JD Vance was elected to the vice presidency. While Republicans have dominated statewide contests in Ohio in recent cycles, Brown’s return has immediately turned the Senate race into a competitive test for both parties.
Former Rep. John Fleming (R), Louisiana
Fleming is taking on one of Louisiana’s most entrenched Republicans, launching a primary challenge against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in a race shaped by both intraparty tension and new election rules. Fleming has made Cassidy’s 2021 vote to convict President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial a central line of attack.
Fleming brings a long political résumé to the contest. He previously served four terms in the House, ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2016, and later joined the first Trump administration before winning the election as Louisiana state treasurer in 2023. The matchup will also unfold under a revamped system: Louisiana will use partisan primaries in 2026, with a runoff triggered if no candidate clears 50 percent, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already crowded GOP field.
Former Rep. Alan Grayson (D), Florida
Alan Grayson is once again seeking statewide office, entering the Democratic field challenging appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in the special election to fill the remainder of Marco Rubio’s term. The race has drawn multiple Democratic contenders, setting up a competitive intraparty fight.
Grayson previously served two nonconsecutive terms in the House, representing different Orlando-area districts, but has struggled to regain office since leaving Congress following an unsuccessful Senate run in 2016. In the years since, he has mounted a series of bids for federal and state office, including a special election for the Florida Senate, without success.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R), Michigan
Rogers is making another run for the Senate, this time targeting Michigan’s open seat rather than challenging an incumbent. The vacancy was created by the retirement of Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), providing Republicans with a fresh opportunity in a battleground state.
Rogers spent 14 years in the House and rose to lead the Intelligence Committee before stepping away from Congress in 2015. He reemerged last cycle with a Senate bid that fell just short against Democrat Elissa Slotkin, a loss Republicans now argue sharpened his campaign operation. With Democrats headed toward a potentially crowded and contentious primary, Rogers has largely consolidated GOP support, leaving him well-positioned for the general election fight.
THE 2026 BATTLEGROUND: CONGRESS’S MOST VULNERABLE HOUSE AND SENATE SEATS
Former Sen. John E. Sununu (R), New Hampshire
Sununu is reentering the Senate race as New Hampshire prepares for an open-seat contest created by the retirement of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). National Republicans, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have lined up behind Sununu as they look to flip the seat.
A general election matchup against Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), widely seen as Democrats’ likely nominee, may await. First, Sununu must navigate a Republican primary that includes fellow comeback candidate Scott Brown, adding an early hurdle to his bid, nearly two decades after his last Senate race.