Democrats claim 8 deep-red House districts in 2026 upsets

WASHINGTON. A wave of Democratic victories reshaped the U.S. House of Representatives this week, with new members taking office after winning seats in traditionally conservative districts. The results marked a stark shift from pre-election predictions, as challengers defeated long-time Republican incumbents in states such as North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

The cycle began with the departure of several veteran lawmakers. In North Carolina's 9th district, seven-term Representative Richard Hudson lost to Richard Ojeda, a former Army major and social media figure. Hudson had led the National Republican Congressional Committee, but his campaign struggled after party organizations withdrew support from their Senate candidate, Michael Whatley, who was trailing Roy Cooper.

Colorado's 5th district, home to Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy, also flipped. Democrat Jessica Killin, a former Army captain, defeated Representative Jeff Crank. Killin ran as a moderate, criticizing Crank for aligning with President Donald Trump. The district had slowly shifted moderate as young families moved in and veteran voters grew unsettled by the administration's handling of the military and the Iran war.

In Nevada, Teresa Benitez-Thompson became the first Democrat to win the 2nd Congressional District. Her Republican opponent, David Flippo, faced accusations of exaggerating his military record and missing financial disclosure deadlines. Benitez-Thompson's win means all of Nevada's congressional seats are now held by Democrats, a first in state history.

Wisconsin's 1st district saw Mitchell Berman, a first-time candidate and emergency room nurse, defeat Bryan Steil. Steil had won four previous elections by at least nine points and had held the seat since 2002, following Paul Ryan. Berman beat Steil by nearly four points, a result that will influence future Senate races in the state.

Texas provided two major upsets. In the 23rd district, Katy Padilla Stout defeated Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber with 4 million subscribers. The district had not elected a Democrat since 2012. Stout won by eight points after the incumbent, Tony Gonzales, withdrew from the race following an affair with a former staff member.

In Texas's 9th district, Leticia Gutierrez defeated Alex Mealer by more than 15 points. The state legislature had redrawn the map in 2025 to make the district more conservative. Gutierrez, who previously worked in Houston city government, said Democrats had largely given up on the seat before the election.

Indiana's 5th district lost Representative Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian-born lawmaker known for holding legislation hostage for concessions. Democratic state senator J.D. Ford defeated Spartz by 3.4 percentage points in a district that had been made more red by redistricting in 2021.

New Jersey's 2nd district, spanning shore resorts to the pine barrens, flipped when Zack Mullock, the Democratic mayor of Cape May, defeated Representative Jeff Van Drew. Van Drew had switched from the Democratic to the Republican party in 2020. Mullock attacked Van Drew's support for the president, particularly regarding tariffs and the Iran war.

Iowa's 2nd district completed the list of upsets. Lindsay James, a Democratic state lawmaker and minister, defeated Republican Joe Mitchell. James won by a margin smaller than the vote totals received by a Libertarian and an unaffiliated candidate. She said she would focus on lowering costs for families in the northeastern Iowa district.