2026 House Race Ratings 

Today, The Cook Political Report is releasing its first race ratings for the 2026 U.S. House races. 

“While President Donald Trump moves at breakneck speed to reshape the federal government, crack down on illegal immigration and impose tariffs, Democrats remain in recovery mode.

But they have one obvious bright spot: Republicans have an incredibly tenuous hold on the House and Democrats will only need to pick up three seats to secure a majority in 2026. If history repeats itself, voters will be looking for an opportunity to put a check on the party in power next November, ” writes Erin Covey, Editor, U.S. House of Representatives. 

Battleground summary: 

Read Erin Covey and Matthew Klein’s analysis.

TOSS UP RACES SUMMARY

These races are the most competitive; either party has a good chance of winning.

DEMOCRATS

The Toss Up category is dominated by Democrats sitting in districts that Trump won in 2024. Many of these members have made an intentional effort to distance themselves from the rest of their party and focus instead on district-specific issues.

REPUBLICANS

Most Republicans in this category are defending seats that Trump narrowly won in 2024. They’re likely to face a more difficult political environment this time around.

View the 2026 House Race Ratings

Read Erin Covey and Matthew Klein’s analysis.

To request an interview with Erin Covey, please email Becca Kaufman at bkaufman@cookpolitical.com.

More CPR Race Ratings

Find our 2026 Governors Ratings here. 

We will roll out our 2026 CPR Race Ratings for the Senate next week.

"The Odd Years" is Back

Amy Walter’s podcast, The Odd Years, is back for a new 2025 season. New episodes will be released every other Tuesday. Our latest features a conversation with The Wall Street Journal’s Molly Ball on Trump 2.0 and the art of political storytelling. 

Please note (and share with your editors) that our analysis should be cited as follows:

Full name: The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
General use: The Cook Political Report
Shorthand: CPR

Or, in the case of specific reference, cite the analyst directly responsible. Our analysts are:

Amy Walter / Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
David Wasserman / Senior Editor & Elections Analyst
Jessica Taylor / Editor, U.S. Senate and Governors
Erin Covey / Editor, U.S. House of Representatives
Matthew Klein / Analyst, U.S. House and Governors
Charlie Cook / Founder & Contributor

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