What Will Be on Your 2026 Federal Ballot? Who’s Running for United States House and Senate
Editor’s note: This story was published in January 2026. Some details may have changed since then.
Who should represent Kentucky in Washington, D.C.?
All six of Kentucky’s seats in the U.S. House, plus soon-to-be-former Sen. Mitch McConnell’s seat in the U.S. Senate, will be on Kentuckians’ ballots in 2026. So what will Kentucky’s impact be on the United States?
At stake: Control over the currently Republican-controlled Congress, potentially providing a stronger check to the Trump administration which has already proven harmful to LGBTQ+ people and their rights.
Republican and Democratic candidates had until Jan. 9 to file to run, and voters will narrow the field during Kentucky’s 2026 primary elections on May 19. (Third-party candidates have until June to file to run.)
Kentucky has closed primaries, so Democrats can only vote for Dems in May, and Republicans can only vote for Republicans. The state goes by what political party you’re registered as, as of Dec. 31. Registered third-party? Sorry, you’ll probably need to wait until November to weigh in.
Senate candidates are running to represent the entire state, while House seats are based on where you live. Not sure which Congressional district you’re in? Try checking out this map or plug in your address here to find out.
Queer Kentucky has put together a few tools to help you know who is running for federal office in 2026. One is a searchable list of folks who have filed to run for the Senate, and the other is focused on people running for one of Kentucky’s six U.S. House seats.
Looking for similar info about Kentucky’s state-level races? We’ve got you covered here.
Who is running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky in 2026?
Who is running for U.S. House in Kentucky in 2026?
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