Age in the 2026 Congressional Midterms
In the upcoming midterm elections all house seats will be up for election. We have collected ages for nearly all house major party nominees nationwide. Below are the ages for nominees for both political parties. In some cases ages are not verifiable. In total we have verified ages for 803 of the 870 current house candidates in both parties, and all 70 candidates for senate. View our map below of house candidates by congressional district.
House Candidates – 2026
*Race designations come from the most recent cook political report rankings as of 10/10/2026.
Congressional Candidates an Overview
- 54.3 – Average House Candidate
- 55 House Candidates aged 35 or younger have been nominated across 24 states.
- 59.4 – Average Senate Candidate
- 1 Senate Candidate aged 35 or younger has been nominated.
Congressional Candidates by Generation
In both chambers the 2026 field is younger than current sitting representatives. Millennials make up 24% of House candidates but 15% of the House; Boomers are 29% of candidates and 38% of members. The Senate field shows the same shift with nearly 50% of the candidate pool belonging to the Boomer generation, versus a chamber that is 61% Boomer.
Statewide Candidate Slates
- Nationally the mean for congressional nominees are 54.3 (a few years below the current congressional mean of 57.3)
- Each state however has wide variations in the age of their particular candidate slate (Map Below)
Younger Candidate Delegations
- Colorado 45.2
- Utah 47.2
- Arizona 49.3
- New York 50.3
- Tennessee 50.7
Older Candidate Delegations
- Nevada 60.9
- Maryland 60.8
- Connecticut 60.7
- Oregon 60.5
- Arkansas 59.5
*Several States have very small congressional delegations, above are state delegations with 5 or more confirmed candidates. House candidates with confirmed ages: 806 of 870. Listings use states with 5+ aged candidates; smaller delegations (such as WY, DE, VT, AK, RI) are mapped but rankings should account for small delegations.
House Races to Watch
According to The Cook Political Report twenty-one House Races will decide control of the chamber. Among these eleven are races with nominees 50 or under and four feature a nominee 35 or younger. Indeed the pathway for House control for both parties runs through these young candidates. Below are the races we are watching. 
Partisanship in the 2026 House of Representatives Candidates
Gender in the 2026 House of Representatives Candidates
Race and Ethnicity in the 2026 House of Representatives Candidates
The 2026 Senate Candidates
- The average age of U.S. Senate candidates is 59.35 years.
- The youngest U.S. Senate candidate(s): N’Kiyla Jasmine Ann Thomas (born in 1994) (age 31).
- The oldest U.S. Senate candidate(s): James Elroy Risch (born in 1943) (age 83).
- 1 U.S. Senate candidates are Young Elected Leader candidates (age 35 or younger) as of Election Day, November 3, 2026.
Partisanship in the 2026 Senate Candidates
Gender in the 2026 Senate Candidates
Race and Ethnicity in the 2026 Senate Candidates
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from October 2026.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn, Adil Khan
Year: 2026
Title: Age in the 2026 Midterms