2026 Elections and U.S. House Control

The Cook Political Report has updated its 2026 U.S. House race ratings, shifting five districts toward Democrats and one toward Republicans as both parties battle for control of the chamber. In Ohio, Rep. Greg Landsman’s 1st District moved from Toss-Up to Lean Democratic despite a 2024 Trump +2.5 redraw, while Rep. Emilia Sykes’ 13th District went from Lean Democratic to Likely Democratic after redistricting pushed it about three points left. In New Jersey, Rep. Nellie Pou’s 9th District rating improved from Lean to Likely Democratic after Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the seat in the 2025 gubernatorial race by nearly 20 points in a district Trump carried in 2024, while Florida’s 27th, held by GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, was downgraded from Solid Republican to Likely Republican. Pennsylvania’s 8th District, represented by Republican Rob Bresnahan and dogged by controversy over his stock trades, shifted from Lean Republican to Toss-Up; his campaign responded by dismissing Cook as ‘Washington, D.C. political race handicappers’ and insisting local union backing and fundraising show a stronger position than the ratings suggest. The changes underscore how redistricting deals, recent state-level results, and candidate-specific vulnerabilities are reshaping the 2026 House battlefield and are already being dissected online by election analysts tracking whether Democrats can realistically claw back a majority.