Nine States in the Midst of Record Partisan US House Winning Streaks
Republicans in six states and Democrats in three states seek to pad their records in 2026
While the fight for control of the U.S. Senate seems to dominate the electoral headlines, it remains to be seen whether voters in several states continue to rubber stamp one political party in elections down the ballot to the nation’s lower legislative chamber.
Heading into November, the Republican Party is currently enjoying record partisan winning streaks to the U.S. House in six states, while Democrats are looking to expand their records in three others.
Democratic Streaks
In Massachusetts, there is no sign in any district that Democrats are at risk of seeing their 146 consecutive U.S. House winning streak end this cycle.
Incredibly, Democrats have won each of the last 45 elections in the state by double-digits with the last single-digit race coming in the 9th CD in 2014 when Chatham’s John Chapman fell 9.96 points shy of unseating Bill Keating. Republicans have come within 10 points of winning a Massachusetts U.S. House election in just seven of these 146 losses.
Massachusetts Democrats also have recorded the eighth most consecutive Democratic U.S. House victories in history and the most outside of the South, where there was effective one-party Democratic rule in many states for nearly three-quarters of a century.
The last time Massachusetts Republicans picked up a U.S. House seat was 34 years ago in 1992 when nine-term incumbent Joseph Early was defeated in the 3rd CD by GOPer Peter Blute and seven-term Congressman Nicholas Mavroules lost in the 6th CD to Republican Peter Torkildsen. These two GOP incumbents held their seats during the 1994 Republican Revolution.
Since then, Democrats have recorded 146 consecutive victories in general and special elections conducted from 1996 through the 2024 cycle.
Assuming the Bay State does not lose any seats from reapportionment after the 2030 U.S. Census, Massachusetts Democrats could overtake Texas (198 in a row, 1931-1946) for the seventh longest Democratic winning streak to the chamber in the 2036 cycle.
Neighboring Connecticut is next, where Democrats have won 45 straight U.S. House elections since 2008.
Republicans have come within single digits of winning a U.S. House seat in just eight of these 45 races, including a 6.8-point loss by former State Senator George Logan in a rematch against Rep. Jahana Hayes in the 5th CD in 2024.
Hayes and 2nd CD incumbent Joe Courtney represent districts with fairly modest +3 and +4 PVI advantages for Democrats respectively, but national tailwinds should elevate this streak to 50 straight contests this cycle.
Lastly, Democrats in the once reliably Republican state of Vermont boast a party-record 10 election winning streak for the state’s at-large U.S. House seat since 2006 when independent Bernie Sanders opted to run for the U.S. Senate.
Two-term incumbent Becca Balint will likely cruise to a double-digit win, with voters also probably splitting their ticket by double digits in favor of the extremely popular Republican Governor Phil Scott.
Other states with notable (but not historic) active Democratic winning streaks are:
- Rhode Island: 32 in a row since 1994
- Hawaii: 17 in a row since 2010
- New Hampshire: 10 in a row since 2016
- Maine: Eight in a row since 2018
- Delaware: Eight in a row since 2010
Republican Streaks
While all active all-time party record Democratic U.S. House winning streaks are located in Northeastern states, those on the Republican side are in states located in the South and the West.
Arkansas leads the way with the GOP claiming 28 victories in a row – sweeping all four seats in each of the last seven election cycles since 2012.
The only conceivable crack in the Republican wall in November would be in the state’s +8 GOP 2nd CD where six-term Rep. French Hill will face scientist and pastor Chris Jones. Hill won the central-Arkansas based district by nearly 18 points in 2024.
Just behind is Wyoming where the GOP has won each general and special election to its at-large seat since 1978 – a total of 25 in a row.
Less secure is the Republican winning streak just north of the border in Montana. Republicans have notched 18 consecutive victories since 1996 but Democrats have an opportunity to end it in the state’s 1st (western) CD with its fairly modest +5 GOP PVI.
Democratic primary voters choosing a more progressive candidate (Sam Forstag) over a moderate (Ryan Busse) may or may not be determinative with a Libertarian nominee (Nick Sheedy) also on the ballot as a second option for the district’s conservatives.
Republicans are also in the middle of all-time U.S. House winning streaks in West Virginia (16 in a row since 2014), Oklahoma (15, 2020; tied with 2012-2016), and Utah (13, 2020; tied with 1920-1930).
The GOP’s recent unblemished winning ways will end in Utah’s soon to be decidedly Democratic 1st CD after judicially-imposed redistricting stemming from a civil lawsuit.
Republicans also have double-digit, non-record winning streaks in Nebraska (16 straight since 2016) and Idaho (14 since 2010).
The Top 5 longest Republican winning streaks are Iowa (80 in a row, 1916-1928), Vermont (69, 1880-1956), Massachusetts (66, 1862-1872), Maine (63, 1881-1908), and Michigan (54, 1923-1930).
The Top 5 on the Democratic side are Georgia (410, 1892-1962), Alabama (313, 1900-1962), Mississippi (294, 1884-1962), Arkansas (258, 1890-1956), and South Carolina (245, 1896-1964).
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– In addition to Utah, Nebraska and Maine seem likely to end their notable – though not record-setting – victory streaks, with Republicans shedding the Omaha-anchored 2-CD and Democrats shedding the rural Northern & Central 2-CD, respectively.
– Two decades ago in Montana, the presence of a Libertarian nominee in the US Senate election had given the (disenchanted) conservatives in the Big Sky State a “second option”. Since the state then (or now) had no ‘instant runoff voting’, the said dynamic arguably proved electorally fatal for three-term Republican Conrad Ray Burns.
Was that the guy who turned his own skin blue by drinking silver?
Should the ME-02 flip come to pass, we would see the unusual, though not unprecedented (e.g. FL’s Charlie Crist) GOV to US REP pathway w/Paul Le Page.
WY actually had 16 cycles of female victories from 1994-2024 with Barbara Cubin, Cynthia Lummis, Liz Cheney and Harriet Hageman. But Chuck Gray won the republican primary in 2026, which means that he’ll be the 1st man in the WY-AL seat since 1995.
Get all of your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and anyone else that you can reach out to VOTE to waste the maga fuckers up and down the ballot like your lives depend on it.
Dr Eric, I just gotta say, It’s been nearly 20 years since you started this site, I only started around a decade ago, but in all honesty, please continue to put out these interesting stories, they shed new light on obscure history and helped me keep my sanity in tough political times. I’ve said this before, but I hope to continue read your gripping pieces for years to come. My only real critique is that we can’t edit our comments if we made a mistake.
Political Wire in fact permits its commenters to edit errors.
Indeed, the first regular report was (digitally) published on the 6th of 09 2006, namely about the elections of the Minnesota Senate, which, like most chambers around the US, is a part-time legislative body (hence its general non-coverage by this blog since then).
Thank you for the very kind words, Connor and for all your contributions! I will inquire to the U of M Libraries (who publish this site) about whether we can turn on comment editing. This 20-year anniversary sneaked up on me – I think I would have missed it this weekend!