Congressional Filings: March 2025
Welcome to spring!
March was a busy month in American politics. President Donald Trump threatened to launch global trade wars, two incumbent Democrats in the House passed away, senior Senate Democrats took fire from their base for advancing a GOP spending bill and avoiding the risk of a government shutdown, flagrant violations of due process and arrests of innocents by ICE were reported almost weekly this month, and Signalgate brought the heat upon Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Let’s have a look at all of the candidates who filed for the 2026 Congressional elections last month, as well as the special elections for AZ-07 and TX-18.
Alabama
Senate: Greg Howard Jr. of Capshaw is the third Democrat to file for this seat held by Republican incumbent Tommy Tuberville, alongside Mark Wheeler and Valma Glasgow. Tuberville, for his part, has indicated to colleagues that he may run for the open Governor’s mansion in 2026, potentially moving the incoming clown car GOP primary from the Governor’s mansion to this Senate seat.
AL-03: Terri LaPoint, an author and Republican activist from Odenville, confirmed to the far-right Alabama Gazette that she is launching a primary challenge to Rep. Mike Rogers in 2026. She joins Draic Coakley in this endeavor.
AL-06: Case Dixon, a Republican from Sylvan Springs, has launched a primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Gary Palmer. Maybe he’ll get 20% - that would be a huge upgrade over what Palmer’s opponents received last year.
Arizona
AZ-01: Marlene Galán-Woods, a 2024 Democratic candidate for this district, has filed for a second crack at unseating GOP incumbent David Schweikert. The Scottsdale Democrat will hope to beat 2024 Dem nominee Amish Shah and Brian Del Vecchio for the 2026 nomination. Galán-Woods has rolled out early endorsements from Arizona AG Kris Mayes and former Gov. Janet Napolitano.
AZ-04: Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton has developed quite the early GOP field challenging him, as Phoenix Republican Jerone Davison has joined 2024 GOP Senate candidate Beth Reye and Bradley Honer in challenging Stanton.
AZ-06: Tucson Democrat and Raytheon engineer Chris Donat did not want JoAnna Mendoza to go unchallenged for the Democratic nomination against GOP Representative Juan Ciscomani, so he filed for this seat.
AZ-07: Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D) died from cancer at 77 years old this month. Gov. Katie Hobbs set the dates for the incoming special election: July 15th for the primary, September 23rd for the general election, the earliest possible date per Arizona state law. David Bies, a Libertarian-turned Democrat from the other side of the state (aka Flagstaff) who moved to Tucson, was the first to file for the special election, with Victor Longoria and State Rep. Daniel Hernandez, a moderate, also vying for the coveted Democratic nomination. Republicans Raul Verdugo, JD Rodriguez, and Daniel Butierez, the 2024 GOP nominee, also filed for this race in March. They are joined by No Labels candidate Richard Grayson, who is continuing his party label from his 2024 AK-AL run despite having previously filed for the Green Party in AZ-05 for 2026’s election.
Arkansas
AR-03: Diana Lawrence, a left-wing Democrat from Van Buren who was a former Wisconsin State Assembly nominee in 2020, announced her challenge to Republican incumbent Steve Womack on Facebook this month.
California
Note that California has jungle primaries and mandated runoffs for their non-Presidential general elections.
CA-03: Doug Huhn, a Roseville Democrat, is the first challenger to GOP incumbent Kevin Kiley in a race that I personally would give closer attention if this recent Democratic wave of anger lasts to the midterms.
CA-06: Kindra Pring, a Democrat from Chino Heights, has decided to give Rep. Ami Bera a challenge from within his own party.
CA-07: Somebody should tell Heath Fulkerson, the Republican from Lower Lake, that he can’t run for every race under the Sun. He’s filed to challenge Democratic incumbent Doris Matsui in next year’s elections, and he might try to become the GOP’s own Ricardo de la Fuente.
CA-09: Jim Shoemaker, a Lodi native and 2024 GOP State Senate nominee against former U.S. Rep. and current State Senator Jerry McNerney, is trying his hand at unseating incumbent Democratic Rep. Josh Harder. While Shoemaker only lost to McNerney by 5.8%, greater men have tried and failed to unseat Harder before.
CA-10: 2024 GOP nominee Katherine Piccinini has decided to make it two runs on the bounce against incumbent Democrat Mark DeSaulnier.
CA-12: I’m getting pretty fucking sick and tired of Heath Fulkerson filing for races in states and districts he doesn’t live in. His filing against incumbent Democrat Lateefah Simon is the fourth race he’s filed for, after CA Senate, CA-07, and NV-02. Pick a race and stick to it.
CA-23: Two Democrats filed to challenge GOP Rep. Jay Obernolte this month: Tessa Hodge from Apple Valley and Alexis Claiborne from Wrightwood. Claiborne appears to be the more left-leaning of the two at first glance.
CA-24: Bob Smith, a Carpenteria Republican, has launched a challenge to Democratic incumbent Salud Carbajal. His website is annoyingly dropping on April 10th.
CA-26: Democratic incumbent Julia Brownley drew two GOP challengers this month: small business owner Jonathan Wagoner of Camarillo and Samuel Gallucci of Santa Ana. The latter once finished behind two Green Party candidates and Caitlyn Jenner in the failed 2021 recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom.
CA-32: Christopher Ahuja, a Los Angeles Democrat, has filed to be the third Democratic challenger to incumbent Democrat Brad Sherman. Ahuja, in calling for moral leadership, is running on an “abundance agenda” that calls for tax incentives for businesses, carbon pricing, and an emphasis on STEM education. Ahuja also supports school choice, universal healthcare, Palestinian statehood, heavy rail transit, and an assault weapons ban. The first of these, of course, may give some readers Tricia Cotham flashbacks.
CA-40: I think this district’s Democrats absolutely despise Young Kim. Paula Swift of Seal Beach, which is not in the district, has filed for this race, joining Esther Kim Varet, 2024 Dem nominee Joe Kerr, and Christina Gagnier.
CA-41: This district’s Democrats also clearly do not like Ken Calvert. David Karson, a Cupertino Democrat, has decided to move across the state to run against him, and Cathedral City software engineer Jason Byors made it four Democrats against Calvert. Moderate Palm Springs Republican Cody Wiebelhaus is also in this race.
CA-45: Former Rep. Michelle Steel is not going unchallenged for the GOP nomination, as Mark Leonard of Fountain Valley is also vying to unseat freshman Democratic incumbent Derek Tran.
Colorado
Senate: Nichole Miner of Boulder is the second Democrat to launch a primary challenge against incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper. She considers herself “progressive with a conservative foundation,” but seems to hold standard left-liberal views with a decent libertarian streak. Miner and Hickenlooper are joined by Karen Breslin in the primary.
CO-05: Colorado Springs independent Roy Matthewson, a left-leaning libertarian who is pro-trans and pro-Palestine while also being a debt hawk and supportive of gun rights, and Colorado Springs Democrat Michelle Tweed both joined the race for this Colorado Springs-based seat. The race includes GOP incumbent Jeff Crank and 2024 Democratic nominee River Gassen, the latter of whom will be facing a primary challenge despite a decent 2024 election performance.
CO-08: Manny Rutinel is not going unchallenged for the Democratic primary, as Thornton Democrat John Szemler filed for this seat. Both are vying to unseat freshman GOP incumbent Gabe Evans.
Connecticut
CT-02: Longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney is getting some primary competition: Army veteran Kyle Gauck of East Hampton has launched his campaign against Courtney in this Eastern CT-based district. Gauck so far looks to be running a moderate anti-system campaign, favoring property tax cuts and fiscal responsibility while also saying he refuses PAC or corporate money.
CT-03: Dr. Amy Chai, a Republican from North Haven, has filed to challenge longtime Democratic incumbent Rosa DeLauro. Chai ran against DeLauro as an independent candidate in 2022, winning 1.67% of the vote.
CT-04: Damon Cerreta, an independent from Brookfield and owner of his own cleaning services company, filed to challenge Democratic incumbent Jim Himes this month.
CT-05: Someone finally woke Connecticut Republicans up from their slumber. Jonathan De Barros, a Terryville resident and MAGA Republican, has filed to take on Democratic incumbent Jahana Hayes. I guess if the more moderate choice in George Logan didn’t work out the last two cycles…
Florida
Senate: Tamika Lyles, a Kissimmee Democrat, filed for a U.S. Senate run against incumbent Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.
FL-19: Jim Oberweis, the 78 year old former state Senator and perennial Republican candidate in Illinois, has moved to Bonita Springs and has filed to succeed the outgoing Rep. Byron Donalds. This is likely to be quite the contested GOP primary
FL-21: Rodney Taylor, a firefighter, announced his run as a Democrat against incumbent GOP Rep. Brian Mast on Threads this month.
FL-22: Anna Medvedeva, a Republican realtor from Delray Beach, has filed in the Republican primary to challenge Democratic incumbent Lois Frankel. Medvedeva will be challenged by Deborah Adeimy in the GOP primary.
FL-23: Two Republicans filed within a minute of each other to join MAGA candidate Darlene Cerezo-Swaffar for a chance to topple moderate Democratic incumbent Jared Moskowitz. These candidates are Raven Harrison, a Boca Raton resident whose origin story is that a teacher assaulted her eight-year-old daughter for being a Trump supporter, and former GOP State Rep. George Moraitis of Fort Lauderdale. Later in the month, 2024 GOP nominee Joe Kaufman of Boca Raton decided he wanted another crack at Moskowitz and filed for the race as well.
Georgia
Note: if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff election.
Senate: After having previously filed as the Peace and Freedom Party’s candidate for this seat, and as a Democratic challenger to Rep. Lucy McBath in GA-06, Chris Capparrell of Atlanta has re-filed as a Democratic challenger to incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff.
GA-06: Speaking of which, State Sen. Sonya Halpern (SD-39), a Democrat, has filed for this seat held by incumbent Democrat Lucy McBath. McBath suspended her campaign for Governor to focus on her husband’s health, although she may re-open the campaign in the future.
Idaho
Senate: David Roth, an Idaho Falls Democrat and 2024 Democratic nominee against Rep. Mike Simpson, is challenging GOP incumbent Sen. Jim Risch in 2026.
ID-02: Idaho Democrats are not fucking around with putting up candidates everywhere: Keven Paul Lewis of Pocatello launched his bid against GOP incumbent Mike Simpson, which allows the party to have a candidate for all federal races in Idaho in 2026.
Illinois
Senate: Incumbent Sen. Dick Durbin, who has taken fire recently for voting to advance the GOP’s government funding bill, may start to see a primary field open up against him. Carmi’s Stanley Leavell announced a primary challenge this month, while independent Chicagoan Anthony Smith looks to at least be a name on the ballot.
IL-08: Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is facing a primary challenge from the left in the form of Christ Kallas. Kallas, who is from Schaumburg, is running on getting money out of politics, universal childcare, a $20 minimum wage indexed to inflation, and an expansion of the U.S. House, among other issues.
IL-09: Kat Abughazaleh, a left-wing journalist and social media influencer, announced her run for Congress in the Democratic primary against longtime incumbent Jan Schakowsky. In boasting her anti-Trump bonafides, Kat touts “anti-endorsements” from Elon Musk, Chaya Raichik, and Tucker Carlson, three of the biggest far-right figures in American politics, she advocates for a $25 minimum wage indexed to inflation (take that, Kallas), the Green New Deal, Supreme Court expansion to 15 seats, universal single-payer healthcare, and an expansion of Social Security, among other things, and she swipes at Joe Manchin and Gavin Newsom in her issues statement. Fundraising should not be an issue for her: Abughazaleh is clearly famous enough to get a Rolling Stone exclusive interview, and she announced that she raised over $150,000 within twelve hours of her candidacy declaration. However, election analysts have questioned her promise to not spend money on cable advertisements and she came under immediate fire for potential carpetbagging.
IL-16: Despite brutal Democratic gerrymandering leaving this district, which encompasses GOP-heavy areas east of the Quad Cities and west of Chicagoland, as one of three GOP-leaning districts in the state, two Democrats, including Joe Albright from East Peoria and Paul Nolley from Roscoe, have stepped up to challenge Republican incumbent Darin LaHood.
Indiana
Senate: Aleem Young, an Indianapolis Democrat and 2024 Senate candidate, has filed to take on incumbent GOP Sen. Todd Young. If Aleem advances in the Democratic primary, we could be looking at the Battle of the Youngs.
IN-01: This one’s a treat. Jim Schenke, a Republican from West Lafayette (not in Northwest IN), has filed to take on Democratic incumbent Frank Mrvan. Why is this a treat? The former 2024 GOP State House candidate (again, in West Lafayette) was arrested one day before last year’s Election Day for violating a protective order. He, of course, went on to get trounced by Democratic incumbent Chris Campbell.
IN-05: Democrats had two candidates file to take on Republican incumbent Victoria Spartz on the last day of the month. Fishers resident Samuel Cooper and Muncie National Guardsman Jackson Franklin, a Sanders-style left-winger, will fight for the nomination.
IN-08: Terre Haute independent James Burke filed to turn this seat into a three-way race between himself, GOP incumbent Mark Messmer, and Democratic challenger Dan George.
Iowa
IA-01: Travis Terrell, an Iowa City Democrat working in the University of Iowa’s healthcare department, has filed for this district. If uncontested in the primary, he would face the winner between GOP incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks and right-wing challenger David Pautsch in the general election.
Kentucky
Senate: There may be socialist competition to Pamela Stevenson’s bid for the Democratic nomination in this race. Jared Randall of Louisville announced a bid for the U.S. Senate this month, hoping to replicate what Tennessee’s Marquita Bradshaw did in 2020. His 2024 campaign for KY-03, which centered around public transportation and his desire to bring pro sports to Louisville, did so terribly that he ran far behind Geoff Young, let alone Morgan McGarvey. Maybe his Senate campaign gets more than 4.7% of the primary vote (and 24 write-in votes in the general election). On the Republican side, Michael Faris of Elizabethtown joined a primary that includes Rep. Andy Barr and AG Daniel Cameron.
KY-04: Both sides saw action in this Northern Kentucky-based district. Niki Lee Etherington, a Taylorsville Republican, will hope to oust the eccentric libertarian GOP incumbent, Thomas Massie, while Monica Dean, a Democrat and Navy combat veteran from Crestwood, will compete against Elizabeth Mason-Hill in that party’s primary.
Louisiana
Note that Louisiana has jungle primaries on Election Day and top-two runoffs if no candidate gets a majority of the vote.
LA-06: Chris Johnson, a Baton Rouge Republican, is challenging freshman Democratic incumbent Cleo Fields in order to become the second Republican Johnson from the Pelican State.
Maine
Senate: Carmen Calabrese, a Republican from Kennebunkport, joins the GOP field to try and primary incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.
Maryland
MD-05: Leonardstown doctoral student Elldwinia English, a Democrat, will join Quincy Bareebe in challenging longtime incumbent Rep. Steny Hoyer in the primary. The winner will likely face the GOP’s Michelle Talkington in the general election.
Massachusetts
Senate: Philip Devincentis, a Boston member of the American Independent Party, has filed to be the first challenger to incumbent Democratic Sen. Ed Markey.
Minnesota
Senate: There has been some action on both sides of the coin. Former state Senator Melisa López Franzen, a lawyer from Hopkins, is challenging Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the DFL nomination to succeed outgoing Democratic incumbent Tina Smith. Adam Schwarze, a Republican from Savage, has joined the GOP field in this race.
MN-07: Erik Osberg, a former TV anchor and show host from Wadena, has filed as a DFLer against GOP incumbent Michelle Fischbach in this deep-red district in western Minnesota. He is joined in the DFL primary by Moorhead resident and member of the local Airport Committee Jared Adams.
Mississippi
Senate: We had two filings in this race in a matter of four minutes. The first of these was Sarah Adlakha, a Republican author from Ocean Springs who is challenging incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the primary. The winner will likely face Ty Pinkins, a Vicksburg Democrat and 2024 nominee against GOP incumbent Roger Wicker.
Nevada
NV-03: Former video game developer and 2024 candidate Marty O’Donnell, a Las Vegas Republican, is hoping that his 2026 run in NV-03 will go a lot better than 4th in the primary. He is taking on Democratic incumbent Susie Lee.
New Hampshire
Senate: Word got out in March that Rep. Chris Pappas (D) was running for Senate to hold the seat, currently being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, for his party. He will formally announce his candidacy in April, leaving a vacancy in NH-01. If elected, he would be the first openly gay male Senator in the chamber’s history.
New Jersey
NJ-03: Linda McMahon, the Hanesport Republican and not the Secretary of Education, has filed to challenge freshman Democratic incumbent Herb Conaway.
NJ-07: Another Democrat has joined the race to unseat GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr., as Flanders native Michael Garth joins Rebecca Bennett and Greg Vartan in this tossup race.
New York
NY-17: Cait Conley, a former Army officer and Director of Counterterrorism for the National Security Council (which got her a ban from Russia), has joined what is now quite the heavy-hitting Democratic primary field that includes Jessica Reinmann and Beth Davidson. Conley is running on a message of fixing a broken system with pretty standard Democratic priorities, and was able to both get the NYT treatment and raise over $250k on the first day of her candidacy. All will be vying to beat or succeed GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, with more candidates expected to join. Warning: this is likely to be a geographically defined primary more than anything else.
NY-21: Due to the GOP’s stunning loss in a state Senate special election in Lancaster County, PA as well as Randy Fine’s laughable campaign in FL-06, Donald Trump pulled the nomination of incumbent GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik to be the next UN Ambassador. Thus, the special election for NY-21 will not go ahead.
North Carolina
Senate: Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer based in Raleigh, launched a pro-Trump primary challenge to GOP incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis.
NC-05: Chuck Hubbard, a Wilkesboro Democrat and the 2024 Democratic nominee for this district, has filed for round two against aging GOP incumbent Virginia Foxx. I will warn, however, that he’s not entirely assured of the nomination, especially if a spirited Democrat from Greensboro wants in the race.
Oklahoma
Senate: William Beck, a Democrat from Edmond, became the first in his party to challenge GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin. He was joined in the same month by Ardmore Democrat N’Kiyla Thomas.
Pennsylvania
PA-04: Ismaine Ayouaz, a Republican from North Wales who emigrated from France in 2009, filed a challenge to Democratic incumbent Madeleine Dean.
PA-06: Ben Popp, a Democratic musician and expert on right-wing extremism from Honey Brook, has filed a left-wing primary challenge to incumbent Rep. Chrissy Houlahan in this Chester County-Reading seat.
South Carolina
SC-07: John Vincent, a Democrat from Myrtle Beach, has filed to challenge GOP incumbent Russell Fry in this district that encompasses the Sandhills and northeast SC. He is joined by independent Jaquelyn Graham.
South Dakota
SD-AL: Republican incumbent Dusty Johnson, who lost a Twitter beef with me in February, is not going uncontested in 2026: Scott Schlagel, a Democratic corrections officer from Dell Rapids, has filed to challenge Johnson.
Texas
Note: if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff election.
Senate: Gulrez Khan, a Republican from Lubbock, filed his challenge to incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn. He previously came in 4th out of 4 GOP candidates for the open TX-32 in 2024, which was on by Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson.
TX-05: James Ussery, a technician from Quitman, filed to challenge incumbent Lance Gooden in the Republican primary. Democrat Ruth Torres awaits the winner of this primary.
TX-09: Peter Van Emmert, a Republican from Dallas (apparently), has decided to move across the state to challenge longtime Democratic incumbent Al Green. He is joined by Deddrick Wilmer in the GOP primary. Good luck winning with that Twitter account!
TX-12: Kenneth Morgan-Aguilera, the executive director of a dentistry in Arlington, filed to run as a Democrat against GOP incumbent Craig Goldman.
TX-14: Jessica Forgy, an Alvin Republican, launched a primary challenge this month against incumbent Rep. Randy Weber. Not sure how you win a primary challenge when you refuse to show your face on your website.
TX-18: Rep. Sylvester Turner (D) died this month at 70 years old. Texas law states that special elections are conducted using a jungle primary, with a top-two runoff declared if no candidate can get over 50% of the vote. Several independents have filed for the race, including Houstonians Chance Davis, Khris Beal, Deshon Porter (who originally filed as a Republican), and Derrell Turner, as well as Missouri City independent Tejas Tuperra. Porter, who is trying to get the local Forward Party to endorse his campaign, seems to be quite the fan of professional wrestling and especially NWA wrestler Natalia Markova.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee was the first Democrat to file for this special election, having won his re-election by 1% last year, and his campaign chair is former Rep. Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Carter. Menefee is joined by fellow Democrats including urban consultant Dr. James Joseph, Gen Z party influencer Isaiah Martin (who filed for the 2026 race last year), former Houston City Councillor and two-time candidate for this district Amanda Edwards, data scientist and Lina Hidalgo alum Kivan Polimis, 2024 candidate Robert Slater, Earnest Clayton, and eccentric pastor Diane Carol Hopson. I would expect Menefee and Edwards to be the chief Democratic contestants in this race, as Martin and his campaign have already been sued by a DC tech company for unpaid fees.
TX-19: Kyle Rable, a Democratic activist from Lubbock, is running against Republican incumbent Jodey Arrington in this West Texas-based district. Democrats have not put up a candidate against Arrington since 2020, with Arrington facing third-party and independent opposition the past two elections.
TX-22: Demile James of Pearland filed with the Independent American Party to take on Republican incumbent Troy Nehls in this district based south of Houston.
TX-23: Peter White, a Democrat from San Antonio, filed to run against GOP incumbent Tony Gonzales in this rapidly reddening district on the last day of March.
TX-26: DFW Democrats are on fire early: Carrollton Democrat and 2024 nominee Ernest Lineberger has filed to take on GOP incumbent and anti-Muslim activist Brandon Gill for a second time.
TX-32: Zain-Braheim Shaito, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former Olympic fencer from Plano, has filed to primary Democratic incumbent Julie Johnson’s seat
TX-38: Curtis Cook, a Democratic activist from Spring, has filed his candidacy against Republican incumbent Wesley Hunt in this GOP seat in the western Houston suburbs. Hunt has been rumored for a primary challenge against GOP Sen. John Cornyn, so this may become an open race.
Tennessee
TN-05: Three candidates announced their campaigns against GOP incumbent Andy Ogles. These include Columbia Democrat Jim Torino and two independents from Nashville, Lowell Reynolds and Ken Brown.
TN-07: Jon Thorp, a Republican combat veteran from Springfield, launched a right-wing primary to incumbent Rep. Mark Green in this district, which stretches from Nashville to Clarksville and rural areas south of there.
Washington
Note: Washington has jungle primaries and top-two runoffs. Candidates in the primary may take the ballot line of their choice.
WA-04: Rep. Dan Newhouse’s list of GOP challengers has opened this month, as Richland Republican Wesley Meier was the first to file a challenge to the moderate Representative. If a Republican advances to the top-two runoff against Newhouse, he will be one of the most vulnerable Representatives to a defeat.
WA-06: Parker Sutton Brophy, an independent from Tacoma, is the first challenger to incumbent Democrat Emily Randall in the 2026 election.
Wisconsin
WI-03: Rebecca Cooke, the Eau Claire native and 2024 Democratic nominee for this district who put up an impressive overperformance against GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden last year, is back for Round 2 in what should be one of the most anticipated races of the cycle.
April is already shaping up to be a busy month in politics; we’ve had a few special elections and key candidate announcements already, and it’s only April 2nd. However, let’s not forget the craziness of last month. As certain college basketball enthusiasts might tell you…
This is March.