Meet the Freshmen of the 120th Congress

Editor’s note

This piece is accurate as of November 9, 2026. Two Senate races and 18 House races remain uncalled by the Associated Press, so the figures below will change as results come in. Only races the AP has called are counted.

Senate: Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by less than one point with an estimated 97% of votes counted, and the state’s certification deadline is November 13. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by less than one point with an estimated 74% of votes counted, and ranked-choice tabulation is set for November 18.

House, likely new members not yet called: Paul LePage (R) leads in Maine 2, and his opponent has conceded. Jake Johnson (D) leads Rep. Brad Finstad in Minnesota 1 by about 321 votes, with a recount expected. Victoria Broderick (D) leads Rep. Scott DesJarlais in Tennessee 4 by 280 votes. In Louisiana 6, an open seat, Republican Blake Miguez and Democrat Chauna Banks advance to a runoff. Louisiana 5, also open, has no winner yet.

House, other uncalled races: Alaska at-large (ranked-choice tabulation November 18), California 4, 7, 23 and 40, Colorado 4, Florida 7, 9, 26 and 27, North Carolina 3, 5, 7 and 10, South Carolina 2, and Washington 5. Several could add new members, including Colorado 4, where Rep. Lauren Boebert trails, and Florida 7, an open seat.

As of 4:17 p.m. ET on November 9, the AP counted 254 House seats for Democrats and 163 for Republicans (AP). Quorum will update this piece as remaining races are called.

The Incoming Class at a Glance

On November 8, newly elected officials arrived in Washington, D.C., for new member orientation. While they’re learning the inner workings of Congress, here’s your chance to learn all about them. This piece breaks down the freshman class of the 120th Congress by age, gender, party, and the seats they flipped.

Based on races called so far, at least 118 new voting members will join the 120th Congress: 15 senators-elect and 103 representatives-elect. They will be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

This class is younger than the last one, more than a third women, and built on flipped seats. Democrats make up 83 of the 118 new members (70%), and 49 of the 118 seats changed party hands.

Many newcomers are not new to Washington. Five senators-elect currently serve in the House: Barry Moore (R-AL), Andy Barr (R-KY), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Harriet Hageman (R-WY). Six representatives-elect are former House members returning: Jerry Carl (R-AL-1), Hilda Solis (D-CA-38), Melissa Bean (D-IL-8), Colin Allred (D-TX-33), Ben McAdams (D-UT-1), and Elaine Luria (D-VA-2).

Women Make up 35% of New Members

Of the 118 new members, 41 are women and 77 are men. The share is nearly identical across chambers: 5 of 15 senators-elect (33%) and 36 of 103 representatives-elect (35%).

The gap is wider by party. Women account for 43% of new Democrats and 14% of new Republicans. In the House, 3 of the 30 new Republicans are women.

The five women heading to the Senate are Juliana Stratton (D-IL), Peggy Flanagan (D-MN), Annie Andrews (D-SC), Julia Letlow (R-LA), and Harriet Hageman (R-WY).

49 Seats Changed Party Hands

More than 40% of the new class (49 of 118) won seats previously held by another party. Democrats picked up 48 of those seats and Republicans picked up 1.

Senate: Six Republican-Held Seats Flipped

All six Senate flips went from Republican to Democrat. Democrats defeated three sitting senators in Kansas, Maine, and South Carolina, won two open seats in Iowa and North Carolina, and beat the Republican nominee in Texas.

House: 43 Seats Flipped

In the House, 41 seats flipped from Republican to Democrat. Democrats defeated 30 sitting Republicans and won 11 Republican-held open seats. Democrat Richard Pan (CA-6) also defeated Rep. Kevin Kiley, listed as an independent.

Republicans flipped one Democratic-held open seat: Brent Taylor won Tennessee’s 9th District, replacing Steve Cohen. A second possible Republican pickup, Maine’s 2nd District, has not been called by the AP.

House flips clustered in a handful of states. North Carolina led with five, followed by California and Pennsylvania with four each, and Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio with three each. Together, those six states account for 22 of the 43 House flips.

Seven House members-elect won newly drawn seats after redistricting: six Democrats and one Republican. Those seats are not counted as flips.

Primaries also reshaped the class. Two senators, Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX), lost their primaries. In the House, nine incumbents lost primaries to members of this class, including Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).

The New Class Averages 49 Years Old

The average new member will be 49 at swearing-in, and the median is 48. That is seven years younger than the new members of the 119th Congress, who averaged 56, and close to the 118th Congress freshman average of 47.

Twenty-three new members are under 40, and 21 are 60 or older.

Who Are the Youngest New Members?

• Rep.-elect Michael Alfonso (R-WI-7) – 26
• Rep.-elect Melat Kiros (D-CO-1) – 29
• Rep.-elect Houston Gaines (R-GA-10) – 31
• Reps.-elect Adrian Boafo (D-MD-5), Angela Gonzales-Torres (D-CA-34), Manny Rutinel (D-CO-8), Randy Villegas (D-CA-22), and Sam Forstag (D-MT-1) – 32

In the Senate, the youngest newcomer is James Talarico (D-TX) at 37, followed by Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) at 42.

Who Are the Oldest New Members?

• Sen.-elect Roy Cooper (D-NC) – 69
• Rep.-elect Hilda Solis (D-CA-38) – 69
• Reps.-elect Jerry Carl (R-AL-1), Ed Gallrein (R-KY-4), and Charlie Hatcher (R-TN-5) – 68
• Reps.-elect Janelle Stelson (D-PA-10) and Steve Toth (R-TX-2) – 66

Which Generations Are Represented in the New Class?

Generation X and Millennials make up 86% of the incoming class. That is a sharp contrast with the 119th Congress overall, where Boomers hold 43% of seats and Millennials hold 16%.

Three members of Generation Z are joining the House: Michael Alfonso, Melat Kiros, and Houston Gaines. The 119th Congress has one Gen Z member.

New Democrats skew younger than new Republicans. Millennials account for 36 of 83 new Democrats (43%) and 11 of 35 new Republicans (31%).

What the New Class Means for Your Public Affairs Strategy

With 49 flipped seats and a freshman class younger than the last, many of the lawmakers you work with in January will be new to Washington. Between now and swearing-in, they’re hiring staff, getting oriented, and requesting committee seats. That window is your best chance to introduce your issue before their views take shape.

Quorum’s Newly Elected Advertising Audience lets you reach incoming members before they take office. The audience updates as races are called and recounts finish, so members in races still being counted are added once results are final. New chiefs of staff and senior staff join as offices hire them, which gives your first meetings a head start.