14 Republicans Ousted in Primaries Mark Historic Exodus for Incumbents

Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida is facing two controversies that have pushed him into becoming the latest congressional incumbent kicked out of his party's primary this year. The numbers are stark: twelve House members and two senators have been ousted in 2026 midterms while seeking renomination, according to the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "It's one of the highest numbers in decades in a non-national redistricting year," said Kyle Kondik, Communications Director at the Center for Politics, speaking to Fox News Digital.

Kondik noted that higher loss figures usually appear in years ending in two, which are full national redistricting cycles. This was only a partial redistricting year, yet the count remains very high historically. While the rare but not unheard-of redistricting push over the past year contributed to some of these incumbent losses, plenty of other factors drove the exodus. These include lawmakers wounded by scandals, President Donald Trump's moves to oust GOP colleagues, an increasing push by Democrats for generational change, and a successful movement by the far left targeting moderate, establishment-backed Democrats in nomination showdowns.

Ideology played a massive role when Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan was defeated earlier this month by Donavan McKinney, a state Rep. and member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Similarly, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York lost his seat in June to progressive challenger Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller backed by socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, who serves as Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, faced defeat against Darializa Avila Chevalier, a community organizer and activist also from the DSA who received support from Mamdani. Age was a defining factor here; the 32-year-old Chevalier ousted the 71-year-old Espaillat. Ideology and age combined for DSA member Melat Kiros to beat more moderate Democratic Rep. Diana Degette of Colorado, who has served in the House for nearly three decades.

Generational change fueled a victory by 38-year-old Christian Menefee over fellow Democrat Al Green, who turns 79 next month, in a special congressional election earlier this year. The two incumbents faced off for a House seat redrawn through a Texas Republican redistricting push. Redistricting in Texas also forced Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson into a showdown against her predecessor, former Rep. Colin Allred, whom she lost to in a runoff election.

Generational change was the key factor when 47-year-old former Mayor Luke Bronin of Hartford, Connecticut, won his party's primary over nearly 30-year congressional veteran John Larson, who is 78. Trump played a key role in ousting Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana earlier this year. Cassidy was one of a handful of Republicans who voted to convict the president during his second impeachment trial five years ago.

Meanwhile, longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn lost the Texas GOP Senate nomination runoff election in late May to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a MAGA firebrand and major supporter of the president. Trump stayed neutral during the year-long bitter battle but endorsed Paxton at the last minute ahead of the runoff. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal Republican Trump critic, lost his renomination bid to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who was backed by the president. Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas went down in defeat to state Rep. Steve Toth, who cast the incumbent as anti-Trump.

President Joe Biden stayed out of the race while Sen. Ted Cruz rallied behind Toth with his usual conservative firebrand energy. That kind of support rarely guarantees a win, as seen in Tennessee where Rep. Andy Ogles fell short despite securing Donald Trump's endorsement. Ogles carried baggage from recent years, including controversial comments and social media posts that weighed heavily on him. He lost to Charlie Hatcher, the former agriculture commissioner who gathered strong backing from Gov. Bill Lee, former Gov. Bill Haslam, and Sonny Perdue, a former Trump Agriculture Secretary.

Over in Florida, the race took a different turn in the right-leaning 7th Congressional District. Former reporter Ryan Elijah defeated incumbent Rep. Mills in a four-way GOP primary. Elijah kept his campaign laser-focused on two damaging issues: an ongoing House Ethics Committee probe into Mills and a restraining order issued last year after a former girlfriend accused the lawmaker of threatening to release sexually explicit videos. Mills, a veteran Army soldier and ex-military contractor, denied every allegation yet still faced bipartisan demands for his resignation. Even Trump's early endorsement could not save him on Tuesday.

The storm did not stop there. Earlier this spring, GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales stepped down from his Texas seat after admitting to an affair with a staffer who tragically died by suicide. House leaders pressed hard for his exit, and he eventually resigned from Congress entirely weeks later. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).