By 270toWin Staff
March 16, 2026, 1:58 PM ET
While most of the attention Tuesday will be on the Illinois primary, there are also three State House special elections. Two are in Pennsylvania, the other in Virginia.
Polls close at 7:00 PM in Virginia and 8:00 PM in Pennsylvania. Both states are entirely within the Eastern Time Zone.
Virginia House of Delegates District 98
Democrats hold a 64-35 advantage over Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates. Members serve two-year terms; the next regular elections are in November, 2027.
Coastal District 98 extends from Virginia Beach to the North Carolina border. Republican Barry Knight passed away last month.
Knight was reelected by a 57% to 43% margin over Democrat Cheryl Smith in 2025.Â
Smith returns as the Democratic nominee in this special election. Republicans have nominated Andrew Rice.Â
Pennsylvania State House Districts 79 and 193
Democrats hold a slim 100-98 advantage over Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. That margin will expand to 102-98 later this month, after the swearing in of two Democrats who won special elections last month. Members serve two-year terms; the next elections are in November.
Special elections for two of the remaining three vacancies will be held Tuesday. Republican incumbents in both of these districts resigned after being elected to judicial seats in November.
District 79Â includes areas in and around Altoona. Republican Louis Schmitt was unopposed for reelection in 2024. The nominees are Andrea Verobish (R) and Caleb McCoy (D).
District 193Â sits southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Republican Torren Ecker was unopposed for reelection in 2024. The nominees are Republican Catherine Wallen and Democrat Todd Crawley.
The special election in District 196 will be on the ballot May 19. This date coincides with the 2026 statewide primary.
Calendar
2026 State Primaries >
March 17
March 31
April 7
May 5
May 12
Nebraska
North Carolina Runoffs
West Virginia
Other Scheduled Elections
April 7
April 21
Virginia Redistricting Amendment
May 2
Texas Mayors*: Arlington, Irving, Lubbock
May 12
Congressional Special Elections
April 7
Georgia District 14 Runoff
April 16
June 2
California District 1 (Primary)*
Special Election (if needed) August 4
State Legislative Special Elections
March 24
Florida Senate District 14
Florida House Districts 51 and 87
March 31
Massachusetts House District 5th Essex
May 2
May 5
Michigan Senate District 35
May 12
Nebraska Senate District 41 (Primary)
West Virginia Senate Districts 3 and 17 (Primary)
May 16
Louisiana House District 39 (Primary)*
May 19
Pennsylvania House District 196
* All candidates compete on the same ballot. If one gets a majority, they are elected. Otherwise, the top two finishers advance to another election that will determine the winner.