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Image: Voters wait to cast their ballots for the Washington, D.C. primary elections on June 21, 2022.
Voters wait to cast their ballots for the Washington, D.C. primary elections on June 21, 2022.Julia Nikhinson / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

Who's running for Congress? A look at the Nov. field so far

A total of 534 House candidates have won the Republican or Democratic nomination, including a significant number of GOP women.

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Among the House candidates who have thus far won their party's ballot slots for November, there are: 123 military veterans, 235 incumbents, 158 non-white candidates and a drag queen.

That’s just a brief glimpse into the field of candidates so far.

Four months from the midterm elections, 534 Republican and Democratic House candidates have secured their general election nominations. Right now, there are still about 320 House nominations up for grabs.

The next congressional primary is in Maryland on July 19 and then there's a break until Aug. 2 in five states.

Here are some highlights from the current 2022 House nominees so far:

By Gender

A record number of women ran for Congress in 2018 — 235 made it to the general election. This year, there are already 162 female nominees, 110 Democrats and 52 Republicans. Notably, in the last midterm cycle in 2018, only 53 female Republicans made the general election ballot. If these trends continue, Republican women are poised to shatter those numbers.

Additionally, in California’s 30th Congressional District, currently represented by Adam Schiff, a trans nonbinary person won the second slot in November’s general election. G “Maebe A. Girl” Pudlo, the treasurer and Silver Lake Neighborhood Council representative at-large, faces long odds in defeating the powerful incumbent. 

By race

So far, 28% of candidates who have made the general election thus far identify as non-white. These 158 candidates are Black, Native American, Hispanic, Latino, Middle Eastern and more. Of the 374 white nominees running for House seats, 171 are incumbents. Of the 158 minority nominees, 63 are incumbents.

By veteran status

There are 126 military veterans currently on the ballot for House seats. While 182 veterans ran for Congress in 2020, trends show the House’s veteran presence has declined. According to Pew Research, the percent of House members with prior military experience has decreased from its peak of 75% in 1967 to just 17% in 2021.

By connection to Trump

Former President Donald Trump may be out of office, but his presence is still being felt in GOP primary races. So far, Trump has endorsed 143 candidates for House. Exactly 100 of the candidates Trump has endorsed in House races have won their primary, while only four have lost (the vast majority of Trump’s endorsements are incumbents).

At least 119 nominees for House seats have questioned the results of the 2020 election at some point in time, including voting against the 2020 Electoral College certification, while 415 have no history of questioning the results. Of the 119 nominees, 77 of them were endorsed by Trump in the primary or general election.

Six nominees are former members of the Trump administration. These candidates all proudly display their service to the former president on their campaign platforms. Two were advisers to the President, one was Secretary of the Interior, one was White House physician, and the other two worked at outside agencies, not in the White House.