Democrat Aftyn Behn (L) and Republican Matt Van Epps (R).
A exterior of a voting booth in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

While most of the U.S. House of Representatives will not be on the ballot this year, there will be two special elections to fill unexpected vacancies resulting from a death in Texas and an early retirement in Tennessee.

The two races will impact the already narrow balance in the House, where Republicans currently hold a 219-213 majority. The lead will tighten further once Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, is sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Here is what you need to know about the two special congressional elections.

Texas

Following the death of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner on March 5, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called a special election to fill the Texas 18th Congressional District seat, which would coincide with Election Day, Nov. 4. The district includes parts of the Houston metro area.

Since no primary election was held to narrow the field, a crowded field of 16 Democratic, Republican, and independent candidates is set to appear on voters' ballots.

According to a poll released by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs in July, two Democratic candidates, former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, were tied with both receiving 19% of likely voters.

Republican Carmen Maria Montiel and Democrat Jolanda Jones were close behind, each getting 14% of likely voters.

Tennessee

First elected in 2018, ex-Representative Mark Green served nearly six years in Congress before announcing his early retirement in June to take a job in the private sector. In July, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered a special election to fill the vacancy, with the primary on Oct. 7 and the general on Dec. 2.

Following a crowded primary for the Republican and Democratic tickets, the former Tennessee General Services Commissioner, Republican Matt Van Epps will face off against Democrat Aftyn Behn, state representative from Nashville.

Van Epps received an 11th-hour endorsement from President Donald Trump ahead of the Republican primary and was considered the frontrunner.

USA TODAY’s Sudiksha Kochi contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which states have congressional races this year?

Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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