It is a bad year to be running as a congressional incumbent.

Seven House members lost primary races so far in 2026, surpassing the average number of incumbents defeated in primaries over the past 40 election cycles.

The three most recent knockouts were dealt by far-left candidates looking to shake up the Democratic Party.

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old first-time candidate, defeated 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Democratic primary last week.

The week before, two other socialist candidates defeated ​Democratic incumbents in the New York primaries with an endorsement boost from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Israel-Palestine politics factored into all three races, especially in New York’s 10th District, where former New York City comptroller Brad Lander ousted two-term Rep. Dan Goldman.

The more shocking upset came in New York’s 13th District. Mamdani campaign staffer Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, defeated five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat,​ 71, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York blamed the “unsettled electoral environment” stemming from President Trump’s “out of control” leadership for stirring anti-Washington sentiment.

“The country under his leadership is falling apart as it relates to the economy and his extreme assault on the American way of life,” he said. “There are going to be active primary races.”

Still, Mr. Jeffries dismissed this primary cycle as​ ordinary in that a ​”handful of incumbents​” lost.

That is an understatement given that the 2026 primary season is not yet over and the number of House members losing reelection has already surpassed the average of the past 80 years.

The average number of incumbents defeated since 1946 is 6.5 per cycle, and the median is 5, according to data analysis from Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

“At the same time as this year is on track for a higher-than-average number of primary losses, 2026 is going to likely feature the second-lowest number of House incumbents seeking reelection of any postwar election,” Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik wrote after the New York primaries.

“So not only are we seeing a number of incumbents lose, the number of incumbents running, period, is low,” he said.

Mr. Jeffries blaming the recent incumbent losses on an anti-Trump-fueled desire to topple the Washington establishment does not work as a rationale in every race.

In Kentucky, it was Mr. Trump’s hand-picked Republican challenger Ed Gallrein who defeated seven-term GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.

The other three incumbent losses came in Texas.

The one Republican ousted in Texas, four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw, was the only incumbent who did not receive Mr. Trump’s endorsement. He lost to state Rep. Steve Toth, who argued he would be more aligned with the president despite Mr. Trump staying out of the race.

Two Texas Democrats, Reps. Al Green and Julie Johnson, lost in the state’s primary runoff election, but not because of anti-Washington sentiment.

Mr. Green opted to run against fellow Rep. Christian Menefee in Texas’ new 18th District after the state’s Republican-drawn map moved most of his south Houston constituency there.

The 78-year-old Mr. Green, who is in his 11th term, lost overwhelmingly to the 38-year-old newcomer. Mr. Menefee was elected in a February special election to replace Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died last year.

Ms. Johnson, a first-term House member, lost to her predecessor, Colin Allred, who decided to run for the redistricted version of his old House seat after dropping his Senate bid.

Crystal Ball counts former Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales as an effective eighth incumbent loss since he resigned after falling short of the 50% needed to win his primary outright.

He dropped out ahead of the primary runoff and resigned from Congress after admitting to having an affair with a former staffer.

While the 2026 primary season is more than halfway over, the incumbent defeats may not be.

Republicans appear to be safe,​ ​with Democratic​ incumbents in the remaining tough primaries.

In Missouri’s Aug. 4 primary, first-term Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell is trying to prevent his left-wing predecessor, Cori Bush, from making a comeback in the 1st District.

Also on Aug. 4, Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar will try to fend off state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who the left-wing Justice Democrats endorsed.

​On Aug. 11, Connecticut Rep. John B. Larson will face Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, a 47-year-old running on a platform of generational change against the 14-term incumbent who turns 78 later this month.

Redistricting in Florida has put Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in danger of losing her Aug. 18 primary. Her current district was redrawn to lean more Republican, so she opted to run in more Democratic​-friendly territory in Florida’s new 20th District.

​She is in a ​crowded field,​ and her decision to run there drew criticism from Black leaders who want the district represented by one of their own since a plurality of voters there are Black.

While other incumbents may lose in the November general election, at least one is guaranteed to go down in California. Republican Reps. Young Kim and Ken Calvert, whose districts were merged in the Democratic redraw of the state’s map, both advanced in the state’s open primary system. One will lose to the other this fall.

Rep. Doris Matsui is also at risk in November due to California’s open primary system. She faces a fellow Democrat, Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, in a likely competitive race.