Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, defeating two challengers. According to projections by Decision Desk HQ and results reported by The Washington Post, the 76-year-old incumbent is now positioned to seek a sixth term in the general election.
Reed faced challenges from 31-year-old eldercare worker and Army veteran Connor Burbridge and 41-year-old consultant Luis Daniel Muñoz. Burbridge ran on a platform suggesting it was time for new leadership in the state. With approximately 97% of votes counted, Reed received 96,494 votes (76.9%), while Burbridge received 16,813 (13.4%) and Muñoz received 12,190 (9.7%).
An Army veteran himself, Reed has served in Congress for more than three decades, including three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before entering the Senate in 1997. He currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In the upcoming November general election, he will face Republican Raymond T. McKay, who ran uncontested in his party's primary.
For Rhode Island voters, the outcome means they will choose between a long-term incumbent and a Republican challenger in November. A single Senate seat represents one-hundredth of the voting power in the chamber, which determines federal judicial appointments, national security policy, and the passage of federal laws. The transition from the primary to the general election marks the final stage of the 2026 midterm cycle in the state, during a time when national political figures are active in mid-term convention events and pledging significant financial dividends linked to congressional control.
The result also signals the continued preference for established incumbents within the state's Democratic party, contrasting with other local races on the same day where a Democratic socialist candidate defeated an incumbent mayor in Providence. The stability of Reed's seat provides the Democratic caucus with a reliable vote in a "deep blue" state that has held the governor's mansion since 2014. Following the conclusion of Delaware's primaries on September 15, the full attention of both parties will shift to the November general election, where the final composition of the 120th Congress will be determined.
Reed's current term is scheduled to end on January 3, 2027. The general election will take place in November 2026 to determine who will represent Rhode Island for the subsequent six-year term. Missing data from the sources includes the specific date of the November general election and the total number of registered voters who participated in the primary.