Candidates campaign for House seats in districts where they don’t live

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The Hill's Headlines | PM - October 12, 2026

The Hill's Headlines | PM - October 12, 2026

A handful of congressional candidates are seeking office in districts where they do not live, putting their local ties in focus as the midterm election season heats up.

In Arizona, Democrat Amish Shah and Republican Jay Feely are vying to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District despite both of them living outside its boundaries.

A similar dynamic is unfolding in New York, where Republican Rep. Nick LaLota and Democratic challenger Chris Gallant are competing in the 1st District. LaLota lives in Amityville, in the neighboring 2nd District, while Gallant resides in Amity Harbor.

These races, among others, underscore the distinction between the constitutional requirements for serving in Congress and voters’ expectations that their representatives have local ties. The Constitution requires House members to be inhabitants of the states they represent but does not require them to live within their congressional districts. 

Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, however, told The Hill that it makes it hard for candidates living outside the districts they are campaigning in to get to know the “community and the people.”

“And so it puts both parties at a disadvantage,” Seawright said. 

Some candidates have pledged to move into their districts if elected, while others have found themselves outside district lines........

© The Hill