When Do 2026 Election Winners Take Office? Congress on Jan. 3 and 36 Governors' Dates

The terms of the senators and representatives elected Nov. 3, 2026 begin at noon Eastern Time (ET) on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, under Section 1 of the 20th Amendment, per the U.S. National Archives. The same amendment says Congress “shall assemble at least once in every year,” and “such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.” As of Oct. 30, 2026, no law setting a different 2027 meeting day had been announced. The governors elected the same day take office on dates set by each state, listed below from earliest to latest.

When does the new Congress take office?

Section 1 of the 20th Amendment ends the terms of senators and representatives, and begins their successors’ terms, “at noon on the 3d day of January.” In 2027 that day is a Sunday, and the session is the 120th Congress.

Congress can move its own meeting day by law, which the amendment allows, but no such 2027 law had been announced as of Oct. 30, 2026. Congress has met on a Sunday Jan. 3 before: the 117th Congress convened on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, CBS News reported. Unless Congress sets another day by law, the 120th Congress meets on Jan. 3.

There was no presidential election in 2026, so the presidency is not on the 2027 schedule. The 20th Amendment begins presidential and vice-presidential terms at noon on Jan. 20, and only after a presidential election year.

When are the 2026 governors sworn in?

The 36 governors elected on Nov. 3, 2026 take office on dates fixed by each state’s constitution or statute, not a single national date. The earliest are Alaska and Hawaii, at noon on Monday, Dec. 7, 2026; the latest confirmed is Maryland on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2027. The table lists the legal term start; inaugural ceremonies can fall on other days.

Term begins	State	Rule in state law
Mon., Dec. 7, 2026 (noon)	Alaska	“Noon on the first Monday in December” (constitution)
Mon., Dec. 7, 2026 (noon)	Hawaii	“Noon on the first Monday in December” (constitution)
Fri., Jan. 1, 2027 (noon)	Michigan	“12 noon on January 1” (Michigan Compiled Laws)
Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	New Mexico	“First day of January” after the election (constitution)
Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	New York	“First day of January” after the election (Public Officers Law)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Arizona	“First Monday of January” (constitution)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	California	“Monday after January 1” (constitution)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027 (noon)	Idaho	“Noon on the first Monday in January” (constitution)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Minnesota	“First Monday in January” (statute)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Nevada	Oath on “the 1st Monday of January” (statute)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	South Dakota	First Monday of January, by default (statute)
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Wisconsin	“First Monday of January”
Mon., Jan. 4, 2027	Wyoming	“First Monday in January” (statute)
Tue., Jan. 5, 2027	Florida	“First Tuesday after the first Monday in January” (constitution)
Tue., Jan. 5, 2027	Rhode Island	“First Tuesday of January” (constitution)
Wed., Jan. 6, 2027	Connecticut	“Wednesday following the first Monday of January” (constitution)
Wed., Jan. 6, 2027	Maine	“First Wednesday after the first Tuesday of January”
Wed., Jan. 6, 2027	New Hampshire	Wednesday after the first Tuesday of January (constitution)
Thu., Jan. 7, 2027 (noon)	Massachusetts	“Noon on the Thursday next following the first Wednesday in January” (constitution)
Thu., Jan. 7, 2027	Nebraska	“First Thursday after the first Tuesday in January” (constitution)
Sat., Jan. 9, 2027	South Dakota	Alternative: the Saturday before the second Tuesday of January, if the governor chooses it (statute)
Mon., Jan. 11, 2027	Illinois	“Second Monday of January” (constitution)
Mon., Jan. 11, 2027	Kansas	“Second Monday of January” (constitution)
Mon., Jan. 11, 2027	Ohio	“Second Monday of January” (constitution)
Mon., Jan. 11, 2027	Oklahoma	“Second Monday of January” (constitution)
Tue., Jan. 12, 2027	Colorado	“Second Tuesday of January” (constitution)
Tue., Jan. 12, 2027	Iowa	“Tuesday after the second Monday of January” (constitution)
Wed., Jan. 13, 2027 (noon)	South Carolina	“Noon on the first Wednesday following the second Tuesday in January” (constitution, code)
Fri., Jan. 15, 2027	Tennessee	Term from Jan. 15 (statute); oath on Sat., Jan. 16
Mon., Jan. 18, 2027	Alabama	“First Monday after the second Tuesday in January” (constitution)
Tue., Jan. 19, 2027	Pennsylvania	“Third Tuesday of January” (constitution)
Tue., Jan. 19, 2027	Texas	First Tuesday after the Legislature organizes; it convenes Jan. 12, 2027 (constitution)
Wed., Jan. 20, 2027	Maryland	“Third Wednesday of January” (constitution)

South Dakota appears twice because its law sets the first Monday of January as the default but lets the governor choose the Saturday immediately before the second Tuesday of January, which is Jan. 9, 2027. Tennessee’s term runs from Jan. 15, while the oath falls on the first Saturday after the 14th, Jan. 16, 2027.

Which states have not set a 2027 date?

For four of the 36 states we could not confirm the 2027 term-start date on an official source, so the table leaves them out:

• Arkansas: not confirmed on an official source; check the state.
• Georgia: the governor is sworn in before a joint session of the General Assembly, which convenes on the second Monday of January, Jan. 11, 2027; the inauguration day is set each cycle.
• Oregon: not confirmed on an official source; check the state.
• Vermont: the constitution does not fix a calendar date; check the state.

What about the Senate special elections?

Ohio and Florida hold U.S. Senate special elections on Nov. 3, 2026. The Jan. 3 rule covers regular terms. We have not confirmed an official seating date for the special-election winners, and this story will add it once one is set.

To mark the dates, our January 2027 printable calendar and December 2026 printable calendar show the full months, and the printable below lists every term-start date on one page.