Dozens of members are nearing the end of their congressional careers and hanging up their voting cards. But for some, their family’s political legacies will continue, as their kids and relatives run for office in 2026. In the crowded Maine governor’s race alone, there are three contenders who are political scions: Democrat Angus King III, the son of independent Sen. Angus King; Democrat Hannah Pingree, the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; and Republican Jonathan Bush, the nephew and cousin of the two Bush presidents. US World Artificial Intelligence Dec 1 AI becomes a political wedge issue, creating odd bedfellows across parties Trump Administration Dec 17 Trump gives partisan address insisting economy is stronger than many voters feel New Jersey Dec 8 Trump's former lawyer Alina Habba resigns as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey While the trend is hardly new, this campaign cycle already features a number of notable races involving candidates who are related to former or current politicians. In New Hampshire, retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter, Stefany Shaheen, has launched a bid for an open House seat. Across the country, former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, is running for a state Senate seat in California. And in Georgia, the son of former GOP Rep. Jack Kingston, Jim Kingston, is running for his dad’s old House seat. Chellie Pingree said it has been both “heart-warming and terrifying” to watch her daughter, a former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, enter the political arena. But she also said it’s only “natural” to see the next generation of public servants following in some of their parents’ footsteps. “I’m at the other end of my career. I’m closer to retirement, obviously, than the beginning. You get to a certain age, and your kids are grown up in their own careers,” she told NBC News. “Angus is probably in his last term in the Senate, and Jeanne is retiring. So it’s sort of natural that our children would be at the age to run for Congress.” Asked if she encouraged her daughter to run, Pingree said: “Oh, God, no!” But she added: “She’s got her own political experiences, and this was a decision she had to make on her own with her family.” Angus King III told NBC News he’s learned a lot of lessons from his father, such as the importance of reaching across the aisle, as well as how rewarding a career in politics can be in having a “huge and positive impact on people’s lives.” “Sometimes people use the shorthand of, ‘Well, he’s the senator’s son,’” King III said, going on to analogize his situation to that of Hall of Fame hockey player Wayne Gretzky’s son when he decided to play high school hockey. “You still have to skate. You still have to shoot the puck. You still have to grind it out in the corner. There’s no real advantage from the name on the back of your jersey.” “The advantage is you’ve had this example of integrity, of caring for the people of Maine in this deep way, this commitment to service and the perspective of how we get things done, how do we help the most people,” King III continued. Noting his fellow political scions embarking on their campaigns, King III added: “No one is particularly surprised when a doctor’s child becomes a doctor.” Pros and cons Hailing from a prominent political family comes with some benefits. For one, it brings instant name recognition, which can help establish trust with voters and bring in donations. It can also help grab attention: Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and a member of America’s most iconic political dynasty, got splashy media coverage when he entered a crowded and competitive race in New York for a Manhattan-area House seat earlier this year. But family ties can also bring a unique set of challenges for candidates. In a political environment where there’s a thirst to replace the establishment, being associated with a politician could backfire — and fuel accusations of nepotism. “The benefit is, to some extent, voters already know what you’re getting. Name ID starts at a really high place — you don’t have to spend money building it, and you come into it with some advantageous fundraising relationships as well,” said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican strategist and former Republican National Committee communications director. “Hollywood loves a sequel. It’s a known commodity. It makes money. They know what they’re doing. But for every ‘Godfather Part II,’ there’s a ‘Hangover Part II,’” he continued. “You just don’t know — some of these candidates flame out.” Heye added that, as a candidate, “you’re still better off than not” being related to a political family. But he also said, “It’s harder now, because the parties have less power. We don’t have machines like we used to. If daddy was a senator, you still have to earn it to some extent. It isn’t handed to you. There’s more scrutiny.” These candidates will also need to contend with antiestablishment fervor in both parties that has led to a slew of primary challenges against incumbents. In the November NBC News poll, 57% of registered voters said they would vote to defeat and replace every single member of Congress if given the chance to, the highest share to support the hypothetical since 2013, during the confluence of the tea party movement on the right and the Occupy Wall Street movement on the left emerging as critics of the nation’s political and financial establishment. Carving out their own lanes For some candidates, there is added pressure to distinguish themselves from their families — which can sometimes make for awkward optics. This dynamic was on full display during the historic government shutdown this fall. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen helped broker a bipartisan deal to end the shutdown, agreeing to vote — along with a handful of other Democrats — to reopen the government in exchange for a Senate vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. But Stefany Shaheen, who decided to run for the House because of health care, staked out a position opposing her mother’s deal, citing the fact that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was refusing to guarantee a similar vote in his chamber. While the younger Shaheen was unaware of the shutdown deal until it became public, she did give her mom a heads-up about her own position prior to releasing the statement. “I think we both understood,” Stefany Shaheen told NBC News. “She knew I was doing what I believe is right. I knew she was doing what she believes is right. We were both trying to do the best we possibly could in the context of what was going on. At that point, we knew Johnson wasn’t going to bring a vote forward. So I let her know that I was going to come out in opposition.” There were no hard feelings about the situation, with the elder Shaheen praising her daughter’s independent streak when asked by NBC News. “She’s independent. She’s thoughtful. She’s got a background in health care and business and degrees from Harvard and MIT,” the senator said. “So she’s very smart, and she will do a great job. She is running as her own person, and the voters of New Hampshire know that.” It can also be difficult living in someone else’s shadow. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House, whose dad and brother served as Baltimore mayor, is a towering figure in Democratic politics. When she announced her retirement last month, there was speculation her daughter might run for the seat. In the News Trump Administration Dec 11 Indiana Republicans block redistricting push in a rare break with Trump Texas Nov 29 Texas House Republican will not seek re-election in 2026 Congress Nov 6 Nancy Pelosi, first female speaker of the House, won't seek re-election to Congress But, according to Pelosi, her daughter was eager to carve out her own lane. “She’s the best. She’s just fabulous. She’s so brilliant, well-read, talented. I’m very proud of her,” Pelosi told NBC News. “She wants to make her own path, though. She didn’t want to come here. She wanted to go to the state Legislature.” Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was just sworn in last month after winning a hard-fought primary to succeed her late father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died in March. She acknowledged that the Grijalva name gave her an edge in the race — her father was a well-known figure in the Grand Canyon State, in progressive politics and on Capitol Hill. But she said it’s not all upsides when running as the child of a politician. “I think that the bar is set really high. If you have a parent or a spouse that has served, you have to be ready to be compared all the time, and especially if [they are] beloved,” Grijalva said in an interview. She pushed back on critics’ complaints of nepotism. “When people talk about nepotism, it’s like, this is an election — you run or you don’t run, and people are going to decide who to vote for. It’s a very open process,” she said. “I mean, it was a five-way primary.” For GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, he sees it as a potential benefit that some people don’t even realize his son, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, is related to him. The younger Wilson is now running in a crowded race for governor. “He did everything on his own,” Joe Wilson told NBC News. “And I love it that people still don’t know he’s my son, so that means he’s doing good.” Siblings get in the mix, too Sometimes, the relative running for office is even closer than the parent-child relationship. Last month, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, a close ally of President Donald Trump’s, said he would not seek re-election and quickly endorsed his identical twin brother, Trever Nehls, for the job. Trump quickly followed suit and endorsed Nehls’ twin, who is now the favorite to win the primary and, thus, the ruby-red seat outside of Houston. In recent days, Troy Nehls has been showing his brother the ropes in preparation for the job, walking with him from his office to the House floor for votes and prompting jokes about a congressional version of “The Parent Trap,” where twins switch places unbeknownst to everyone else in their lives. The Nehls twins live next door to each other in Texas. “I’m not going away. I’ll come up here and see my brother and you guys can harass us while we walk up the steps,” Troy Nehls told reporters in the Capitol. “Hell, you won’t even know who you’re talking to.” Asked if there were indeed any distinguishing features that could help tell the pair apart, the congressman said: “He’s probably half an inch taller. … He may even have a little bit more hair on his head.” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the brother of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., agreed that there’s good and bad that comes with being part of a political dynasty. Both the senior and junior Jesse Jacksons have had their share of personal scandals. The younger Jackson resigned from Congress in 2012 and was sentenced a year later to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. Jackson Jr. is now running again for his old House seat in 2026, meaning the Jackson brothers could serve together in Congress. Jonathan Jackson said he supports his brother’s potential comeback, saying, “I believe in second chances. He’s paid a debt to society.” Jonathan Jackson described what he faced when he decided to jump into the family business in 2022: “Jackson name, Jackson history, Jackson father.” “I said, ‘Dad, I think I wanna run.’ My mother says, ‘Tell me, do you want to do this? You don’t have to do this for us.’ And I said, ‘Yes, Mom, I want to do this,’” he said. “My father’s words were: ‘You’re going into the deep. Let’s go.’” Brennan Leach and Kyle Stewart contributed. ...read more read less