The Congressional Baseball Game returns to Nationals Park tonight as Republicans look to extend their dominance, with the GOP defending a five-game winning streak against Democrats seeking their first victory since 2019.
The annual matchup begins at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., featuring members of Congress from both parties competing for bragging rights and a cause that matters: organizers expect more than 30,000 attendees and anticipate raising nearly $3 million for charities including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
Republicans have dominated the congressional baseball game in recent years, winning decisively each year from 2021 through 2025. Last year’s contest saw the GOP prevail 13-2, according to C-SPAN coverage. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), the GOP team manager, plans to run largely the same roster that produced those victories, with Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) returning as the starting pitcher.
“Baseball is pretty simple whether you’re talking about the major leagues or this,” Williams told The Hill. “It’s all about throwing strikes. If you throw strikes, you usually win, and we’ve got guys that can do that.”
Democrats acknowledge the challenge ahead. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), the Democratic team manager, said her party has made significant roster changes and invested extra effort in preparation. “Last year, we really suffered from things that were beyond our control in terms of substituting players in and out,” Sánchez explained to Roll Call. “So this year I think the guys have taken it a lot more seriously. A lot of them have been practicing a lot more outside of our team practices.”
The Democratic roster includes several newcomers, with more than a quarter of last year’s squad not returning. New Democratic players include Reps. Sarah Elfreth of Maryland, Christian Menefee of Texas, Josh Riley of New York, and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia. Sánchez also noted that Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) is available this year, strengthening the team’s depth.
Beyond the competitive angle, research suggests the game fosters genuine legislative collaboration. According to a study by SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, an assistant professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia, congressional baseball players are significantly more likely to co-sponsor legislation together across party lines. When two members of the 117th Congress participated in the game, the likelihood of a bipartisan co-sponsorship was 56 percent—higher than other common connections like shared state representation or gender, Roll Call reported.
“There’s something to be said for being removed from the Capitol, removed from a formal caucus meeting and just becoming friends first,” Gaynor told Roll Call.
The 2026 game carries added intrigue this year. Mark Teixeira, the former Major League Baseball player who won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 2009 and led the American League in home runs that year, is running for Congress in a heavily Republican Texas district. Should voters elect him, he could join the GOP roster in future games. When asked by The Hill what Democrats need to do to win this year, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) quipped, “We need to draft a major league baseball player to come and play for us.”
The Congressional Baseball Game dates back to 1909, when Rep. John Tener of Pennsylvania, a former professional player, organized the inaugural contest. The tradition has evolved into one of Capitol Hill’s marquee events, with last year’s game drawing more than 31,000 spectators—surpassing the Washington Nationals’ own average home attendance of less than 24,000, according to Roll Call.
Sources
- Roll Call — Democrats’ five-year losing streak, GOP roster continuity, Republican dominance, research on co-sponsorship and legislative collaboration, team managers and roster changes
- The Hill — GOP team strategy, Democratic preparation efforts, Mark Teixeira’s candidacy and involvement, Roger Williams and Linda Sánchez commentary
- C-SPAN — Game date, time, location, 2025 final score of 13-2, tradition dating to 1909
- Congressional Baseball Game official website — Game history since 1909, charitable mission
- DC News Now — 2025 victory margin, $2.8 million raised for charity
