Democrats make a pivotal choice in Michigan, a squad member tries to get back to Congress, Kansas weighs court reforms: Everything at stake in Tuesday’s primaries
S.C. picks Lindsey Graham’s successor, a democratic socialist eyes victory in Wis., Minn. tees up critical midterm battles: Everything at stake in Tuesday’s primaries
Your guide to the most important contests between now and November.
The midterm primary rush continues on Tuesday as voters in six states choose their parties’ candidates in pivotal races that could decide control of Congress.
Most eyes will be on South Carolina, where Republicans are holding a special Senate primary to choose a new nominee following the sudden death of longtime incumbent Lindsey Graham in July. His sister, Darline Graham, was chosen by South Carolina’s governor to fill her brother’s seat until January. She announced a week later that she would run for a full six-year term.
Republicans aren’t clearing the way for her nomination, though. Nine other candidates have jumped into the race, including GOP Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Polls have shown Graham and Norman ahead of the field, but both are well short of the 50% support they’d need to avoid a runoff. If no one receives at least half the vote, the top two finishers will go to a runoff on Aug. 25.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has chosen not to seek another term, setting off a messy battle between the progressive and moderate wings of the party over who should be their nominee to replace him. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist state lawmaker, has held a consistent lead throughout the primary. But Evers has said he believes Hong may be too far to the left to defeat the likely Republican nominee, Rep. Tom Tiffany, in the general election. Instead, the governor has thrown his support behind Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had briefly dropped out of the race before resuming his campaign with less than a month left in the primary. Polls suggest Crowley has an enormous amount of ground to make up if he wants to pull off a surprising victory.
From left: Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidates David Crowley and Francesca Hong during a primary debate in Milwaukee on July 28, 2026.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)Minnesota is on track to have a large amount of turnover in its most important elected offices. Gov. Tim Walz is not seeking reelection, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has chosen to leave the Senate to run for governor, is effectively unopposed in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, the Republican side is much more competitive. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has enjoyed a healthy lead, but recent polls have shown Lisa Demuth, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, gaining enough ground to be within striking distance in the final weeks of the primary.
The dynamic is flipped in the race for Minnesota’s other Senate seat, which retiring Democrat Tina Smith is vacating. Former NFL broadcaster Michele Tafoya seems to have all but locked in the GOP nomination, while Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig appear to be in an achingly close contest for the Democratic nomination.
Vermont Democrats are choosing their candidate to challenge Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who announced his intention to run for reelection in May after leaving voters in suspense over whether he’d seek another term. The Democratic primary comes down to Amanda Janoo, an economist who’s primarily worked in the private sector, and Aly Richards, a former gubernatorial aide and progressive lobbyist. Whoever wins will face a steep challenge as they try to unseat Scott, who was recently declared the most popular governor in America and won by more than 50 points the last time he was on the ballot.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on June 16, 2025.
(Boston Globe via Getty Images)Most of Connecticut’s primary races feature very little drama. The one exception is the Democratic primary in the state’s First Congressional District, which typifies the generational struggle within the party. Rep. John Larson is seeking a 14th term in the House, but the 77-year-old congressman is facing his first serious primary challenge since winning his seat in 1998. Polling in the race has been limited, but a survey taken in May suggests Larson faces a serious risk of being ousted by former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who is 30 years his junior.
Finally, there’s Alabama, where more than half the state is having a primary do-over thanks to a new congressional map that was put in place after its official primary had already been held. The new district lines, which eliminate one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts, were imposed in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that rolled back previous limits on racial gerrymandering. Now, voters in four of the state’s seven districts will cast their primary ballots for a second time.
The biggest changes were made to Alabama’s 2nd District, a former Democratic stronghold that was broken up and now favors Republicans. Six GOP candidates have joined the primary for the chance to unseat incumbent Rep. Shomari Figures, who forecasters expect to be one of as many as 16 Democrats to lose their seats as a result of a wave of redistricting by red-state Republicans this midterm cycle.
There are more important dates on the primary calendar on the road to the midterm election. Here’s a rundown of the races to watch across the country.
Aug. 18 — Alaska, Florida, Wyoming
Senate and gubernatorial races
Alaska’s unique nonpartisan “jungle” primary system means that the four highest-ranking candidates in its Senate and gubernatorial races will move on to the general election, which will be decided by a ranked-choice vote. The Senate contest has become complicated thanks to the presence of two Republican candidates named Dan Sullivan. One of them is an incumbent senator seeking reelection, the other is a little-known former Forest Service employee. Dan Sullivan, the senator, filed a lawsuit seeking to get the other Dan Sullivan’s name removed from the ballot on the argument that his presence will confuse voters, but he has been unsuccessful so far.
Florida will elect a new governor this year. Rep. Byron Donalds, a strong Trump ally, is the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination. Democrats haven’t won a governor’s race in Florida since 1994, but one March poll showed Donalds leading the two main Democratic candidates — Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and former GOP Rep. David Jolly — by single digits. It’s a similar story in the Florida Senate race: Incumbent Republican Ashley Moody was outpacing potential opponents in the crowded Democratic field by roughly 8 points.
Wyoming politics rarely gets national attention, but the nation’s least-populated state has some intriguing GOP contests up and down the ballot. Five Republicans are running for a Senate seat. Trump has endorsed Rep. Harriet Hageman, a MAGA-friendly congresswoman who is best known for ousting Trump critic Liz Cheney from the House. There are also crowded GOP primaries in Wyoming’s gubernatorial race and for its lone seat in the House of Representatives.
Aug. 25 — Oklahoma
Gubernatorial runoff
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Mike Mazzei, the state’s budget secretary, are in a runoff after neither was able to secure 50% of the vote in June’s Republican primary. Trump threw his support behind Mazzei before the first round of voting, but the two candidates finished the primary essentially tied, and head-to-head polls suggest the contest is a genuine tossup.
Sept. 1 — Massachusetts
Senate race
Progressive Democrat Ed Markey, 79, is running for another term in the Senate. He’s being challenged by Rep. Seth Moulton. Despite age being a major issue throughout the Democratic electorate, polls show Markey holding a solid though not insurmountable lead over his 47-year-old primary opponent.
Sept. 8 — New Hampshire
Senate race
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is not running for reelection. Rep. Chris Pappas has a huge lead in polls of the Democratic Senate primary. Republicans have recruited two former senators in their effort to flip Shaheen’s seat. Polls show John Sununu, who Shaheen knocked out of the Senate in 2008, with a healthy edge over former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.
Sept. 9 — Rhode Island
Gubernatorial race
Rhode Island’s Democratic governor, Dan McKee, seems to be at serious risk of being knocked out of office by a member of his own party. With a disapproval rating among likely voters of 76%, he trails former corporate executive Helena Foulkes by a significant margin in recent polls.
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