Six states hold their primaries Tuesday. It is one of the more consequential days on the 2026 election calendar. Some of the more high-profile contests are discussed on this page. Select a state below for full coverage.
1All candidates appear on a single ballot with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.
27:00 PM local time. That’s 8:00 PM Eastern for those on Central Time and 9:00 PM Eastern for those on Mountain Time.
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California
Many of Tuesday’s most interesting primaries are taking place in the nation’s largest state. In these contests, all candidates appear on a single ballot. Except where noted, the top two finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
Elections in California are conducted largely by mail. Ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive up to seven days later and still be counted. In closely-contested races, this may mean an extended period before a winner can be projected.
Governor
There have been numerous twists and turns in the race to succeed term-limited Democrat Gavin Newsom. In the end, it looks like a three-way race for the two general election spots. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was somewhat of an afterthought in the field until the departure from the race of former Rep. Eric Swalwell. His support has since surged. Fellow Democrat Tom Steyer, investing heavily via his personal fortune, is also now solidly in that top three.
Aided by an April endorsement from Donald Trump, former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton has emerged as the clear Republican frontrunner. The president’s preference largely extinguished Democrats’ fears that a large, divided field could allow two Republicans — Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — to claim both general election spots. A GOP-only general election represented the party’s most plausible path to reclaiming the governor’s office in heavily Democratic California.
In the final 270toWin polling average, Becerra leads with 25% support. Hilton is second at 23%, and Steyer is at 20%.
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Los Angeles Mayor
The mayor’s race is officially nonpartisan. If one candidate gets a majority of the primary vote, they are elected.
Democrat Karen Bass is seeking a second term leading the nation’s second largest city. She has suffered low approval ratings dating from last year’s devastating wildfire and ongoing criticism of City Hall on issues such as homelessness, street conditions, and the cost of living.
The contest has evolved like the governor primary in that the field is large but only three candidates – two Democrats and one Republican – have a realistic chance of advancing.
Bass is being challenged from the left by City Councilmember Nithya Raman and from the right by reality TV personality Spencer Pratt. With two prominent Democrats splitting much of the vote, Pratt has an opportunity to advance to the general election in this deep blue city.
Raman initially endorsed Bass for reelection, then filed to run just before the deadline. Pratt entered the contest after losing his home in the wildfire and has used his media savvy to build a campaign around criticism of city leadership.
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There are also mayoral primaries in Long Beach and Chula Vista.
U.S. House
California voters approved Proposition 50 last November, allowing the Legislature to enact a map more favorable to Democrats for the remainder of this decade. Republicans may hold as few as four seats after the midterm elections.
Redistricting, retirements, vacancies, and generational challenges have led to a large number of interesting primaries across the state’s 52 districts. We discuss a few of them here. See all California U.S. House Results >
District 1 (Special Primary)
Republican Doug LaMalfa died in January. A special primary is being held Tuesday under the safe Republican lines in effect before redistricting. In California special elections, If one candidate gets a majority of the primary vote, they are elected. Otherwise, the top two finishers advance to a special general election. In this case, that will be on August 4.
The three leading candidates are state Sen Mike McGuire, Assemblymember James Gallagher and Audrey Denney, a consultant who lost to LaMalfa in both 2018 and 2020. Gallagher is the lone Republican among the three. He will be favored in the special election.
While Gallagher may prevail, his time in Congress will likely be short-lived. The regular primary will be contested using the redrawn district, which is safely Democratic. The field is largely the same. We are including the regular primary results below for comparison.
District 11
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is retiring. A large field is looking to succeed her. State Sen. Scott Wiener, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, and political advisor Saikat Chakrabarti are seen as the frontrunners. All are Democrats. Pelosi has endorsed Chan.
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District 22
Republican David Valadao is seeking a 4th term. If he wins, he’ll be the lone remaining GOP member of the House that voted to impeach Trump after January 6. Valadao and one of the two Democrats on the ballot will likely advance to what should be one of the most competitive general election contests in the state.
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District 40
This is one of the few relatively safe GOP districts left standing after redistricting. Ken Calvert (current CA-41) is running here against incumbent Young Kim. With five Democrats and an independent splitting the remaining vote, it is possible both Republicans advance. Prominent Democrats on the ballot include art dealer Esther Kim Varet and Joe Kerr, who lost to Kim in 2024.
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District 48
Republican Darrell Issa is retiring. This district was shifted significantly to the left. Republican Jim Desmond has led in limited polling. Two Democrats – San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and naval officer Ammar Campa-Najjar – have benefited from millions in outside funding. Campa-Najjar finished second in the 2018 and 2020 election for this seat.
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Iowa
U.S. Senate
Republican Joni Ernst is retiring after two terms. Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02) and former state Sen. Jim Carlin are competing for the party’s nomination. Hinson – who has Trump’s endorsement – is a strong favorite.
The Democratic primary also features two candidates: state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls. Turek seems to have the momentum heading into the primary. He has picked up a number of high-profile Senate endorsements as his moderate image (relative to Wahls) may play better in the general election.
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Governor
Kim Reynolds (R) is retiring. Five Republicans are competing for the party’s nomination. This was a somewhat competitive race, but a very late Trump endorsement of Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04) has made him the favorite heading into the voting Tuesday.
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Sand’s messaging and the overall political environment have most forecasters seeing this as a competitive general election race.
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South Dakota
Governor
Larry Rhoden succeeded fellow Republican Kristi Noem when she resigned in January of last year. Rhoden has drawn three credible challengers, and any of the four could emerge as the nominee. The others are at-large U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, House Speaker Jon Hansen and businessman Toby Doeden.
Averaging the three public polls released last month, Rhoden is at 25%, Doeden 24% and Johnson 23%. Hansen trails slightly at 17%.
One added wrinkle is South Dakota’s runoff rule for governor and congressional races. If no candidate wins 35% of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a runoff. This year, that would be held July 28. History will be made if a runoff is needed. This provision has not been triggered in the 40 years since it was enacted for the 1986 elections.
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New Jersey
U.S. House
District 7 (D)
Republican Tom Kean Jr. is seeking a third term. He is unopposed for renomination. Four Democrats are competing to challenge him. Businesswoman Rebecca Bennett led a recent poll with 36% support (including leaners). The other three candidates were deadlocked at about 20% each.
Already competitive, the general election race has drawn increased attention due to the disappearance of Kean almost three months ago. It has since been announced that he is being treated for an undisclosed illness. Kean did resurface last month and indicated he would make a full recovery and plans to return to work in the near future.
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District 12 (D)
Bonnie Watson Coleman is retiring after six terms. 13 Democrats, including numerous elected officials, are competing to succeed her in this deep blue district.
One of the leading candidates is plastic surgeon Adam Hamawy. He is a critic of Israel, and has received considerable funding from a new Pro-Palestine super PAC. Hamawy’s momentum may be slowed by recent publicity over his ties to Omar Abdel-Rahman. The “Blind Sheikh” was a militant prosecuted after the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center.
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Montana
U.S. Senate
Republican Sen. Steve Daines withdrew from his reelection campaign just prior to the filing deadline on March 4, endorsing Kurt Alme to succeed him. Alme was the US Attorney for the District of Montana, but resigned to run in this election. Alme has minor primary opposition.
Former state Rep. Reilly Neill is the most prominent of the five Democrats looking to take on Alme.
The March 4 date also saw former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar file as an independent. He has been endorsed by former Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. While Bodnar is hoping to clear the Democratic field to create a scenario like that in Nebraska, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
Having both Bodnar and the Democratic nominee on the general election ballot will complicate an already uphill battle to flip the seat in this conservative state.
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New Mexico
Governor
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is term-limited. Former Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-01), who served as Interior Secretary under Joe Biden, and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman are battling for the Democratic nomination.
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On the GOP side, three are competing for the nomination. Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull has led in limited polling, although that lead has narrowed. A Public Opinion Strategies survey from mid-May was within the margin of error.
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Arkansas House District 44 (Special Primary)
There is also one special legislative primary Tuesday in Arkansas. District 44 is vacant due to the death of Republican Stan Berry in March. No Democrats have contested this seat in recent cycles and that remains the case here. Four Republicans are on the ballot. If none gets a majority, there will be a June 30 runoff. Polls close at 8:30 PM Eastern Time.