Voters in five US states – Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Michigan, and Washington – are headed to the polls for another key round of midterm primaries, where they will choose the Republican and Democratic candidates to compete in November’s elections.
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they → head → elections
Several of the contests on Tuesday will help shape the battle for control of the US Congress, where Democrats need to flip four Senate seats and three House of Representatives seats to regain the majority.
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Democrats → help → majority
Others will test President Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party, and highlight growing divisions within the Democratic Party over issues including Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and a progressive flank that has been gaining ground.
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that → test → ground
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win → energise → 4Anti
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candidates → pose → Iran
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AIPAC → eye → Sayed
You can read about the Michigan primary here.
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You → read → primary
But there are also crucial races happening across four other states, from competitive House battlegrounds to high-profile intraparty fights that could offer an early glimpse of the political landscape heading into November.
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that → be → November
Here are the ones we are watching.
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we → watch → ?
In Kansas, a crowded battle to replace Laura Kelly
- When does voting in Kansas start?
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voting → replace → Kansas
Polls can open as early as 6am (11:00 GMT), although opening times vary by county.
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times → open → county
- When does voting in Kansas end?
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voting → end → Kansas
Polls close no earlier than 7pm on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday).
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Polls → close → Wednesday
Most polling places close at 7pm local time, though some counties may remain open until 8pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday).
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counties → close → Wednesday
What’s one big race to watch?
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race → ’ → ?
The biggest contest in Kansas is not for Congress but for governor, where both parties are choosing nominees to replace Democrat Laura Kelly, who has already served two terms and cannot run again.
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who → choose → terms
The open race gives Republicans a major opportunity to reclaim the governor’s office in a state that Trump won comfortably in 2024.
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Trump → give → 2024
But Kansas has a long history of electing governors from the opposite party, making the race more competitive than its Republican tilt might suggest.
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tilt → have → party
Trump has already weighed in, endorsing Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson.
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Trump → weigh → Masterson
Masterson is one of seven Republicans running for the nomination, including Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, and several others.
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Masterson → run → Schwab
Schwab has emerged as one of Masterson’s highest-profile rivals after gaining national attention for defending the integrity of Kansas’s elections against Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen and breaking with Republicans on voting rights issues, even while maintaining a broadly conservative record.
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election → emerge → record
On the Democratic side, state Senators Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher are competing against Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog.
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Corson → compete → Skoog
Another closely watched race in Kansas will be in the 3rd Congressional District, one of the state’s few politically competitive seats, and a target for Republicans.
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race → watch → Republicans
Representative Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in Kansas’s congressional delegation, is seeking another term after winning the district four consecutive times, despite a redistricting effort to make it more favourable to Republicans.
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it → seek → Republicans
Davids faces a primary challenge from progressive Democrat Sarah Preu, who argues Davis has not gone far enough on issues like immigration.
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Davis → face → immigration
Preu is campaigning on abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, ending US military aid to Israel and refusing donations from corporate political action committees, positioning herself as the more progressive alternative to Davids.
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Preu → campaign → Davids
In Missouri, Wesley Bell and Cori Bush face off again
- When does voting in Missouri start?
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voting → face → Missouri
Voting starts at 6am on Tuesday (11:00 GMT).
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Voting → start → Tuesday
- When does voting in Missouri end?
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voting → end → Missouri
Voting closes at 7pm Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday).
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Voting → close → Wednesday
- What’s one big race to watch?
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race → ’ → ?
Missouri’s heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District will see Representative Wesley Bell face former Representative Cori Bush, who was part of a group of progressive House members known as The Squad, in a bitter rematch.
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who → see → rematch
The primary will also be the first held under Missouri’s newly redrawn congressional map, approved by Republicans after Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional boundaries in hopes of expanding the party’s House majority.
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Trump → hold → majority
Bell narrowly unseated Bush in 2024, ending the progressive former Black Lives Matter organiser’s two terms in Congress.
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Bell → unseat → Congress
The two are now squaring off again in a race that has become an early test of whether Democratic voters are shifting back towards more progressive candidates, particularly as criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza has grown within the party.
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criticism → square → party
Bush, an early advocate of a Gaza ceasefire and a fierce critic of US military support for Israel, has cast the race as a fight against the Democratic establishment and the influence of pro-Israel money.
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Bush → cast → money
Bell has taken a more traditional Democratic approach, backing Israel while arguing the US should also press its ally to improve humanitarian conditions and protect civilians.
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US → take → civilians
The race has once again attracted millions of dollars in outside spending from the political arm of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, which spent about $3.1m in July backing Bell and opposing Bush ahead of the primary, according to the Associated Press.
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which → attract → Press
Bell has also picked up endorsements from Democratic leaders, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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Bell → pick → Pelosi
Both candidates emerged from the political movement that followed the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and voters are also weighing their records on healthcare, disaster relief and local issues.
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voters → emerge → healthcare
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
