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5 states hold polls on Tuesday. Here's what to know
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Five states hold primaries Tuesday, with competitive House and Senate races that could ultimately decide control of Congress next year.
Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington are all holding contests. A number of Democratic primaries are pitting congressional incumbents against progressive challengers.
Redistricting efforts will also influence the races. Missouri Republicans redrew their map to squeeze Democrats, while Virginia moved its primary from June to August for a Democratic redistricting push that courts ultimately threw out.
Rep.
Rep.
El-Sayed is leading the polls for the primary contest. Yet Haley supporters argue that she has a better chance of winning in a purple state in November's general election.
Another test of the Democratic Party's direction will be in Michigan's 13th House District, which covers most of Detroit. Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar, the multimillionaire businessman, is running against state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a progressive Detroit native. McKinney has the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Rashida Tlaib and has made Thanedar's wealth and corporate ties the center of his more left-leaning campaign.
Republicans are fielding a handful of low-profile candidates, but according to Cook Political Report, whoever wins the Democratic primary is heavily favored in November.
Amanda McKinney, the Yakima County commissioner, has an endorsement from President Trump. Businessman and former candidate Jerrod Sessler has campaigned as the anti-establishment outsider. Republican state Sen. Matt Boehnke is more moderate.
In Missouri, the solid blue 1st Congressional District that includes St.
Bell defeated Bush two years ago, and now they are both back for a fiery rematch. Whoever wins this race — where apart from local issues, military aid to Israel has also been a big point of contention — will likely go on to serve in Congress.
While Bush has said she would vote to cut off military aid for Israel, Bell has voted against those moves. Bell is backed by Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while Bush is supported by the Democratic Socialists of America.
Seven other congressional districts in Missouri will hold primary races to pick candidates Aug. 4, under a new map the Republican-led Legislature passed that reshaped Democratic Rep.
Back in Michigan, a governor's seat is in play because term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is leaving it open in a state President Trump carried in 2024.
Tuesday's margins and turnout will offer the first signals about Democratic and Republican enthusiasm heading into November.
Benson's priorities are the economy and the public education system, she told Michigan Public Radio, while her competitor, Chris Swanson, the current Genesee County sheriff, said he would focus on an audit of the state women's prison, on curbing energy price hikes and on giving Epstein victims a voice.
Republican gubernatorial candidate John James speaks to attendees during a Macomb County primary eve party at Bumpers Landing on Monday in Harrison Township, Mich. James faces businessman Perry Johnson in Michigan's Republican primary on Tuesday. Johnson's priorities include eliminating the state income tax, making property taxes less onerous and improving the quality of the state's education programs, he told Michigan Public Radio.
Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Perry Johnson speaks with voters on July 20 in Port Huron, Mich.
Virginia's Election Day was pushed from June to August this cycle after a congressional redistricting referendum and an effort to change the maps by the Democrats; the attempt was overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court on technical grounds, but the later date stayed in place.
Michelle Moffit, a director at Virginia Civic Engagement Table, a non-partisan, non-profit that works to protect voting rights, said she expects more participation from voters because of the Louisiana v. Callais decision and how it could have impacted Virginia.
"I think more people are aware of what's at stake and how precious the right to vote is," she said.
Voters will pick nominees for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House on Tuesday, including in a few competitive swing districts in Virginia that could help decide control of the narrowly divided chamber in November.
A crowd of Democratic candidates are competing in a primary in Kansas on Tuesday for a Senate seat, according to Kansas Public Radio. The winner will challenge Republican incumbent Roger Marshall in November.
Kansas' gubernatorial and House races also have contests between establishment candidates and outside challengers, to match the national trend, in both Republican and Democratic primaries.
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 5 states hold polls on Tuesday.
+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Primaries in 5 states today have high stakes for Democrats From Michigan's Senate and governor primary to Missouri's 1st Congressional District, a number of key races in primary elections Tuesday could signal the future for Democrats and Republicans.
− Here’s what to know Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington hold primaries Tuesday, with races that could ultimately decide control of Congress next year.
+ Politics 5 states have primary elections on Tuesday.
− Redistricting efforts will also influence the races.
+ These are the races to watch August 4, 20265:00 AM ET By
Maham Javaid
,
Sam Gringlas
A man walks outside Lincoln Liquor & Wine on Monday in Oak Park, Mich.
− Politics 5 states hold polls on Tuesday. Here's what to know August 4, 20265:00 AM ET By
Maham Javaid
A man walks outside Lincoln Liquor & Wine on Monday in Oak Park, Mich.
− The open U.S.
+ In Michigan, retaining an open Senate seat is seen as a must-win for Democrats hoping to retake the chamber next year.
− Senate seat in Michigan, a swing state, has two Democratic candidates lodged in a tight race to win their party's nomination.
+ But first, voters here will decide between two millennial Democrats vying to run against the likely nominee, former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, this fall.
− Democratic U.S.
+ The Senate primary has become a test of how candidates farther left on the political spectrum will fare outside liberal cities where they have swept elections this fall.
The race has turned tense as multiple fights about the direction of the party collide, with Democrats sensing the tide turning after nearly two years out of power.
− Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at his Get Out the Vote rally in Detroit on Monday.
+ Should Democrats go with tested centrist candidates with cross-aisle appeal?
− He is hoping to defeat U.S.
+ Or take a chance on insurgent campaigns with the potential to tap into the anger motivating many voters?
U.S.
− Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary to advance to the general election in November.
+ Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a candidate for Michigan's open U.S.
− The candidates are vying to replace retiring Sen.
+ Senate seat, speaks to the press before talking to churchgoers at Fellowship Chapel on Sunday in Detroit.
− Gary Peters.
+ Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, currently holds a double-digit lead against Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, according to recent polling.
− Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate supported by other far left-leaning Democrats will be up against Rep.
+ Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption
Rep.
− Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate, supported by Democratic Party leaders.
+ Haley Stevens flipped a suburban House seat in 2018 and served on the team President Obama tasked with rescuing the auto industry during the Great Recession.
− El-Sayed is a former Detroit public health official who ran an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018.
+ She has pledged to fight Trump and has focused on her support for Michigan manufacturing.
− U.S.
+ Democratic U.S.
+ Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at his Get Out the Vote rally in Detroit on Monday. He is hoping to defeat U.S.
− Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a candidate for Michigan's open U.S.
+ Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary to advance to the general election in November.
− Senate seat, speaks to the press before talking to churchgoers at Fellowship Chapel on Sunday in Detroit.
+ The candidates are vying to replace retiring Sen.
− Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, currently holds a double-digit lead against Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, according to recent polling.
+ Gary Peters.
− Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption
Stevens is running for a fifth term and has been boosted by millions in outside spending.
+ Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Her opponent is epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed, former health director for Detroit and later Wayne County.
− She has outspent El-Sayed on the airwaves by at least eight times, according to AdImpact — including groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, whose involvement El-Sayed has criticized.
+ El-Sayed lost a primary for governor against Whitmer and hosted a public health podcast. His platform includes embracing Medicare for All and cutting the influence of corporate money in politics, constantly slamming the millions being spent against him by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.
+ Stevens has the money advantage and has outspent El-Sayed on the airwaves by at least eight times, according to AdImpact — including groups aligned with AIPAC.
− Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face Mike Rogers, a former congressman who is unopposed for the Republican nomination and narrowly lost the state's other U.S. Senate seat to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.
− If the Democrats want to win back the Senate, they have to hold on to the seat in Michigan.
+ Politics In the race for Senate in Michigan, multiple party fights are colliding for Democrats Michigan is a true swing state.
− The race has also garnered national attention because it's become a referendum on the Democratic Party's identity and the kind of candidate it should be nominating: a centrist or someone more left leaning.
+ Joe Biden won Michigan in 2020, and Donald Trump carried the state in 2016 and 2024, the latter election even as Democrat Elissa Slotkin narrowly won an open Senate seat that had been held by Democrats.
− In Washington's conservative 4th Congressional District, rated as solidly Republican by Cook Political Report, the top three Republican candidates are representative of three different arms of the party.
+ Elections For Republicans planning post-Trump future, one race in Washington is worth watching In Washington's conservative 4th Congressional District, rated as solidly Republican by Cook Political Report, the top three Republican candidates are representative of three different arms of the party.
− Tuesday's decision by GOP voters will reflect the direction they have chosen for a rural, heavily Latino district that subsists on agriculture and energy production.
+ Tuesday's decision in the primary — where the top two candidates proceed regardless of party — will reflect the direction Republican voters have chosen for a rural, heavily Latino district that subsists on agriculture and energy production.
− Louis is hosting another one of this cycle's marquee Democratic primaries on Tuesday: between current Congressman Wesley Bell and former Congresswoman Cori Bush.
+ Louis is hosting another one of this cycle's marquee Democratic primaries on Tuesday: between current Rep. Wesley Bell and former Rep. Cori Bush.
− Emanuel Cleaver II's Kansas City-area seat.
+ Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City-area seat.
− The Democratic front-runner is Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's secretary of state since 2019, according to the Cook Political Report.
+ The Democratic front-runner is Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's secretary of state since 2019.
− Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption
In the Republican primary, Congressman John James, the 2018 and 2020 Senate nominee, has Trump's endorsement, though Perry Johnson, a businessman and author, is proving to be tough competition.
+ Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption
In the Republican primary, Rep.
+ John James, the 2018 and 2020 Senate nominee, has Trump's endorsement, though Perry Johnson, a businessman and author, is proving to be tough competition.
− Paul Sancya/AP hide caption
The House majority is likely to come down to a handful of tossups, including Michigan's 7th Congressional District, where Republican Rep.
+ Paul Sancya/AP hide caption
Elections Primaries in the Midwest have become a high stakes proving ground for progressives The House majority is likely to come down to a handful of tossups, including Michigan's 7th Congressional District, where three Democrats, including Will Lawrence, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, are running to take on first-term Republican Rep.
− Tom Barrett will run against the Democratic nominee who wins Tuesday's primary.
+ Tom Barrett.
+ A previous version of this story incorrectly said Rep. Haley Stevens is running for her fifth term. The four-term congresswoman is running for a potential first term as a U.S. senator.