US primaries: What to watch in Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Washington

Voters successful 5 US states – Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Michigan, and Washington – are headed to the polls for different cardinal circular of midterm primaries, wherever they volition take the Republican and Democratic candidates to vie successful November’s elections.

Several of the contests connected Tuesday volition assistance signifier the conflict for power of the US Congress, wherever Democrats request to flip 4 Senate seats and 3 House of Representatives seats to regain the majority. Others volition trial President Donald Trump’s power implicit the Republican Party, and item increasing divisions wrong the Democratic Party implicit issues including Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza and a progressive flank that has been gaining ground.

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You tin work astir the Michigan superior here. But determination are besides important races happening crossed 4 different states, from competitory House battlegrounds to high-profile intraparty fights that could connection an aboriginal glimpse of the governmental scenery heading into November.

Here are the ones we are watching.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly rides on the way astatine the Super Bowl LVII Champions Parade successful downtown Kansas City, Missouri, the US [File: Amy Kontras/USA Today Sports via Reuters]

In Kansas, a crowded conflict to regenerate Laura Kelly

• When does voting successful Kansas start? Polls tin unfastened arsenic aboriginal arsenic 6am (11:00 GMT), though opening times alteration by county.
• When does voting successful Kansas end? Polls adjacent nary earlier than 7pm connected Tuesday (00:00 GMT connected Wednesday). Most polling places adjacent astatine 7pm section time, though immoderate counties whitethorn stay unfastened until 8pm (01:00 GMT connected Wednesday).
  What’s 1 large contention to watch? The Republican superior for governor.

The biggest contention successful Kansas is not for Congress but for governor, wherever some parties are choosing nominees to regenerate Democrat Laura Kelly, who has already served 2 presumption and cannot tally again.

The unfastened contention gives Republicans a large accidental to reclaim the governor’s bureau successful a authorities that Trump won comfortably successful 2024. But Kansas has a agelong past of electing governors from the other party, making the contention much competitory than its Republican tilt mightiness suggest. Trump has already weighed in, endorsing Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson.

Masterson is 1 of 7 Republicans moving for the nomination, including Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, and respective others.

Schwab has emerged arsenic 1 of Masterson’s highest-profile rivals aft gaining nationalist attraction for defending the integrity of Kansas’s elections against Trump’s claims that the 2020 predetermination was stolen and breaking with Republicans connected voting rights issues, adjacent portion maintaining a broadly blimpish record.

On the Democratic side, authorities Senators Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher are competing against Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog.

Another intimately watched contention successful Kansas volition beryllium successful the 3rd Congressional District, 1 of the state’s fewer politically competitory seats, and a people for Republicans.

Representative Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat successful Kansas’s legislature delegation, is seeking different word aft winning the territory 4 consecutive times, contempt a redistricting effort to marque it much favourable to Republicans.

Davids faces a superior situation from progressive Democrat Sarah Preu, who argues Davis has not gone acold capable connected issues similar immigration. Preu is campaigning connected abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, ending US subject assistance to Israel and refusing donations from firm governmental enactment committees, positioning herself arsenic the much progressive alternate to Davids.

A protagonist of erstwhile Representative Cori Bush wears a run garment during a rally connected July 18, 2026, successful St Louis. [Michael Thomas/AP]

In Missouri, Wesley Bell and Cori Bush look disconnected again

• When does voting successful Missouri start? Voting starts astatine 6am connected Tuesday (11:00 GMT).
• When does voting successful Missouri end? Voting closes astatine 7pm Tuesday (00:00 GMT connected Wednesday).
• What’s 1 large contention to watch? The Democratic superior rematch betwixt Representative Wesley Bell and erstwhile Representative Cori Bush, wide viewed arsenic a proxy conflict implicit Gaza, the power of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and the aboriginal of the party’s progressive wing.

Missouri’s heavy Democratic 1st Congressional District volition spot Representative Wesley Bell look erstwhile Representative Cori Bush, who was portion of a radical of progressive House members known arsenic The Squad, successful a bitter rematch.

The superior volition besides beryllium the archetypal held nether Missouri’s recently redrawn legislature map, approved by Republicans aft Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw legislature boundaries successful hopes of expanding the party’s House majority.

Bell narrowly unseated Bush successful 2024, ending the progressive erstwhile Black Lives Matter organiser’s 2 presumption successful Congress. The 2 are present squaring disconnected again successful a contention that has go an aboriginal trial of whether Democratic voters are shifting backmost towards much progressive candidates, peculiarly arsenic disapproval of Israel’s warfare connected Gaza has grown wrong the party.

Bush, an aboriginal advocator of a Gaza ceasefire and a fierce professional of US subject enactment for Israel, has formed the contention arsenic a combat against the Democratic constitution and the power of pro-Israel money. Bell has taken a much accepted Democratic approach, backing Israel portion arguing the US should besides property its state to amended humanitarian conditions and support civilians.

The contention has erstwhile again attracted millions of dollars successful extracurricular spending from the governmental limb of the pro-Israel lobbying radical AIPAC, which spent astir $3.1m successful July backing Bell and opposing Bush up of the primary, according to the Associated Press. Bell has besides picked up endorsements from Democratic leaders, including erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

But Gaza is lone portion of the story. Both candidates emerged from the governmental question that followed the 2014 constabulary sidesplitting of Michael Brown successful Ferguson, Missouri, and voters are besides weighing their records connected healthcare, catastrophe alleviation and section issues. Because the territory is safely Democratic, whoever wins the superior volition beryllium favoured successful November.

Former Representative Elaine Luria speaks with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1177 subordinate Terraine Little July 9, 2026, successful Norfolk, Virginia [Kendall Warner/AP]

In Virginia, House battlegrounds instrumentality signifier arsenic Republicans prime Senate nominee

• When does voting successful Virginia start? Voting starts astatine 6am connected Tuesday (10:00 GMT).
• When does voting successful Virginia end? Voting closes astatine 7pm connected Tuesday (23:00 GMT).
• What’s 1 large contention to watch? The rematch successful Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, wherever Republican Jen Kiggans and Democrat Elaine Luria are connected people to look disconnected successful 1 of the country’s astir competitory House races.

While Virginia is improbable to determine power of the Senate, respective of its legislature races could play an outsized relation successful the combat for the House.

In the coastal 2nd District, Republican Representative Jen Kiggans, a US Navy seasoned and erstwhile authorities senator, is defending 1 of the country’s astir competitory plaything seats against erstwhile Democratic Representative Elaine Luria, besides a Navy seasoned who served connected the House committee investigating the January 6 onslaught connected the US Capitol.

Home to 1 of the US’s largest subject communities, the territory has go a apical Democratic target, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee adding Luria to its “Red to Blue” programme, which provides other enactment to immoderate of the party’s astir competitory challengers.

Democrats volition besides beryllium defending Representative Eugene Vindman successful the 7th District, wherever helium won by nether 3 percent points successful 2024, making the spot different apical Republican target. Three Republicans are competing for the nomination, including Doug Ollivant, the erstwhile manager for Iraq astatine the National Security Council, entrepreneur Philip Harding, and US Army seasoned and longtime operation idiosyncratic Rick Smithers.

The state’s legislature contention is expected to beryllium little competitive. Three Republicans are competing for the accidental to situation Democratic Senator Mark Warner successful November, but whoever wins is apt to beryllium the underdog successful November.

Warner, a erstwhile Virginia politician and exertion enforcement seeking a 4th term, is 1 of the state’s best-known politicians. As the apical Democrat connected the Senate Intelligence Committee, helium has amassed a run warfare thorax of much than $25m, won re-election by treble digits successful 2020, and faces nary Democratic superior challenger.

His Republican rivals — erstwhile national accountant Kim Farington, retired US Army Major General Bert Mizusawa, and erstwhile diplomat and US Marine seasoned David Williams — person each campaigned connected acquainted blimpish priorities, including shrinking the national government, fiscal restraint and nationalist security.

Representative Marie Gluesenkamp speaks during a municipality hallway lawsuit astatine Centralia College connected April 22, 2025, successful Centralia, Washington [Lindsey Wasson/AP]

In Washington, a House toss-up and a Democratic foreign-policy fight

• When does voting successful Washington end? Washington votes astir wholly by mail. Ballots indispensable beryllium postmarked by Tuesday oregon placed successful an authoritative driblet container by 8pm section clip (03:00 GMT connected Wednesday) to beryllium counted.
• What’s 1 large contention to watch? Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, wherever Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is defending a cardinal House battleground that could assistance find power of the enclosure successful November.

Because the northwestern authorities of Washington uses a top-two superior system, the 2 candidates who person the astir votes successful each contention beforehand to November careless of enactment affiliation, meaning it’s imaginable for 2 candidates from the aforesaid enactment to determination on.

In Washington’s 3rd legislature district, carried by Trump successful 2024, Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is seeking a 3rd word successful a contention that analysts are calling a toss-up.

Her strongest Republican hostile is Trump-endorsed Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun, who’s looking to win wherever Republican Joe Kent failed twice, aft the erstwhile car store co-owner narrowly won the spot successful 2022 and held it again successful 2024 by cultivating an independent-minded, working-class representation and occasionally breaking with her party.  She’s besides facing a situation from the near from progressive Brent Hennrich.

Out of 9 candidates successful the primary, Gluesenkamp Perez and Braun are the ones wide expected to advance, but the contention is wide seen arsenic a bellwether for the midterms.

Another contention worthy watching is successful Washington’s safely Democratic 9th District, wherever longtime Representative Adam Smith faces respective challengers, including Democratic campaigner Melissa Chaudhry and autarkic socialist Kshama Sawant.

Smith, who’s represented the territory for astir 3 decades and has often criticised the Democratic Party’s near flank, is simply a elder subordinate of the House Armed Services Committee and a salient protagonist of US defence spending.

Sawant, who served for a decennary connected the Seattle City Council, is campaigning connected an explicitly antiwar level that includes ending US arms transfers to Israel. Chaudhry, who besides challenged Smith successful 2024, is moving arsenic a progressive alternate focused connected healthcare, migrant communities and reducing subject spending.

While Smith is wide expected to advance, the superior offers different gauge of the Democratic Party’s interior combat implicit Gaza, defence spending and whether absorption to the party’s foreign-policy constitution tin construe into votes.