On the Ballot: The 10 primary races to watch in August 

More than a dozen states are holding primary elections in August, ramping up the midterm primary calendar after a summer slowdown in July.  

Senate races in Michigan and Alaska will set November matchups for must-win toss ups that could decide control of the upper chamber, while highly competitive House primaries in Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin could give hints about what’s driving voters in both major parties ahead of Election Day. 

A series of primaries for governor could also shake up the national landscape as state leaders take the spotlight in President Trump’s second term.  

With fewer than 100 days to go before voters cast their general election ballots, the stakes are higher than ever for both parties to flex their political muscle in the primaries. 

Here are 10 races to watch next month:  

The Democratic primary for Senate in Michigan has become a proxy battle between the centrist faction, which is backing Rep. Haley Stevens (D), and the progressive, populist wing behind Abdul El-Sayed.  

The rivals are battling in an Aug. 4 primary to take on presumptive GOP nominee Rep. Mike Rogers, who has Trump’s endorsement for the swing state seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D). 

Stevens has Peters’s blessing to succeed him as well as support from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich. — while El-Sayed is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other figures from the party’s progressive faction. The contrast makes the primary a key test as Democrats scramble to figure out the best approach for their party after battleground losses in 2024.  

Cook Political Report deems the race a “toss up,” while Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) says it “leans Democratic.” The DDHQ analysis also predicts that if Republicans win this race, they jump to an 86 percent chance of holding the Senate majority. 

South Carolina Senate 

Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), newly appointed as a temporary replacement for her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), is running in an Aug. 11 special primary for a full term. 

At Trump’s urging, Darline Graham was tapped by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) to fill the remainder of the late senator’s term, after 71-year-old Lindsey Graham died from a “brief and sudden illness” in July.   

But Lindsey Graham was running for a fifth term in the Senate this fall, easily notching renomination in the initial June primary, and his passing sets up a closely watched special primary to replace him on the November ballot. 

Though Trump has endorsed Darline Graham for a full term, Senate hopefuls have nevertheless poured into the race.  

GOP Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman as well as businessman Mark Lynch, who unsuccessfully primaried Lindsey Graham in June have jumped into the race too.  

If no candidate scores a majority of the vote, the race will head to an Aug. 25 runoff. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews.  

Republicans would rather face progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D), the second-in-command to former Democratic vice-presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D), than centrist Rep. Angie Craig (D) in the open race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith (D) in Minnesota.   

On the GOP side, former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya has been growing her primary lead in recent polling, while the Democratic primary has tightened.  

But despite the divided Democratic primary, the political landscape could prove difficult for Republicans in the state that was roiled by Trump’s crackdown on immigration earlier this year.  

The Senate race in the Last Frontier could represent one of Democrats’ best pickup opportunities in the fight for control of the upper chamber, and primaries are set for Aug. 18.  

Democrat Mary Peltola, who was Alaska’s at-large representative in the House until she was ousted in 2024, has fueled the party’s hopes of flipping the Senate seat from Sen. Dan........

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