US primaries: What to watch in Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Washington
From House battlegrounds to party fights and Trump’s influence, here are the races to follow during Tuesday’s primaries. Voters in five US states – Kansas
From House battlegrounds to party fights and Trump’s influence, here are the races to follow during Tuesday’s primaries. 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. 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. 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. You can read about the Michigan primary here. 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. Here are the ones we are watching. In Kansas, a crowded battle to replace Laura Kelly When does voting in Kansas start? Polls can open as early as 6am (11:00 GMT), although opening times vary by county. Polls can open as early as 6am (11:00 GMT), although opening times vary by county. When does voting in Kansas end? Polls close no earlier than 7pm on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday). Most polling places close at 7pm local time, though some counties may remain open until 8pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday). What’s one big race to watch? The Republican primary for governor. 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. The open race gives Republicans a major opportunity to reclaim the governor’s office in a state that Trump won comfortably in 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. Trump has already weighed in, endorsing Kansas Senate President Ty 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. 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. On the Democratic side, state Senators Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher are competing against Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog.
The BriefWire