The biggest primary night of the year is here
Tuesday is the biggest night of the 2026 primary season, with six states—including the nation’s largest—on tap. Below, you’ll find our guide to the top races to watch from coast to coast.
The first round of the race to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot seek a third term, has attracted by far the most attention. While Democrats have long feared that the state’s unusual top-two primary system might allow two Republicans to lock them out of the general election, recent polls show that Democrats could end up securing both slots in November’s showdown.
This will also be the first time the Golden State uses its new Democratic-drawn congressional map, which voters approved last November to counter the Republican gerrymandering drive that began in Texas.
Thanks to the revised boundaries, many incumbents are running in constituencies that feature significantly altered territory—and in some cases a different number—compared to the districts they were last elected to serve.
And a…