The 2026 primary election season began on Tuesday as voters in three states — Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas — headed to the polls to decide who will face off in the Nov. 3 election.
Several of the races were for competitive seats and could determine who controls the House and Senate after the midterms.
Texas Senate Primaries
This was particularly true in Texas, where Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, faced off against state Rep. James Talarico to be the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat.
On the Republican side, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faced Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Polls show Talarico, who ran on a progressive Christian message, could have a better chance of winning the November election than Crockett. The sitting congresswoman, also a progressive, has made a name for herself in Congress for her outspokenness, especially in her opposition to President Donald Trump.
Talarico was declared the winner of the Democratic primary, winning 53% of the votes to Crocket’s 46%.
Texans haven’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in almost 40 years, but a closely contested Republican primary and competitive polls are leading Democrats to believe they can win in November.
Cornyn and Paxton, meanwhile, will face each other in a runoff election on May 26, The Associated Press determined, since neither of them won more than 50% of the vote.
Cornyn came out barely ahead of Paxton 42%-41%, while Hunt won 13% of the vote.
Cornyn, who has represented Texas in the Senate for over two decades, will continue to have to fight off a challenge from Paxton, who is popular among many Trump voters.
Trump endorsed more than 130 candidates ahead of Tuesday’s primary, but notably stayed quiet in the Senate race.
North Carolina candidates in race to replace Tillis
In North Carolina, voters headed to the polls to cast ballots for another vital Senate race, which could also decide control of the upper chamber come November. The Senate seat is open after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced he wouldn’t run again.
The primary slimmed down the crowded field of six Republicans and six Democrats.
The Associated Press declared former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley as the winner in the GOP contest. Whatley had the president’s endorsement.
On the Democratic side, former two-term governor Roy Cooper was declared the winner.
In the House, primaries will take place based on the state’s new congressional map. The state Legislature last year drew new district boundaries as part of Trump’s push to maintain control of the lower chamber in November.
The map was redrawn to give Republicans a boost and there were five GOP candidates running to challenge Democratic Rep. Don Davis.
Republican Laurie Buckhout won the primary and will challenge Davis in November, according to the AP.
Voters in Arkansas chose nominees for various federal, state and local offices in the Tuesday primary.
GOP Sen. Tom Cotton easily defeated two primary challengers in his bid for a third term. Democrat Hallie Shoffner won her primary and will face Cotton in November.
Primary contests will stretch from now through the summer, ending in September before candidates gear up for the general election in November.