Primary Elections: Who Can Vote and Why | GovFacts Primary elections differ fundamentally from general elections in purpose Voters don’t elect someone to office in a primary They help a political party decide which candidate will carry its banner in November Primary elections have become the only elections that matter in most American districts
Primary election - Wikipedia Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate
Primary Elections by State This chart lists the state primary election dates in all the states, the District of Columbia and U S territories This chart also lists primary runoff dates (if applicable) for states with U S Senate races, and the number of House Districts for each state territory Download the Primary Election Dates Calendar here
2026 Statewide Primary Calendar - 270toWin Primary dates for the 2026 statewide elections State primaries will be held for Senate, House and gubernatorial races Link to live results on primary day
Heres how some key primary races played out : NPR Polls have closed on the busiest primary election day so far in the 2026 midterms Voters in six states made their choices In Kentucky, President Trump successfully ousted another incumbent --