It’s not November yet, but election season has begun. On Tuesday, August 5, 2026, a round of primary elections occurred across the country.In some cases, the outcomes may provide insight into which candidates and political strategies will be successful in November’s general election. Here, btw takes a closer look.
Michigan
In a nationally watched election, Michigan faced a battle for the Senate between moderate Democrat Haley Stevens, a state representative, and progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official. Though the state’s Democratic Party threw its support behind Stevens, El-Sayed won the results of the party primary. Even though he had significantly less money to spend than his opponent did, El-Sayed had a successful grassroots strategy.
El-Sayed gained national attention online through podcasts and social media and hosted several well-attended rallies. El-Sayed has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has developed a popular slogan: “Money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for all.” El-Sayed’s success is viewed as a victory for far-left progressives over more centrist, traditional Democrats. El-Sayed will run against former Republican representative Mike Rogers in the November general election.
Democratic socialists also won two key House primaries in Michigan as well, making it a good night for far-left candidates in the state all around.
On the Republican side, Amir Hassan was defeated by Tom Smith in Michigan’s 8th congressional district. This was a significant outcome, because Smith had suspended his campaign and did not even file federal campaign finance records. Yet he won anyway. Hassan, the losing candidate, was endorsed by President Trump. More data is needed to decide if Trump’s endorsement helps or hurts candidates.
Missouri
Progressives didn’t triumph over Democratic centrists everywhere. In Missouri, Representative Wesley Bell easily defeated a challenge from former Representative Cori Bush, a democratic socialist.
Also in Missouri, voters widely voted against Amendment 4, a Republican-led effort that would have made it harder for citizens to put forth ballot measures. Similar Republican-led measures have failed in recent years in Ohio, Arkansas, and South Dakota.
Kansas
In the Kansas governor’s race, state Senator Cindy Holscher defeated state Senator Ethan Corson. Corson was considered the “establishment” candidate. He was endorsed by the current governor, Democrat Laura Kelly, and other important figures in the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, Holscher, who ran a more aggressively anti-Republican campaign, was victorious. In November, Holscher will face Senate President Ty Masterson, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate, for the governor’s seat. Kansas has a history of electing several Democratic governors in the past.
Also in November, Democrat centrist Adam Hamilton will challenge Republican Senator Roger Marshall for Marshall’s Senate seat. Hamilton is a large church pastor and his campaign has raised more than $3.6 million. If Hamilton wins in November, Democrats will be one seat closer to capturing the four they need to regain control of the U.S. Senate.
Virginia
Currently, Virginia has six Democrats and five Republicans in the U.S. House. Election night went well for Democratic centrists in the state–two centrist candidates won the nomination for U.S. House seats. The first is Shannon Taylor, an elected suburban prosecutor. The second is former Democratic Representative Elaine Luria, a retired Navy commander. Both Taylor and Luria were backed by several well-known Democrats and party officials. The candidates avoided strongly political messaging and advocated for working across the aisle with Republicans to lower costs for families in the state. This was a successful strategy in Virginia, which tends to favor more centrist candidates. Taylor and Luria will take on Republican incumbents Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans in November.