Author: Al Jazeera Staff
Published on: 04/08/2026 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
Voters in five US states – Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Michigan, and Washington – are headed to the polls for another key round of midterm primaries. Some 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. 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. Kansas has a long history of electing governors from the opposite party, making the race more competitive than its Republican tilt might suggest. On the Democratic side, state Senators Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher are competing against Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog. Representative Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in Kansas’s congressional delegation, is seeking another term. In Missouri, Wesley Bell and Cori Bush face off again. Voting starts at 6am on Tuesday (11:00 GMT) When does voting in Missouri end? Voting closes at 7pm Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday). What’s one big race to watch? The Democratic primary rematch between Representative Wesley bell and former Representative Cori bush. AIPAC spent about $3.1m in July backing Bell and opposing Bush ahead of the primary. Both candidates emerged from the political movement that followed the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. In Virginia, House battlegrounds take shape as Republicans pick Senate nominee. Voting starts at 6am on Tuesday (10:00 GMT) When does voting in Virginia end? Voting closes at 7pm on Tuesday (23:00 GMT). Virginia is unlikely to decide control of the Senate, but several of its congressional races could play an outsized role in the fight for the House. In the coastal 2nd District, Republican Representative Jen Kiggans is defending one of the country’s most competitive swing seats. Mark Warner, a former Virginia governor and technology executive seeking a fourth term, is one of the state’s best-known politicians. As the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, he has amassed a campaign war chest of more than $25m, won re-election by double digits in 2020, and faces no Democratic primary challenger. His Republican rivals — former federal accountant Kim Farington, retired US Army Major General Bert Mizusawa, and former diplomat and US Marine Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is seeking a third term in a contest that analysts are calling a toss-up. In Washington’s 3rd congressional district, carried by Trump in 2024, Democratic Rep. Perez wants a second term. Her strongest Republican opponent is Trump-endorsed Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun. Out of nine candidates in the primary, Gluesenkamp Perez and Braun are the ones widely expected to advance, but the race is widely seen as a bellwether for the midterms. Longtime Rep Adam Smith faces several challengers, including Democratic candidate Melissa Chaudhry and independent socialist Kshama Sawant.

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