Congressional Primaries…May
May 19, 2026
Today and next Tuesday, May 26, are consequential dates in the battle for the House and Senate. Six states will be holding congressional primaries that will decide their parties nominees this fall.
- Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Idaho will be holding primaries today.
- Texas will hold a runoff election next Tuesday for all contests that were not decided by its primary election on March 5. We detail the key races below.
- Incumbent Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) lost his re-election campaign in the primary last weekend. Cassidy had voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment, and Trump endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) who advanced to the runoff.
Tuesday, May 19
Alabama
Why it matters: Since the Supreme Court ruling on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act occurred last month, states across the south, including Alabama, have scrambled to redraw their states’ congressional maps.
The state of Alabama originally planned on holding all of its primaries today. However, with the new ruling, Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) delayed the primaries for the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th districts, which will now be decided on Aug. 11.
- These are districts that are likely to be redrawn by the legislature to make the map more advantageous to Republicans, and this delay gives current members of Congress more time to understand their new district boundaries.
- The 2nd and 7th districts are represented by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL-7) and Congressman Shomari Figures (D-AL-2).
- If the new maps are drawn as expected, its likely that Congressman Figures will face an extremely GOP friendly district.
- The seat will be a near guaranteed pickup for the GOP, making Democrats path to reclaiming the majority a bit more challenging.
Georgia
Why it matters: Georgia is seen as a must-win state for Democrats in their quest to control the Senate come 2027. If they don’t hold this seat, it becomes nearly impossible for them to gain a 51 seat majority.
On the Democratic side, incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) ran unopposed and will be the Democrats nominee for Senate. Ossoff won election to the Senate in 2021, by beating then incumbent Senator David Perdue (R-GA) in a runoff election.
On the Republican side, the race is down to three viable candidates. However, there are still five in the race, making a resolution today unlikely.
The question for today is who will advance to a runoff election to face Rep. Mike Collins, who has consistently led the polls for months.
Only a few percentage points separate Carter and Dooley, the two candidates in second place.
Today’s test will be between them, as one of them will likely be advancing to a runoff election to face Collins on June 16.
State of the race: In a debate on April 27, Rep. Buddy Carter, repeatedly attacked Rep. Mike Collins, over a House probe into allegations that Collins had used government funds to benefit a top aide.
Meanwhile, Dooley, a political newcomer, sought to appeal to both conservative and mainstream voters, pledging to leave office after serving two six-year terms and proclaiming that Congress needs new blood.
Also running are the two candidates below, neither is polling above single digits and unlikely to advance to a runoff election.
The takeaway: Whoever wins the nomination for the GOP will have an uphill battle to win in the general, as Ossoff has led nearly every poll and continues to maintain his edge in fundraising.
Kentucky
In Kentucky, incumbent Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-6) is running for the GOP nomination to the US Senate. Barr has led in the polls for months and was recently endorsed by President Trump on Friday, May 1.
- Subsequently, one of Barr’s opponents, Lexington businessman Nate Morris, dropped out of the race, endorsed Barr, and accepted a position in the Trump administration.
- Former Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron is also running for the seat, but with Barr receiving Trump’s endorsement, the primary is effectively over. Barr can now turn his attention to the general election.
Why it matters: In lieu of a shocking upset, Rep. Barr is likely to be crowned the Republicans nominee this evening.
Texas- Tuesday, May 26 (Runoff)
What’s happening: Texas Republicans are headed into the runoff with the party sharply divided between incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Polls show a neck and neck race with each candidate within the margin of error.
President Trump has loomed over the race, with both candidates vying for his endorsement earlier this year. However, Trump has yet to endorse, but has teased a choice soon.
Even though Paxton is seen as the more MAGA aligned candidate, Trump has yet to endorse him.
Cornyn has emphasized his seniority in Congress with 40 years combined as the states Senator, Attorney General, and Judge.
While conversely, current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has campaigned against Cornyn as a populist challenger, attacking Washington alliances and promising a more confrontational approach.
On the Democratic side, state Sen. James Talarico won the Democratic nomination on March 3, defeating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30).
The takeaway: The establishment likes Cornyn, while the populist wing of the party wants Paxton. Whoever wins the nomination will have a formidable challenger in Talarico, and the general election will likely be a coin flip come this fall.
Contact James Montfort (jmontfort@crefc.org) with any questions
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