August features a flurry of midterm primary election activity, with 17 U.S. states—more than a third of the country—holding primaries this month.
Voters from Alabama, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin already cast ballots this month, with Alaska, California, Florida, and Wyoming to follow on August 18.
In Michigan, the highly publicized race between Democratic Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens concluded with a narrow victory for El-Sayed, a far-left candidate known for his outspoken opposition to continued U.S. aid to Israel and support for healthcare reform. El-Sayed’s victory, however, could clear the way for Republican Mike Rogers to position himself as a more moderate candidate and flip the seat for the GOP.
President Trump’s endorsement was not enough to help Navy veteran and guest at the IEC PAC Dinner at Policy Conference 2026 Amir Hassan win the Republican primary in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, which is one of 13 districts nationwide that voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election while also electing a Democratic representative to Congress. Instead, Thomas Smith, who dropped out of the race in July and received less than $2,000, received more than 50% of the vote and will face incumbent Kristen McDonald Rivet and her $5 million fundraising advantage in November.
In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall cruised to a renomination and will face Democrat Adam Hamilton in November. Marshall is a cosponsor of the Faster Labor Contracts Act (S. 844), which IEC strongly opposes.
In a meme-worthy race in Alaska, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is facing not only Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, but another GOP hopeful who shares his name. While Senator Dan S. Sullivan is widely favored over Dan J. Sullivan, the two-termed incumbent is neck-and-neck with Peltola, fueling nationwide attention and spending on the race.
California is holding a special election in its 1st House District to replace Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who died suddenly in January. LaMalfa’s former seat is expected to flip Democratic, as a result of California’s partisan redistricting following a similar effort in Texas. The feud between the two states set off a nationwide gerrymandering arms race, with many states redrawing their electoral maps to maximize partisan advantage.
After August, only a handful of small, northeastern states will still need to hold their primaries – Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
Election watchers have pointed out that El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan was much closer than anticipated – less than one percentage point after he led at least three polls by double digits. Whether this measures a fracture within the Democratic Party or voters’ attitudes across the political spectrum is difficult to determine, as well as what relationship the closer margin has to the overall anti-Republican mood heading into the midterms.
IEC urges all members to encourage employees to register to vote and consider supporting candidates with a strong record of championing free enterprise and the merit shop agenda.