This week on the Hill: Minnesota, Wisconsin to hold key primary races

With Congress in its August recess, The Hill highlighted a series of 11 August primaries expected to influence the 2026 midterm contests, particularly in the Midwest. Wisconsin Democrats were choosing a nominee to replace the retiring Governor Tony Evers. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, backed by Evers, represented the party’s more established wing, while state Representative Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, ran as the principal progressive candidate. The unsettled field, including candidates who had withdrawn after early voting had begun, made the contest a test of Democratic unity and of competing arguments about which candidate would be strongest in the November election against Republican Representative Tom Tiffany.

Minnesota Democrats were selecting a Senate nominee for the seat being vacated by Senator Tina Smith. The leading candidates were Representative Angie Craig, who emphasised her record of winning a competitive House district, and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who had support from prominent progressive Democrats and Smith. The contest featured a wider debate over ideological direction, campaign spending, immigration and fraud in state social programmes. The primary day also included a South Carolina Republican special Senate primary following Lindsey Graham’s death, alongside statewide primaries in Connecticut and Vermont and a special House primary in Alabama, making it one of the busier dates in the midterm calendar.