Midterms 2026Answers · Running for office
What is a primary election?
A primary is an election held before the main one to decide who represents each party on the November ballot. Voters choose among candidates from the same party, and the winner becomes that party's nominee for the general election.
How it works
Imagine five people want to be the Republican candidate in a district, and three want to be the Democratic one. Each party holds a primary. The Republican winner and the Democratic winner then face each other, and any independents or third-party candidates, in the general election.
Primaries usually happen in spring or summer of an election year, though dates vary by state. Some states hold runoffs when nobody reaches a required share of the vote.
Why primaries exist
Parties used to pick candidates in closed meetings. Primaries spread across the US during the early 1900s as a way to give ordinary voters a say. Today most Congressional nominees are chosen this way.
What they change
I think primaries shape politics more than most people expect:
- Turnout is usually much lower than in November, so a smaller, more committed group of voters decides
- Candidates often speak to their party's base first, then pivot toward the middle later
- In districts that lean strongly one way, the primary can effectively decide the final winner
Who usually wins
In many primaries the candidate with the most name recognition and money does well, though upsets happen. Endorsements from party leaders, local groups and well-known figures can also move the result, especially in crowded fields where voters know little about the candidates.
Types of primaries
States have different rules about who can vote, such as open and closed primaries. We compare those in a separate page. Some states also use other systems, like a single primary where all candidates appear together and the top finishers advance. The details change, so check your state election office.
Where new parties fit
A brand-new party isn't forced to hold a government-run primary in many places, and often picks candidates by convention or internal vote. That can save time, but it also skips the attention a primary brings.
In my game, Midterms 2026, I left primaries out on purpose. It's a free iPhone strategy game about the final 20 weeks before Election Day, where you found a party and run straight at the general election. I wanted the game to focus on map control, money and rival attacks, not nomination fights.
The short version
- A primary picks each party's nominee before the general election
- Rules on who can vote vary by state
- Turnout is lower, so smaller groups of voters have more influence