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May 19th will be one of the busiest days of the 2026 election cycle, and a day with potentially significant results.
Across six states, Americans will vote in the House, Senate and gubernatorial primaries, among other local races. The election comes at the head of a crowded month-long campaign to select candidates for Washington and state government positions during the November midterm elections. These elections come as Republicans aim to maintain slim majorities in both chambers of Congress and as President Donald Trump takes steps to purge Republican opposition.
John McGlennon, a government professor at the College of William and Mary, said the redistricting and massive campaign spending shows how high the stakes are on May 19.
“The next few weeks of primaries will tell us whether these tactics will work,” he said of efforts to raise large sums of money by changing congressional maps in races such as Georgia’s Senate race and Pennsylvania’s House primary.
Here are some of the races to be held on May 19th, as well as some of the notable contests to watch.
Which states will have races on May 19th?
Six states will hold primaries on May 19th.
- Alabama: U.S. House of Representatives, Governor
- Georgia: U.S. House of Representatives, Governor
- Idaho: U.S. House of Representatives, Governor
- Kentucky: US House of Representatives and Senate
- Oregon: U.S. House of Representatives, Governor
- Pennsylvania: US House of Representatives, Governor
Main things to note
1. Georgia gubernatorial and Senate primaries
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff ran unopposed in Georgia’s Senate primary. But five Republicans, including Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, John Coyne, Derek Dooley and Jonathan McCollum, will be on the Republican side of the ballot, with the winner aiming to face Ossoff in a key race this November.
“Georgia is the only state with a Democratic incumbent that Trump actually won in 2024, so Ossoff is a top Republican target,” University of Alabama political science assistant professor Enrijeta Sino previously told USA TODAY. “Georgia remains the most flippable incumbent Democratic-held seat.”
The state will also vote on a candidate for the state’s top job, as current Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is one of seven Democrats competing in a crowded primary. On the Republican side, potential candidates include Rick Jackson, Lt. Gov. Bert Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Attorney General Chris Carr.
Mr. Trump has endorsed Mr. Jones as Mr. Raffensberger has drawn the president’s ire. Raffensberger is seeking governor, rejecting Trump’s request to “find” enough votes to win the state he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020.
The Georgia campaign has raised a lot of money, McGlennon said. According to OpenSecret, a political funding research group, this is particularly due to the role of “dark money”, a term for funds that do not have to reveal their sources and are intended to influence political outcomes.
All 14 of Georgia’s congressional districts will hold elections. There are currently nine Republicans and four Democrats in office in Georgia, with one vacant seat in the 14th Congressional District.
He said Georgia will likely have at least one runoff election as the race continues to be close, meaning no candidate will pass the 50% vote threshold.
2. Kentucky’s Trump opponents in the spotlight
In Kentucky, all eyes are on the race in the 4th Congressional District, where the political lifeline of Representative Thomas Massie, another Republican opponent of Trump, will be tested.
Massey has repeatedly opposed President Trump on a series of high-profile issues. Massey voted against the president’s tax cuts last year. He led the legislative fight to force the release of Justice Department documents related to the investigation into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. And Massi voted to halt the war against Iran.
The president is supporting Ed Gallein in Hebron, Kentucky, but polls ahead of the primary show Massie leading Gallein.
All eyes will also be on the Kentucky Senate Republican primary to choose a candidate to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is retiring after 40 years in office.
3. Alabama voters keep track of new maps
Alabama’s May 19 primary election comes after the Supreme Court upheld the state’s new congressional map, handing a victory to Republicans. The court has reversed a ruling that blocked the state’s Republican Party preference maps as racist and illegally diluting the voting power of black Alabamians.
But McGlennon says voters now face a confusing landscape with potentially different House districts compared to past elections. The primaries for Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th Congressional Districts will now be held on August 11th instead of May 19th, after Governor Kay Ivey changed the election dates following court redistricting.
“If you live in four of Alabama’s seven congressional districts, you will have to wait until August 11th to vote in those districts,” he says. “If you live there and already voted before the redistricting, your vote won’t be counted. You’ll have to do it all over again, and maybe this time with a different candidate in a different district. Confused? Consider yourself lucky if you’re not an Alabama voter.”
Contributor: Bert Jansen
