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Top-two and top-four battleground primaries, 2026

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2026 top-two and top-four battleground primary elections
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Ballotpedia has identified eight top-two and top-four battleground primaries in 2026. To see how our list of battlegrounds has changed over the course of the year, click here.

A top-two primary system allows all candidates to run and all voters to vote in one primary election, with the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, moving on to the general election. As of 2026, two states—California and Washington—use a top-two primary system for congressional and state-level elections.[1][2] California's top-two primaries will take place on June 2, and Washingon's top-two primaries will take place on August 4.

A top-four primary system allows all candidates to run and all voters to vote in one primary election, with the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, moving on to the general election.[3] The 2022 election was the first time Alaska used this system. In 2020, Alaska voters approved a ballot initiative establishing the system for state executive, state legislative, and congressional elections. The initiative also established ranked-choice voting for general elections for the aforementioned offices and the presidency. Alaska's top-four primaries will take place on August 20.

In states that do not use a top-two or top-four system, all major parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to. In these systems, major parties can sometimes not be able to field a candidate in the general election if they fail to advance through the primary.[4][5]

Democratic Party Click here for information on Democratic Party battleground primaries in 2026.
Republican Party Click here for information on Republican Party battleground primaries in 2026.

Click on the links below to learn more about battleground races of other types:

Want to learn more about the elections and candidates on your ballot? Click here to use Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup.

Criteria

It is typically difficult to predict how competitive primaries will be until after filing deadlines take place. However, Ballotpedia uses a number of factors to give insight into the most interesting 2026 primary elections. Factors that will be used to determine the competitiveness of primaries include:

  • Whether or not the seat is open (retiring or resigning incumbent)
  • Notable endorsements of multiple candidates
  • Significant fundraising from multiple candidates
  • Number of candidates
  • Incumbent's years in office (if seeking re-election)
  • Whether or not the district's general election is expected to be a battleground

U.S. House primaries

There are 5 top-two or top-four battleground primaries for U.S. House seats in 2026.

State executive primaries

There are three state executive top-two or top-four battleground primaries in 2026:

Change log

This section lists every change that was made to our battleground list between the launch of the page in December 2023 and the close of the primary election season.

  • March 13, 2026: Removed CA-7.
  • February 27, 2026: Removed CA-9.
  • January 30, 2026: Added CA Insurance Commissioner.
  • January 27, 2026: Launched initial battlegrounds list with nine races.[6]

Noteworthy past top-two primaries

This section highlights past top-two battleground primaries to illustrate how top-two primaries can produce outcomes that are not typical in other primary systems.

  • In the 2012 primary for California's 31st Congressional District, Republicans Gary Miller and Bob Dutton both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Miller received 26.7 percent of the vote and Dutton received 24.8 percent of the vote. Four Democratic candidates split the remaining 50 percent of the vote, with the top candidate receiving 22.6 percent.
  • In the 2014 primary for California's 25th Congressional District, Republicans Tony Strickland and Stephen Knight both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Strickland received 29.6 percent of the vote and Knight received 28.4 percent of the vote. The two Democratic candidates split 32 percent of the vote 22-9, which eliminated them both from the general election.
  • In the 2018 primary for California's 8th Congressional District, Republicans Paul Cook and Tim Donnelly both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Cook received 40.8 percent of the vote and Donnelly received 22.8 percent of the vote. Three Democratic candidates split the remaining 36 percent of the vote, with the top candidate receiving 21.7 percent.
  • In the 2024 primary for Washington's 4th Congressional District, Republicans Jerrod Sessler and Dan Newhouse both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Sessler received 33.1 percent of the vote and Newhouse received 23.4 percent of the vote. Another Republican candidate received 19.3 percent of the vote, while three Democratic candidates split 22.9 percent of the vote.
  • In the 2024 primary for California's 20th Congressional District, Republicans Vince Fong and Mike Boudreaux both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Fong received 41.9 percent of the vote and Boudreaux received 24.0 percent of the vote. Marisa Wood (D) finished third with 21.2 percent of the vote.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Alex Padilla California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed October 25, 2019
  2. ↑ Louisiana is not included here because although it uses a majority-vote system, a candidate may win the election outright in the first round. In California and Washington, candidates cannot win the election outright in the top-two primary.
  3. ↑ Fairvote, "Top Four," accessed September 13, 2017
  4. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
  5. ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
  6. ↑ The original nine races identified were: AK Gov, CA Gov, CA-4, CA-7, CA-9, CA-11, CA-22, CA-40, and CA-41.
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