By Wendy Underhill

Have you noticed all the new year stories about the midterm elections? Here’s what Governing magazine, Politico and the Wall Street Journal have to say. They focus on what’s likely to happen in November 2018. They may be jumping the gun.

November, after all, is a long way down the road. In the meantime, candidates face an earlier gantlet: party primaries, with the first one just nine weeks away. Texas holds that first state primary on March 6, with a runoff, if needed, scheduled for May 22.

Other fun facts:

• June is the most popular month for state primaries, with 17 states. August has 13, May has 11, and September has five.
• April and July are primary free.
• Massachusetts’ date is uncertain. It will be held in September, but avoiding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is making it hard to schedule. Some say it should be held on a Saturday.
• Tennessee is holding its primary on a Thursday (Aug. 2), Rhode Island on a Wednesday (Sept. 12) and Hawaii on a Saturday (Aug. 11). Otherwise, Tuesdays reign supreme.
• Eight states, including Texas, have plans for primary runoff elections.
• The Washington Post has put together a helpful 2018 election guide.

For details on state primaries, see NCSL’s webpage, 2018 State Primary Election Dates. That webpage’s chart has two options: on the top row, select State for an alphabetical list, or State Primary/Runoff Date for a chronological list.

Wendy Underhill is the director of NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting program.

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