2026 State Primary Election Dates

Elections

State primary dates for 2026 are listed below. Political parties use primaries to determine which candidates will run for their state’s partisan offices in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Legislative, congressional, gubernatorial and statewide offices are on the ballots in 46 states. 

Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia hold their legislative elections in odd-numbered years. The dates listed for those states apply to congressional and other races. 

The earliest state primaries for 2026 are held March 3, with the latest in mid-September. With 16 primaries, June is the busiest month for state primaries. Louisiana technically does not have a primary and instead holds a general election with a runoff.

Please visit NCSL’s State Primary Election Types for information on closed, open, top two and other primary election types. 

Primary dates are subject to change by legislative action. The dates listed here are based on statutory requirements as of April 28, 2025. 

2026 State Primary Dates, Alphabetical

State	State primary date \| Runoff	Statute
Alabama	May 19 \| June 16	Ala. Code § 17-13-3
Alaska	Aug. 18	Alaska Stat. § 15.25.020
Arizona	Aug. 4	Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-201
Arkansas	March 3 \| March 31	Ark. Stat. Ann. § 7-7-203
California	June 2	Cal. Elec. Code § 1201
Colorado	June 30	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-4-101
Connecticut	Aug. 11	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-423
Delaware	Sept. 15	Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 3101
Florida	Aug. 18	Fla. Stat. § 100.061
Georgia	May 19	Ga. Code § 21-2-150
Hawaii	Aug. 8	Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 12-2
Idaho	May 19	Idaho Code § 34-601
Illinois	March 17	Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/2A-1.1
Indiana	May 5	Ind. Code § 3-10-1-3
Iowa	June 2	Iowa Code § 43.7
Kansas	Aug. 4	Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-203
Kentucky	May 19 Kentucky holds elections for state executive offices in odd-numbered years.	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 118.025
Louisiana	Nov. 3 \| Dec. 12 Louisiana holds elections for state legislators and executives in odd-numbered years.	La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:402
Maine	June 9	Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 339
Maryland	June 23	Md. Elect. Code Ann. § 8-201
Massachusetts	Sept. 15	Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 28
Michigan	Aug. 4	Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.534
Minnesota	Aug. 11	Minn. Stat. § 204D.03
Mississippi	March 10 \| April 7 Mississippi holds elections for state legislators and executives in odd-numbered years.	Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-1031
Missouri	Aug. 4	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.341
Montana	June 2	Mont. Code Ann. § 13-1-107
Nebraska	May 12	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-401
Nevada	June 9	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.175
New Hampshire	Sept. 8	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 653:8
New Jersey	June 2 New Jersey holds elections for state legislators and executives in numbered odd years.	N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:23-40
New Mexico	June 2	N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-8-11
New York	June 23	N.Y. Elect. Law § 8-100
North Carolina	March 3 \| May 12	N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 163-1, 163-11
North Dakota	June 9	N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-11-01
Ohio	May 5	Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3501.01
Oklahoma	June 16	Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 1-102
Oregon	May 19	Or. Rev. Stat. § 254.056
Pennsylvania	May 19	Pa. Stat. tit. 25, § 2753
Rhode Island	Sept. 8	R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-1
South Carolina	June 9 \| June 23	S.C. Code Ann. §§ 7-13-15, 7-13-50
South Dakota	June 2 \| July 28	S.D. Codified Laws Ann. §§ 12-2-1, 12-6-51.1
Tennessee	Aug. 6	Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 2-1-104, 2-13-202
Texas	March 3 \| May 26	Tex. Elect. Code Ann. § 41.007
Utah	June 23	Utah Code Ann. § 20A-1-201.5
Vermont	Aug. 11	Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 17, § 2351
Virginia	June 16 Virginia holds elections for state legislators and executives in odd-numbered years.	Va. Code § 24.2-510
Washington	Aug. 4	Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.04.311
West Virginia	May 12	W. Va. Code § 3-5-1
Wisconsin	Aug. 11	Wis. Stat. § 5.02
Wyoming	Aug. 18	Wyo. Stat. § 22-2-104

2026 State Primary Dates, Chronological

State	State primary date \| Runoff	Statute
Arkansas	March 3 \| March 31	Ark. Stat. Ann. § 7-7-203
North Carolina	March 3 \| May 12	N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 163-1, 163-11
Texas	March 3 \| May 26	Tex. Elect. Code Ann. § 41.007
Mississippi	March 10 \| April 7 Mississippi holds elections for state legislators and executives in odd-numbered years.	Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-1031
Illinois	March 17	Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/2A-1.1
Indiana	May 5	Ind. Code § 3-10-1-3
Ohio	May 5	Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3501.01
Nebraska	May 12	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-401
West Virginia	May 12	W. Va. Code § 3-5-1
Georgia	May 19	Ga. Code § 21-2-150
Idaho	May 19	Idaho Code § 34-601
Kentucky	May 19 Kentucky holds elections for state executive offices in odd-numbered years.	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 118.025
Oregon	May 19	Or. Rev. Stat. § 254.056
Pennsylvania	May 19	Pa. Stat. tit. 25, § 2753
Alabama	May 19 \| June 26	Ala. Code § 17-13-3
California	June 2	Cal. Elec. Code § 1201
Iowa	June 2	Iowa Code § 43.7
Montana	June 2	Mont. Code Ann. § 13-1-107
New Jersey	June 2 New Jersey holds elections for state legislators and executives in numbered odd years.	N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:23-40
New Mexico	June 2	N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-8-11
South Dakota	June 2 \| July 28	S.D. Codified Laws Ann. §§ 12-2-1, 12-6-51.1
Maine	June 9	Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 339
Nevada	June 9	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.175
North Dakota	June 9	N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-11-01
South Carolina	June 9 \| June 23	S.C. Code Ann. §§ 7-13-15, 7-13-50
Oklahoma	June 16	Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 1-102
Virginia	June 16 Virginia holds elections for state legislators and executives in odd-numbered years.	Va. Code § 24.2-510
New York	June 23	N.Y. Elect. Law § 8-100
Utah	June 23	Utah Code Ann. § 20A-1-201.5
Maryland	June 23	Md. Elect. Code Ann. § 8-201
Colorado	June 30	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-4-101
Arizona	Aug. 4	Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-201
Kansas	Aug. 4	Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-203
Michigan	Aug. 4	Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.534
Missouri	Aug. 4	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.341
Washington	Aug. 4	Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.04.311
Tennessee	Aug. 6	Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 2-1-104, 2-13-202
Hawaii	Aug. 8	Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 12-2
Connecticut	Aug. 11	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-423
Minnesota	Aug. 11	Minn. Stat. § 204D.03
Vermont	Aug. 11	Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 17, § 2351
Wisconsin	Aug. 11	Wis. Stat. § 5.02
Alaska	Aug. 18	Alaska Stat. § 15.25.020
Florida	Aug. 18	Fla. Stat. § 100.061
Wyoming	Aug. 18	Wyo. Stat. § 22-2-104
New Hampshire	Sept. 8	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 653:8
Rhode Island	Sept. 8	R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-1
Delaware	Sept. 15	Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 3101
Massachusetts	Sept. 15	Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 28
Louisiana	Nov. 3 \| Dec. 12 Louisiana holds elections for state legislators and executives in odd-numbered years.	La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:402

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2026 State Primary Dates, Alphabetical

2026 State Primary Dates, Chronological

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