May is jam-packed with midterm elections. Here's what to look for

May is jam-packed with elections.

In Ohio, Georgia, Texas and beyond, voters across the country will cast ballots in a slew of elections. Some of these races are for a seat in Congress while others are for governor's positions.

This is the month when 2026's election calendar takes flight, says Charles Stewart III, professor of Political Science at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"May really kicks off the core of primary season, setting the stage for November," Stewart told USA TODAY. "May is going to give us a view into the energy, mobilization and focus of the two political parties and their most engaged supporters setting the stage for November."

Here's a breakdown of a few key races to come in May 2026 and why they matter for the nation.

Governors highlight May elections

The 2026 cycle has 36 gubernatorial races. As of May 2026, there are 24 Democratic and 26 Republican governors, according to the National Governors Association.

This partisan breakdown has come into focus during President Donald Trump's second term amid attacks on governors who do not support the president's agenda, especially when it comes to his immigration crackdown and aims to nationalize election administration. Whomever is governor will set the policy and people in place to run elections, mail ballot rules, voter ID practices and more, potentially setting up challenges in 2028, according to Shino.

The position has become a bellwether of state relations with the federal government, according to Enrijeta Shino, assistant professor of political science at The University of Alabama​.

"Governors matter beyond their states," Shino told USA TODAY on April 29. "Whoever wins in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama in November will be in office during the next presidential election and the next round of congressional redistricting fights."

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited, so both parties have full primaries. Meanwhile Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro runs for reelection amid rumors of a potential presidential bid. In Alabama, Democrats haven't won a gubernatorial election since 1998 and Doug Jones, the last Democrat to win a statewide election, is running. And Ohio's race will test the star power of Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy.

"(If) Republicans end up nominating (MAGA) people in gubernatorial races, that gives an opening to Democrats to convince independent voters," Stewart says.

Expect races to launch affordability and foreign policy remain the top issues on Americans' minds amid high gas prices and the ongoing war in Iran, he says. But local issues can dominate, too. In Georgia's race, for example, election security will be priority as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger runs more than five years after he refused pressure from Trump to reverse former President Joe Biden's victory in the state.

May gubernatorial primaries and some of the candidates to watch:

• May 5
  • Ohio: Former state public health official Amy Acton has gained Democratic attention, while Heather Hill, Casey Putsch vie against Vivek Ramaswamy on the GOP side.
• May 12
  • Nebraska: Democrats Larry Marvin and Lynne Walz are running, with Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen facing five other Republicans.
• May 19
  • Alabama: Ken McFeeters, Will Santivasci and Sen. Tommy Tuberville run in the Republican primary. Six Democrats, including Doug Jones, are running.
  • Georgia: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is among seven Democrats facing off in a crowded primary. On the Republican side, Rick Jackson, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr are among the candidates.
  • Idaho: Maxine Durand, Jill Kirkham, Terri Pickens and Chanelle Torrez are among four Democrats running and incumbent Gov. Brad Little headlines the GOP race.
  • Oregon: Incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek is visible in a crowded Democratic bill. And Sen. Christine Drazan leading the GOP primary, according to a Crosstabs poll.
  • Pennsylvania: Two uncontested candidates run, with incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro facing State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

A gamut of Congressional primaries

Republicans hold a slim majority in Congress, and a number of May's races feature candidates looking to tip the scales. GOP candidates want to maintain power in the U.S. House of Representatives in order to ensure the success of Trump's second-term agenda. Meanwhile, Democrats seek to flip seats as they continue to find their footing as a party.

On both sides, many of these races feature a test between centrist candidates and those on the farther edges of their respective parties, Stewart says. Think MAGA-aligned versus moderate Republicans, and traditionally liberal Democrats against progressives, in many cases.

"What kind of Democrat is going to emerge?" Stewart says. "There will be a lot to choose from. It will give an opportunity to test competing theories of whether moderation or aggressiveness are the tools to deploy against (Trump)."

Senate races in the South are in focus. Texas' Republican Senate race heads to a runoff in May after neither Attorney General Ken Paxton nor Republican Sen. John Cornyn were able to reach over 50% of the vote in a March primary. The winner will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in a highly-anticipated November race.

Kentucky's Senate primary will be a "fight over who will fill that vacuum" left by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who retires after holding the seat for four decades, Shino says.

Alabama will pick nominees for GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville's seat, after he left his seat to run for governor.

And Georgia's Senate race is shaping up to be a competitive challenge, too, as Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff seeks reelection.

"Ossoff is the Republicans’ top target because Georgia is the only state with a Democratic incumbent that Trump actually won in 2024," Shino says. "Georgia is still the most flippable Democratic-held seat with an incumbent."

On the House side, a spotlight is on Pennsylvania's third congressional district. Rep. Dwight Evans is retiring, opening a House seat in the battleground state. The swing state has closed primaries, meaning people can only vote for their party's race, and votes will provide signs for 2028.

"Pennsylvania’s congressional primaries are always a tell for the general," Shino says. "The suburban primaries are where to look for signals about Democratic enthusiasm."

And Alabama's race puts a national battle over redistricting to the test after maps were redrawn to shift majorities of marginalized voters, especially the state's 2nd District. Alabama's 7th District race occurs in an area with a majority Black population, too.

"Both are worth keeping an eye on for what they say about Black political representation in the Deep South," Shino says.

May congressional primaries to watch:

• May 5: Indiana (House), Ohio (Senate, House)
• May 12: Nebraska (Senate, House); West Virginia (Senate, House)
• May 19: Alabama (Senate, House), Georgia (Senate, House), Idaho (Senate, House), Kentucky (Senate, House), Oregon (Senate, House), Pennsylvania (House)
• May 26: Texas (Senate, House)

Turnout in the 'open seat' cycle

A major pattern to look for will be continued high voter turnout that began in earlier races this year, Stewart says. And even when a race appears to not be competitive, whether voters show up to polls will be an important data point, he says.

"There may not be, in November, highly competitive general election races," Stewart said. "But in (primaries) there were surges of blue turnout in red states."

And the races in May are unique in that a number of incumbents are not running for reelection, opening opportunities for fresh faces. There are 11 senators not seeking reelection this year.

"This is the 'open seat' cycle," Shino says. "That means primaries do unusually heavy lifting this year. In normal cycles, primaries are mostly about incumbents fending off challengers. In 2026, primaries are where the next generation of statewide leaders is actually being selected."