Florida, Alaska primaries to offer early clues on control of Congress Tuesday
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Voters in Florida and Alaska will go to the polls on Tuesday in primary contests that could offer clues about which party will control the House and Senate in November's midterm elections. Alaska's nonpartisan Senate primary pits Republican Dan S. Sullivan against Democrat Mary Peltola on the same ballot, while Florida's first election under a new map is expected to net Republicans up to four House seats.
Key Facts
- Florida's new congressional map is expected to net Republicans up to four House seats, leaving a delegation of 24 Republicans and four Democrats in a state Donald Trump won by 13 points in 2024.
- Alaska's nonpartisan Senate primary ballot includes incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola.
- Democrats need to gain at least four Senate seats from Republicans to control the 100-seat chamber, and analysts view Alaska as one of their strongest opportunities.
- Two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on Alaska's Senate primary ballot, drawing attention to the risk of voter confusion.
- Florida primary is the first since the state approved a new district map, and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz is running in the 20th district after her existing seat was redrawn to favor Republicans.
Florida's New Map
Florida's new congressional map, pushed through by the Republican-controlled legislature this spring, could leave the state with a House delegation of 24 Republicans and only four Democrats. The map is the first used in a Florida election since the state approved it, and it is expected to net Republicans up to four House seats. Donald Trump won Florida by 13 percentage points in 2024. Several states have redrawn congressional maps over the past year at Trump's urging to shore up the Republican majority, prompting some Democratic-led states to redraw their own maps in response. The reshuffle has forced some incumbent Democrats to scramble for new footing.
Alaska's Senate Primary
Alaska's unusual nonpartisan Senate primary places incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola on the same ballot. Democrats need to pick up at least four seats from Republicans to win control of the 100-seat Senate. Analysts view Alaska as one of the strongest opportunities for Democrats to gain a Senate seat. The ballot includes two candidates named Dan Sullivan, which raises the possibility of voter confusion. Analysts view the primary as a preview of the most competitive Senate races in November.
Wasserman Schultz's Redrawn Seat
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, first elected to Congress in 2004, is running for a new seat in Florida's 20th congressional district, centered in Broward County. Her existing seat was redrawn to favor Republicans. She has faced criticism from activists worried about losing Black representation in Congress after a Supreme Court decision weakened a landmark civil rights law. Several Black candidates are running against her, including rapper Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell and former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Cherfilus-McCormick faces criminal charges of stealing $5 million in disaster relief funds.
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Florida, Alaska primaries to offer early clues on control of Congress Tuesday
