US Elections Tuesday: Florida, Alaska, Wyoming Primaries, California Special Election — Key contests to watch

Tuesday’s Ballot: Primaries in Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming; California’s Special Congressional Vote

Theindiapostdaily.com – With 77 days separating voters from the November general election, Tuesday’s slate of contests carries outsized weight. State primaries across Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming will lock in party nominees for a range of high-stakes races, while California holds a special election to fill a congressional vacancy. Together, these votes offer an early read on where the political landscape is heading and could shape the balance of power in Washington.

Several of the races on Tuesday’s ballot stand out for their competitive fields, open seats, redistricting fallout, and potential to tip control of Congress. Below is a breakdown of the key contests and the candidates vying for nomination.

Florida: Governor, Senate, and House Primaries

Florida’s primary cycle draws intense national attention. Voters will select nominees for the governor’s mansion, the U.S. Senate, and multiple congressional districts.

Governor — Republican Primary

Eleven Republicans are locked in a contest to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis. The field’s front-runners include:

Byron Donalds, the sitting U.S. representative who carries President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Jay Collins, Florida’s lieutenant governor and a close DeSantis confidant. James Fishback, a former chief executive of an investment firm. Paul Renner, who previously served as speaker of the Florida House.

Donalds wields a substantial financial edge and the explicit backing of the president. Collins, by contrast, has built his campaign around continuing the DeSantis political legacy.

Governor — Democratic Primary

Six Democrats are competing for the party’s gubernatorial nomination. Among the leading contenders:

David Jolly, a former Republican U.S. representative who switched to the Democratic Party in 2025. Dotie Joseph, a Florida state representative. Dayna Marie Foster, a former high-school mathematics teacher endorsed by the state’s Democratic Progressive Caucus.

Jolly holds a pronounced fundraising advantage and has paired himself with former Democratic Representative Gwen Graham as his running mate. The eventual nominee will square off against the Republican winner in November. Florida Democrats are attempting to break a gubernatorial losing streak stretching back more than three decades.

U.S. Senate Primary

Incumbent Republican Senator Ashley Moody faces minimal opposition for the GOP nomination. Moody was appointed in 2025 to fill the seat vacated when Marco Rubio departed for the State Department.

The Democratic side will be settled between Angie Nixon, a Florida state representative, and Alex Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and former National Security Council staffer who gained national prominence during Trump’s first impeachment. The victor will challenge Moody in the fall.

Congressional House Races

Florida’s House primaries carry particular urgency because Republicans recently adopted a new congressional map engineered to bolster their November position.

Democratic Representatives Kathy Castor and Darren Soto are seeking reelection in newly redrawn districts that tilt more Republican-friendly. In South Florida, Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz faces a primary challenge from Oliver Larkin, a union organizer and democratic socialist.

Another closely watched Democratic primary pits former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick against Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the reconfigured 20th District. On the Republican side, Representatives Randy Fine and Cory Mills each face primary challengers.

The race to fill Donalds’s vacated 19th District has also drawn national attention, with candidates including former North Carolina Representative Madison Cawthorn, former New York Representative Chris Collins, and a former Illinois state senator.

Alaska: Senate, House, and Governor Primaries

Alaska’s primary could prove decisive for control of the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senate Primary

Incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is seeking a third term and confronts a formidable challenge from former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola. The two are among 16 candidates competing in Alaska’s distinctive all-party, top-four primary format. The four candidates earning the most votes advance to the November election regardless of party label, and the winner is determined through ranked-choice voting.

Another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., shares the incumbent senator’s first and last name. He filed as a Republican but will appear on the ballot without a party affiliation.

The Sullivan-versus-Peltola contest ranks among the races most likely to influence which party commands the Senate next year.

Congressional House Race

Republican Representative Nick Begich is seeking a second term in Alaska’s sole congressional district. His most prominent challenger is independent candidate Bill Hill, a commercial fisherman and former