Primary season drew to a close in Delaware on Tuesday, ending seven unpredictable months that featured candidate switch-ups, nation-shaking upsets, debate debacles, and highs and lows for a vengeful president and each wing of a divided Democratic Party.
As we say farewell to the 2026 primaries, we are looking back at the candidates, races and moments that were so good, so bad or simply so strange that we won’t soon forget them.
Most expensive Senate primary:
The Republican Senate race in Texas. The testy race cost more than $130 million, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact, making it the most expensive Senate primary in years. Ken Paxton, the scandal-plagued Texas attorney general, won it with the backing of President Trump despite being outspent by roughly 8 to 1 on ads. Mr. Paxton defeated Senator John Cornyn, a longtime pillar of the Republican establishment and occasional critic of Mr. Trump. Mr. Paxton now faces James Talarico in a race that has Republicans nervous about holding the seat.
Most crucial use of a middle initial:
Senator Dan S. Sullivan of Alaska. That “S.” will be on the ballot because Senator Sullivan, a Republican running for re-election, is up against another candidate whose name has a familiar ring to it: Dan Sullivan. Alaska Republicans say that this Dan Sullivan — Dan J. Sullivan — was planted on the ballot by Democrats to confuse voters. Dan J. Sullivan says there’s no subterfuge, but he doesn’t campaign much. Democrats are hoping former Representative Mary Peltola can flip the seat.
Party whose incumbents lost the most House seats:
Democrats. Seven Democratic members of Congress were ousted in primaries, as Democrats in many districts displayed a hunger for younger, more progressive candidates. Four of the incumbents lost to self-described democratic socialists. Four Republicans in the House were also defeated; the loss of Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a fierce critic of Mr. Trump and the Iran war who became one of the president’s top targets, generated the most attention.
Party whose incumbents lost the most Senate seats:
Republicans. Two Republican senators, who were each opposed by Mr. Trump, fell to primary challengers. Mr. Cornyn lost to Mr. Paxton in Texas, and Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his primary after Mr. Trump backed a challenger, five years after Mr. Cassidy had voted to convict Mr. Trump in his second impeachment trial. No Democratic senators were unseated.
Shortest path to a Senate nomination:
Troy Jackson, in Maine. Seventeen days passed between Mr. Jackson’s announcing that he was running for Senate in Maine and his winning the Democratic nomination at an unusual party convention. He was hastily selected to replace Graham Platner, the oysterman Maine Democrats had initially nominated. Mr. Platner exited the race after an accusation of rape, which he denied. Now Mr. Jackson, who lost in a bid for governor earlier this year, has a short window to make his case against Senator Susan Collins, who is one of the most vulnerable incumbent senators.
Runner-up:
Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina. Ms. Graham, a political novice, had lived a quiet life near Columbia, S.C., before her older brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, died in July. Three days after his death, she was sworn in as a senator to serve the final months of his term. Then Ms. Graham, with Mr. Trump’s support, decided to run for a full term in November. With support from Mr. Trump and his super PAC, she narrowly won a runoff last month to secure the nomination. Just 45 days had passed since Mr. Graham’s death.
Most awkward moment of candor:
Ms. Graham. Mr. Graham was known for his interest in foreign affairs. But when Ms. Graham was asked about Taiwan at a debate, her answer drew gasps. “I’m just going to be honest here,” she replied. “I’m not that informed on national security.” She still won the race.
Most successful political cartography:
Republicans. Republicans won the redistricting war, which began last year when Mr. Trump urged Texas Republicans to take the rare step of redrawing House maps in the middle of the decade to create more safe Republican seats. Democrats tried to counter with their own gerrymanders. But aided by favorable rulings in state and federal courts, Republicans emerged with a national map that could help net them roughly five to 10 House seats.
Biggest loss for the Democratic establishment:
Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan. Ms. Stevens, running for Senate in Michigan, was supported by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, and Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Ms. Stevens also benefited from more than $60 million in advertising spending from several outside groups, including the super PAC arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the influential pro-Israel group. Still, Ms. Stevens was edged by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive critic of Israel who was outspent by 9 to 1.
Best month for the D.S.A.:
June. The Democratic Socialists of America shocked the political establishment. In New York City, two of its members, Darializa Avila Chevalier of Manhattan and Claire Valdez of Queens, won House primaries. A former D.S.A. member and self-described democratic socialist, Brad Lander of Brooklyn, defeated Representative Dan Goldman. And in Colorado, Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, beat Representative Diana DeGette, a 15-term Democratic incumbent.
Biggest loss for the D.S.A.:
Francesca Hong. Ms. Hong, a democratic socialist running for governor in Wisconsin, went from improbable candidate to overwhelming primary favorite in the battleground state, in part because the moderate wing of the party failed to coalesce around a candidate. Still, Ms. Hong fell to a moderate, David Crowley, who had dropped out of the race for 10 days in the final weeks before the primary. (Her past dismissive words about Thanksgiving and other holidays may not have helped.) It was one of several big polling misses this primary season.
Most dissected accent:
Ms. Stevens. Her strong Michigan accent briefly became a social media phenomenon, as amateur linguists debated her raised a’s and disappearing g’s.
Best month for Trump’s retribution tour:
May. Mr. Trump, flexing his hold on the Republican Party even as his overall approval rating flagged, ousted a number of Republican officials in May. He unseated Indiana state senators who had thwarted his redistricting efforts last year. He took down Mr. Cassidy and Mr. Massie within a four-day span. Mr. Cassidy did not even reach the runoff, and Mr. Massie, a seven-term incumbent, lost by about 10 points. And at the end of the month, his support helped Mr. Paxton beat Mr. Cornyn, whom Mr. Trump deemed insufficiently loyal. Although other candidates the president supported would go on to lose later, his streak in May showed his enduring sway with parts of his base.
Strongest proof that you don’t have to be in it to win it:
Tom Smith, who dropped out but still won. Amir Hassan, a Navy veteran running for Congress in Michigan, had Mr. Trump’s powerful endorsement. His opponent, Mr. Smith, ran no ads, filed no campaign report, suspended his campaign and endorsed someone else. No matter. Voters in the Flint region chose Mr. Smith.
Biggest upset in a Democratic race:
Florida’s Senate race. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist in the state Legislature, ran on a shoestring budget in the Democratic Senate primary in Florida, which is known for its electorate’s antipathy toward socialism, in part because of its vibrant Latino population. Despite being vastly outspent, Ms. Nixon took down Alex Vindman, a moderate former national security official who gained national notice in 2019 after he was a top witness in Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial. She called it a victory “for the little guys and girls.”
Most Zen approach to losing:
Scott Brown. Mr. Brown, a moderate Republican, shocked the political world when he managed to win Edward M. Kennedy’s old Senate seat in deep-blue Massachusetts in a 2010 special election. Mr. Brown lost two years later to Senator Elizabeth Warren, then tried for a Senate comeback this year in another state: New Hampshire. But Senator John E. Sununu of New Hampshire thrashed him in the Republican primary, winning by more than 40 points. Before the primary Mr. Brown said he had a vision for what he might do if he lost: “Work out, drink and go gamble and come home and take a nap for a day or two.”
“Life,” Mr. Brown said, “goes on.”
That’s true. And now the sprint to the general election begins.
Matt Zdun and Theodore Schleifer contributed reporting.
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