United States settles candidates in primary elections across six states

Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin hold key primary elections this Tuesday ahead of the US midterm elections.

A test for the parties

Voters in the six states are settling legislative candidates and special seats that will test the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans less than three months before the November general elections.

The results will be watched as a thermometer of the national political climate: turnout in midterm primaries often signals the energy of each party’s base, and surprises in competitive districts can change the calculus of both campaigns.

What’s at stake

Beyond congressional nominations, some of these states also decide state and local offices that will matter in the coming years. Wisconsin and Minnesota, in particular, hold competitive districts that could be decisive for control of the House of Representatives.

Why it matters

Primaries define the names that will compete in November and, with them, the legislative majorities that will shape the US economic and immigration agenda. For Latin America, the outcome affects the tone of Washington’s foreign and trade policy toward the region.