What to know about this week’s US primary elections in Tennessee and Hawaii 

Voters in Tennessee and Hawaii are headed to the polls for another key round of midterm primaries, where they will choose the Republican and Democratic candidates to compete in November’s elections.

Those in the US state of Tennessee will head to the polls to decide a slate of challengers for November’s midterm election, with Republicans seeking to further consolidate their hold in the state. This year’s election season in the state of seven million located in the southeastern US has already been transformed in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal protections for minority voters. That prompted the state’s legislature to redraw its congressional map, cleaving its only Black-majority district, and the only currently represented by a Democrat, in half.

As a result, Republicans will be hoping for a clean sweep of all nine of the state’s congressional districts. Meanwhile, firebrand Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn is seeking to overcome her opponents to gain the party’s nod in the gubernatorial race to replace Republican Bill Lee. Democrats will also pick their champions in long-shot bids to take both the governor’s office and the open Senate seat.

In Hawaii, the primary election is on August 8. Two incumbent Democratic congressmen are looking to fend off challenges from a host of opponents, while the Democratic governor is also running against several opponents.

Here’s what to know:

In Tennessee, redistricting changes the political landscape

• When does voting in Tennessee start? Polls open depending on the county. That information can be found here.
• When does voting in Tennessee end? Polling places in the Eastern time zone close at 8pm (12am GMT), while polling places in the Central time zone close at 7pm (11pm GMT)
• What are the big races to watch? The Republican primary for governor and the Ninth Congressional District.

State Representative Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence after being temporarily expelled from the state legislature in the wake of a gun reform protest in 2023, had initially launched an upstart bid to unseat longtime incumbent US Representative Steve Cohen in the Democrat-dominated Ninth Congressional District.

That all changed following this year’s Supreme Court ruling on voting rights and the state’s mad-dash redistricting effort, which saw the Ninth District redrawn to include only part of the Black-majority city of Memphis, while newly encompassing a slate of rural and wealthy suburban areas.

The district is now expected to lean Republican. Cohen has left the race entirely, and Pearson is facing a crowded Democratic field of challengers hoping to transcend the demographic changes. He remains the top fundraiser as he faces off with state Senator London Lamar, who has framed herself as an experienced legislative operator, and healthcare executive Jim Torino.

The 31-year-old Pearson has been a top critic of the redistricting, calling it a “racist tool of white supremacy” and a galvanising moment for voters in the state.

Issues of AI data centres on the outskirts of Memphis, access to healthcare, and increases to minimum wage have dominated the race.

US President Donald Trump will again test his political power in his endorsee, Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor, a former funeral home owner who has styled himself a “Make America Great Again” champion.  In the Republican primary, he faces state representative Todd Warner, retired US Army Sergeant Jeremy Thompson and four-time congressional candidate Charlotte Bergmann.

Six current members of the US House of Representatives, all Republicans, are running unopposed in their primary races and are expected to easily defeat any Democratic challenger in November.

Democrats, meanwhile, are pinning their hopes on a long-shot bid to unseat incumbent Republican Andy Ogles in the Fifth Congressional District, which is seen as leaning less Republican in the wake of the most recent redistricting.

The National Democratic Campaign Committee has thrown its support behind Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, who has stressed his local bona fides in the race.

For the US Senate, incumbent Bill Hagerty is running unopposed in the Republican primary, as Democrats hope for a moonshot upset. Tennessee has not had a Democratic senator since 1995.

Contenders in the crowded Democratic field include Marquita Bradshaw, an environmental activist from Memphis; Maria Brewer, a former Tennessee Democratic Party staffer; and Civil Miller-Watkins, a math teacher who previously ran for the US Senate in 2024.

In the gubernatorial race, current US Senator Blackburn, who had hewed close to Trump throughout her eight years in the Senate, will face off with state Representative Monty Fritts and US Representative John Rose in the Republican primary.

Blackburn has built a reputation as one of the most conservative members of the US legislature, cutting her teeth in the fiscally and socially hardline Tea Party movement in the 2000s.

Fritts has made headlines for several incendiary statements, including vowing to ban mosques and “pagan religions” in the state. Such a move would all-but assuredly run afoul of US constitutional protections. Rose, a farmer, has emphasised his support for Trump’s policies in Congress.

Trump has not endorsed in the race.

A Democrat has not occupied the Tennessee governor’s mansion for 17 years, but five contenders are hoping to change that. They include small farm owner Tim Cyr, who is running on a rural issues platform, online pastor Kevin Lee McCants, and steel guitar musician Adam Kurtz.

Hawaii sees challengers face off against incumbents

• When does voting in Hawaii start? Polls open at 7am local time (5pm GMT).
• When does voting in Hawaii end? Polling places close 7pm local time (5am GMT).
• What is the big race to watch? The Democratic primary for the First District.

It’s not just Tennessee on Thursday. About 4,300 miles away, voters stretched across the Pacific island state of Hawaii will also be casting their ballots in their primary elections.

With just two Democrat-dominated districts, incumbents Ed Case and Jill Tokuda will be seeking to hold onto their seats in Congress on Thursday. Both face a trio of challengers, with Case seen as the most vulnerable between the two.

In a recent interview with Hawaii Public Radio, state Senator Jarrett Keohokalole accused Case of failing to take a stand against federal immigration enforcement in the state.

“The urgency of the moment requires more than what we’re getting,” he said.

The Republicans running in the two congressional districts, Adriel Lam and state Senator Brenton Awa, are running unopposed.

Governor Joshua Green is also leading a crowded Democratic primary race as he seeks a second term.