By Blessing Nweke

Incumbents in both parties are under pressure in the first 2026 midterm primaries, as voters in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas weigh internal party debates and begin shaping the battle for control of Washington this fall.

In Texas, one incumbent is guaranteed to lose after redistricting forced Democratic Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee into a member-versus-member primary. With about two-thirds of the vote counted, Menefee holds a narrow lead but remains short of the majority required to avoid a runoff.

Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw is also in jeopardy, trailing state Rep. Steve Toth by 19 points. Crenshaw is the only Texas House Republican seeking re-election without President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

In North Carolina, Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee is locked in a razor-thin rematch with Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam. Foushee leads by just one point as nearly all votes are counted, after Allam criticized her as insufficiently progressive.

South Texas battlegrounds are also drawing attention. Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, recently pardoned by Trump, is clinging to a narrow majority against physician Ricardo Villarreal and would face Trump-backed Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina in November. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez is projected to win renomination, while the GOP contest remains unsettled.

Elsewhere, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly leads pro-gun activist Brandon Herrera amid controversy, and Rep. Monica De La Cruz will face Democrat Bobby Pulido in the fall.

With multiple runoffs possible and high-profile endorsements in play, Tuesday’s primaries are setting the tone for a fiercely contested fight for the House majority.