Five states held primary elections on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, NPR reported on August 5.

A primary is an election where voters choose which candidate will represent their party in the general election. The winners of these primaries will be on the ballot in November.

NPR's report, by Tamara Keith and Steve Inskeep on the network's Morning Edition program, covered results from all five states. The report said at least one race was too close to call, but did not say which one.

The states use different rules for running elections. Washington holds its primary on the first Tuesday of August by state law, per the Washington Secretary of State's elections office. Michigan's Secretary of State posted results on its elections website. Missouri's Secretary of State set the candidate filing period for the August 4 primary as February 24 through March 31, 2026. Kent County, Michigan, published unofficial results.

Michigan's turnout numbers give a partial picture. More than one million Michigan voters cast ballots before the August 4 primary, according to the Michigan Secretary of State. That is a turnout rate of 16.5% of the state's active registered voters. That number, released the day before Election Day, reflects early voting and does not include people who voted in person on August 4.

California also appears in the broader election context because of its earlier primary. Los Angeles County announced that voting for the 2026 California statewide direct primary began May 23, 2026. The Orange County Registrar of Voters processed all ballots and certified the results. California's primary is separate from the August 4 contests and serves here as a reference point for the 2026 primary calendar.

These primaries matter because the winners will compete in November for seats in Congress. Control of both the House and the Senate could shift depending on those results.

Several details explain how the results are being reported. Washington's Secretary of State keeps a results archive on its elections website. Michigan's county-level reporting, like Kent County's unofficial results, usually comes before the state makes the results official. Missouri's filing window, which closed in late March, set the candidate field months ahead of the primary.

The broader context here is that August primaries come at a point where results can change national party strategy for the fall campaign. A race too close to call means the winner is not yet known, and in some cases, it is unclear how competitive the November election will be. For political groups deciding where to spend money, that uncertainty makes it harder to plan for the final weeks before November.

NPR did not give further detail on which race was too close to call. People following these primaries can check state election offices, including the Michigan Secretary of State's results page and the Washington Secretary of State's archive, for updated numbers.

The November general election will determine whether the current party balance in Congress holds or shifts. The nominees coming out of these five August primaries will be central to that outcome.