The 20 Elections to Watch in August
Across ten states, voters will decide the leadership of major cities and directly weigh in on funding parks and “democracy vouchers.” They may flip legislative seats, too.
Out of 40 special elections for congressional and legislative seats so far in 2025, only two have seen flips; both were Democratic gains. That’s to be expected: Nationwide, most districts lean very heavily for one party or another, so general elections are rarely tight or suspenseful.
But in August, four districts across the country will hold legislative races where the final results are at least somewhat uncertain. In each, the results of November’s presidential race was within 15 percentage points—so far in 2025, that’s the busiest month for specials within that range. Each party is defending two such seats, Democrats in Delaware and Rhode Island, and the GOP in California and Iowa, each a new test of how much voters have shifted since 2024.
Also on the ballot in August: Major cities will be choosing their leaders.
In Detroit and Mobile, former police chiefs who drew criticism over their use of force are running for mayor. In Seattle, a long list of elections—for mayor, city attorney, city council—will add to the ongoing battle between left-wing politicians and the more conservative and pro-business faction that has solidified control over the city’s government since 2021. Also watch contests in Birmingham, South Tucson, and Topeka.
Below is Bolts’ guide to 20 elections to watch in August.
The guide starts on a busy Aug. 5 with elections in Arizona, Delaware, Kansas, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Washington. On Aug. 12, Minnesota kicks off the process of replacing the assassinated lawmaker Melissa Hortman. Finally, Aug. 26 brings elections in Alabama, California, and Iowa.
Return on and after each Election Day as we update this page as the results are known. Until then, you can revisit the 20 elections to watch in April, the 25 elections in May, the 40 elections in June, and the 6 elections in July.
As always, this guide is not an exhaustive list of all elections in August—there are hundreds of local races all around Arizona, Kansas, Michigan and Washington—just our selection of the races to monitor.
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Mayors and city councilors
Aug. 5: Mayor of Detroit
Nonpartisan primary
| Detroit may be a blue stronghold but Republican James Craig, Detroit’s former police chief and a failed GOP candidate for governor, is seeking to become its mayor this year. Craig became a national figure during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests when, as the city’s police chief, he responded harshly to protesters and went on Fox News to talk about it; he then was sued for his use of force and also drew scrutiny for ignoring complaints against police officers. With Mayor Mike Duggan retiring, Craig faces a plethora of Democratic opponents on Aug. 5, including city councilors Fred Durham and Mary Sheffield, and pastor Solomon Kinloch. All candidates will appear on one ballot and the top two, regardless of party, will move on to November’s general election. |
| Result: Sheffield and Kinloch, both Democrats, grab the top two spots, with a large advantage for the former; they will face off in November. |
Aug. 5: Mayor of Seattle
Nonpartisan primary
| Bruce Harrell’s victory four years ago headlined a broader series of triumphs for the moderate, pro-business faction of Seattle’s city politics; Harrell went on to ramp up surveillance equipment and sweeps of homeless camps. Now, many local progressives have rallied around Katie Wilson, a community organizer and the secretary general of the Transit Riders Union, a group that champions public transit. Harrell and Wilson have raised the most money and seem favored to move on to November’s general election; but first, they need to secure the top spots in a crowded primary that also features Ry Armstrong, who co-leads the organization Sustainable Seattle, and Joe Mallahan, a former vice president at T-Mobile. |
| Result: Harrell and Wilson grab the top two spots; they will face off in November. |
Aug. 5: Seattle city Council
Nonpartisan primary
| Seattle’s city council has moved significantly to the right; the council’s once-mighty left-leaning caucus was down to two members in late 2024—Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Tammy Morales. But Morales abruptly resigned in January rather than complete her term, citing her isolation and triggering a special election, and Rinck is facing voters again this year. These two races will help decide if Seattle’s left keeps a foothold on the council. For one, Rinck faces a slew of challengers to her right. |
| And in the election to replace Morales, an advisor to Mayor Bruce Harrell, in the more moderate lane, faces several candidates running as progressives. In a third council race, the roles are reversed: Sara Nelson, who has led the body’s moderate wing and has pushed tougher-on-crime policies, faces several progressive challengers. In each race, the Aug. 5 primaries will decide the two candidates who advance to November. |
| Results: Rinck finishes well ahead in her primary; she will face Rachael Savage in November. Nelson came in second, and advances alongside Dionne Foster. In the one open race, Eddie Lin and Adonis Ducksworth advance to the general election for position 2. |
Aug. 5: South Tucson, Arizona
Three recall elections
| In this small town near Tucson, national debates over homelessness have taken a particularly ugly tone. The mayor, Roxanna Valenzuela, and two city councilors, Brian Flagg and Cesar Aguirre, work with Casa Maria, a non-profit organization that runs a soup kitchen and focuses on housing affordability; now they’re facing recall votes organized by former Mayor Paul Diaz, who is angered by this work, says there’s no room in South Tucson for affordable housing, and wants to stop the incumbents from extending homelessness services. |
| Results: The three officials survive the recalls. |
Aug. 5: Mayor of Topeka
Nonpartisan primary
| In the race to replace Topeka’s retiring mayor, real estate developer Henry McClure stands out for amplifying white nationalist views and defending them as “entertainment and fun,” and drawing support from state-level MAGA politicians. The Aug. 5 primary will decide whether he advances to the general election. His opponents are taking a different route, downplaying signs of partisan allegiances. They include Spencer Duncan, a city councilmember who highlights his support for reducing property taxes; Ed Patton, who has worked as city manager or administrator for various other Kansas cities; and political newcomers James Bolden, Chad Fay, and Gabriel Killman, who at 22 is the youngest mayoral candidate ever in this city. |
| Result: Duncan and McClure advance to the general election, having won the first two spots, though Duncan is well ahead. |
Aug. 26: Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
Nonpartisan primary
| The race between Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and state Representative Juandalynn Givan, both Democrats, is remarkably acrimonious. Givan has attacked Woodfin over murders in the city, with homicides hitting a record last year after two mass shootings even as other violent crime declined. She has called him a “little boy,” and suggested the GOP governor may have to call on the National Guard; she has argued on the campaign trail that the city should roughly triple its current police capacity. Woodfin responded by singling out Givan in a social media post. If someone reaches 50 percent on Aug. 26, they’ll win. But with seven other candidates in the race—such as Lashunda Scales, a Democratic county commissioner who also says she’ll ramp up policing, and who lost to Woodfin four years ago—the race could go to an October runoff. |
| Result: Stay tuned after the Aug. 26 election. |
Aug. 26: Mayor of Mobile, Alabama
Nonpartisan primary
| Paul Prine was fired as chief of police last year after a bitter dispute with city leaders. He was hit by a damning report on how his department used force and beatings against Black residents, including facing anger over the killing of Jawan Dallas, who died after police officers tased him. Now, he’s running with conservative support to take over the city and replace Mobile’s retiring GOP mayor. The field also includes Spiro Cheriogotis, the mayor’s chosen heir, and Democratic state Representative Barbara Drummond; Drummond became the sole Black candidate in this plurality-Black city after several candidates dropped out to endorse her. Unless a candidate receives 50 percent on Aug. 26, the top two will advance to a September runoff. |
| Result: Stay tuned after the Aug. 26 election. |
Criminal justice election
Aug. 5: Seattle city Attorney
Nonpartisan primary
| Ann Davison, a rare Republican to occupy public office in Seattle, has pushed for increased punishments toward low-level crimes during her tenure and helped renew the city’s ”war on drugs,” to the dismay of local criminal justice reformers. |
| Meanwhile, three challengers are promising to take the office in a more progressive direction, to varying degrees. Read more about this election in Bolts’ preview of the Aug. 5 primary, which will decide which two candidates move to November’s general election. |
| Result: Davison and challenger Erika Evans advanced to November. |
Legislative seats: General elections
Aug. 5: Delaware and Rhode Island
General Elections
| Democrats are defending two legislative seats on Aug. 5. First: Delaware’s 20th House district. Last fall, Stell Selby held the seat by just 250 votes, even as Kamala Harris carried the district by 9 percentage points. Selby has since resigned due to health reasons after her prolonged absence drew controversy. Second: Rhode Island’s 4th Senate district, which was held by members of a single family between 1971 and April of this year, when the powerful Senate President Dominick Ruggerio died. Stefano Famiglietti, a North Providence councilmember, beat more progressive rivals in a July primary, in a win for the party’s moderate establishment. He now faces Republican Alexander Asermely in a district Harris carried by 11. |
| Results: Democrats narrowly defended the Delaware seat, and easily defended the Rhode Island seat. |
Aug. 26: California and Iowa
General Elections
| Republicans are defending two seats worth watching on Aug. 26. First: California’s 63rd House District, which Trump carried by 13 points last fall. Bill Essayli’s resignation to become U.S. Attorney triggered a special election, and Republican Natasha Johnson received the most votes in the June primary to replace him. She is now favored in the runoff over Democrat Chris Shoults, though margins were tight enough to watch the runoff in case turnout changes. Second: Iowa’s 1st Senate District, occupied by Rocky De Witt until his death in June. This Woodbury County seat voted for Trump by 11 points; but all three special elections in Iowa so far this year saw a huge shift of at least 20 points toward Democrats—including one seat that flipped in a redder district than this. Democrats, who nominated Catelin Drey, are highlighting GOP nominee Christopher Prosch’s staunchly anti-abortion politics to pull off an upset. (On Aug. 26, the GOP is also defending seats in Alabama and Georgia, but these are very red districts.) |
| Results: Stay tuned after the Aug. 26 elections. |
Legislative seats: Primaries
Aug. 5: Washington, 33rd House district
All-Party primary
| Progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party are battling for this seat, which was held by Tina Orwall until she moved to the Senate in December. Edwin Obras was appointed by the King County Council to replace Orwall and now has support from left-leaning forces. Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling, meanwhile, says he is running to check the legislature’s progressive bent, especially on policing and criminal justice; as mayor, Schilling has complained that his local sheriff’s office is not cracking down aggressively enough against encampments. On Aug. 5, Obras and Schilling will appear on one ballot alongside Darryl Jones, the sole Republican in the race, and the top two will move on to the general election. (Note: Washington has other legislative specials this year but they do not appear to be competitive.) |
| Result: Obras and Schilling both advanced to the general election. |
Aug. 12: Minnesota, 34rd House district
Dem primary
| Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota lawmaker who was murdered in June in a politically motivated assassination, had built an outsized legacy as state Speaker in 2023 and 2024, the years during which Democrats controlled the state government; among many landmark reforms, she helped shepherd bills that restored the voting rights of tens of thousands of people, eliminated prison gerrymandering, strengthened other voter protections, and barred life without parole sentences against children. The process to replace her kicks off on Aug. 12 with a Democratic primary between Xp Lee, an employee of the Minnesota Department of Health and former Brooklyn Park city councilor, Christian Eriksen, a Brooklyn Park city councilor, and Erickson Saye, a local prosecutor. (The winner will be favored in the general election in this blue district.) |
| Result: Xp Lee wins. |
Ballot measures
Aug. 5: Seattle
“Democracy vouchers” measure (Prop 1)
| Since 2017, Seattle gives residents four vouchers of $25 each election cycle to donate to candidates of their choice. Known as “democracy vouchers,” the program has been credited with attracting a broader swath of candidates, growing the pool of small donors, and reducing the reliance on wealthy residents, though critics say too few people actually participate for the spending to be worthwhile. This measure is to decide whether to renew the property tax levy that pays for this program—or whether to end the experiment by letting the funding dry up. |
| Result: Stay tuned after the Aug. 5 election. |
Aug. 5: King County, Washington
Levy to fund the parks system (Prop 1)
| Besides Seattle, King County is home to an extensive network of parks and trails—and most of the money to sustain these spaces comes from property taxes. The levy that funds the system is set to expire, so voters have to decide whether to renew it. The county projects that Prop 1, the levy it placed on the Aug. 5 ballot, would raise roughly $1.45 billion over six years, according to the Auburn Reporter, with the idea of expanding some of the county’s open spaces. |
| Result: The ‘yes’ wins. |