Louisiana has enacted some changes to how its primaries are conducted. These will first impact elections in 2026.

Only certain offices are affected. In terms of the offices we track, the changes apply to Congress (U.S. Senate and U.S. House) as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court. 

The revised system is similar to that used in many other southern states. Each party holds its own primary well in advance of the general election. In races where no candidate wins a majority, the top two advance to a runoff. For 2026, the primary date is April 18, with runoffs on May 30. 

These will be closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can participate in their respective primary. Unaffiliated voters will be allowed to participate in one of the primaries, but those registered with a third party are entirely excluded.

Prior to 2026, most offices used a primary system unique to Louisiana. The state held all-party open primaries (often called 'jungle primaries') on the same day as the November general election in the rest of the country. All candidates from all parties appeared on a single ballot. If one candidate received majority support, they were elected. Otherwise, the top two finishers advanced to a runoff.

This system remains in place for governor, other statewide offices and state legislature. Those offices are next contested in 2027. (These odd-year primaries are usually held in mid-October, with runoffs taking place mid-November)

Louisiana is also unique in that it holds many elections on Saturday. That will be the case for these new partisan primaries.

Note that none of these changes affect the presidential primaries. These have traditionally been partisan primaries in the spring, with no runoff.