5 states have primary elections on Tuesday. These are the races to watch

A man walks outside Lincoln Liquor & Wine on Monday in Oak Park, Mich. The highly contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is bringing national attention to Michigan ahead of voting on Tuesday. Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption

Five states hold primaries Tuesday, with competitive House and Senate races that could ultimately decide control of Congress next year.

Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington are all holding contests. A number of Democratic primaries are pitting congressional incumbents against progressive challengers.

Redistricting efforts will also influence the races. Missouri Republicans redrew their map to squeeze Democrats, while Virginia moved its primary from June to August for a Democratic redistricting push that courts ultimately threw out .

In Michigan, retaining an open Senate seat is seen as a must-win for Democrats hoping to retake the chamber next year. But first, voters here will decide between two millennial Democrats vying to run against the likely nominee, former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, this fall.

The Senate primary has become a test of how candidates farther left on the political spectrum will fare outside liberal cities where they have swept elections this fall.

The race has turned tense as multiple fights about the direction of the party collide, with Democrats sensing the tide turning after nearly two years out of power. Should Democrats go with tested centrist candidates with cross-aisle appeal? Or take a chance on insurgent campaigns with the potential to tap into the anger motivating many voters?

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a candidate for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, speaks to the press before talking to churchgoers at Fellowship Chapel on Sunday in Detroit. Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, currently holds a double-digit lead against Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, according to recent polling. Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption