Good morning.

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For most people, the biggest day on the political calendar is the first Tuesday in November — Election Day. But in California, a more critical date may be next Tuesday, June 5. It’s a primary that could end up saying more about who leads this state — and more critically, from a national perspective, the composition of its congressional delegation — than what happens in November.

There is a flood of big races to watch over the next eight days. The New York Times has dispatched reporters across the state, and we have created a guide with detailed information on the contests. And for the next week, every morning’s edition of California Today will focus on the campaign unfolding across the state.

June 5 is a big day because of California’s open nonpartisan primary: The two top finishers next week will face each other in November. With so many candidates dividing the votes, voters in November may end up having a choice between two like-minded candidates from the same party.

Here’s what we’ll be watching:

Congress: Democrats are targeting seven congressional seats held by Republicans where Hillary Clinton defeated President Trump in 2016. These are central to the party’s hopes for taking back the House. But the top-two system means as many as three of those seats might slip away because there are so many Democrats on the ballot.