Sure, South Dakota and Montana mark the end of the presidential primary season, but for down ballot races the fun is just starting. Eleven states will hold their local and federal primaries this month, kicking off a summer swing through primary electorates that will determine how well both parties will do in November.

The primary season started on Super Tuesday in February, when Illinois voters headed to the polls to pick Congressional nominees. The process ends September 20, when Hawaii voters choose their nominees. To kick off the big sprint tomorrow, voters in Alabama, California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota will head to the polls. In four of those states, hot contests are emerging. Throughout the day we'll preview the contests to watch tomorrow, starting with Alabama.

The race to replace retiring Reps. Bud Cramer and Terry Everett take precedence in Alabama. While the Democratic nominee in Cramer's northern district is likely to be State Senator Parker Griffith, Republicans will choose between Cheryl Baswell Guthrie, an attorney who has run unsuccessfully before; former State Rep. Don Mancuso; advertising executive Wayne Parker and Ray McKee, who is literally a rocket scientist. Baswell Guthrie and Parker are seen as the two front-runners in a district likely to go for John McCain yet which Cramer, a Democrat, held easily.

In Everett's southern Second District, Democrats have largely coalesced around Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright, who, courted by both parties, sent an early signal about Democratic chances in the ruby red Deep South. Several Republicans are vying for the seat, including State Reps. David Grimes and Jay Love, State Senator Harri Anne Smith, dentist Craig Schmidtke and television station executive David Woods.

Love, Smith, Schmidtke and Woods have all contributed huge amounts to their own campaign, with Schmidtke leading the way at more than $500,000 spent. Love and Smith are seen as the two front-runners to face Bright in November, when they should have an advantage in a seat that is likely to vote heavily for John McCain. Still, if Barack Obama inspires a heavy African American turnout, Democrats have a good shot, and as a special election last month in Mississippi proved, the GOP brand isn't in much better shape down south than it is anywhere else in the country.

State Democrats are also likely to pick State Senator Vivian Figures to take on Republican incumbent Senator Jeff Sessions in November. Sessions has $4 million in the bank, compared with just $14,000 on hand for Figures, and some polls have suggested that the contest will be a blowout.