Pattern extends to Texas and Georgia ahead of competitive Senate races
Wisconsin Democrats cast nearly 800,000 ballots in Tuesday’s primary — the party’s highest total for a midterm in more than 20 years, The Associated Press reported. Michigan Democrats cast 1.5 million ballots the week before, a midterm record for that state. The back-to-back showings place both contests inside a pattern in which Democratic voters are turning out for this year’s primaries “in numbers not seen in decades,” the AP reported.
The pattern extends beyond the Midwest. Earlier in 2026, Democratic turnout also surged in Texas and Georgia — two states with competitive U.S. Senate races in November. Across the four states, the AP described the turnout as giving Democrats “a string of strong showings heading into the midterms,” a period when the president’s party is normally at a disadvantage.
The AP identified three conditions compounding that disadvantage this year: President Donald Trump’s weak approval ratings, persistent inflation, and an unpopular war with Iran. The combination has the Democratic Party “optimistic about its prospects” in November, when control of Congress will be at stake.