By Edward Wu, CNN
(CNN) – So far this year, primary turnout is following a pattern that started with Donald Trump’s presidency – Democrats seem more eager to vote than Republicans.
The number of voters participating in Democratic primaries has increased significantly in the first half of 2026. This creates a primary electorate that leans more toward Democrats compared to 2018, when they regained control of the House during Trump’s first term, or compared to Republicans in 2022 when the GOP took back the House under Joe Biden.
Out of the 31 states that have conducted primary elections so far, 20 have held major statewide primaries for both parties in each of the last three midterm years. CNN looked at votes reported from these 20 states up until noon on July 2.
In those states analyzed, Democratic primaries accounted for 57% of all primary votes, which is a jump of 10 points from those same states in 2022 and an increase of 3 points from 2018. The popular vote was evenly divided in these states during the 2024 presidential election.
It can be tricky to draw conclusions from primary turnout data. Primaries across different years often aren’t directly comparable; for instance, a rise in voter turnout could stem from a more competitive race this cycle. Additionally, higher primary turnout may not always carry over into general elections since primaries typically attract more dedicated party supporters while general elections see participation from less engaged voters.
However, with voting already taking place in over 30 diverse states regarding size, geography, and political leaning, there’s a clear trend: turnout is rising across all Democratic primaries.
The advantage seen in Democratic primary turnout has been consistent across various states, especially when we compare it to data from 2022.
Turnout levels have generally risen for both parties’ primaries compared to 2018: among the analyzed states, 16 saw increases for Democratic primaries and 14 experienced boosts for Republican primaries. The relative turnout for Democratic primaries surpassed that of Republican ones in 18 out of these 20 states compared to their performance in 2022 and in 12 out of these same states compared to their performance in 2018.
Throughout Trump’s second term, Americans have held consistently negative views about both parties; this includes a significant portion of the Democratic base that looks down on their own party.
Yet despite this negativity, it hasn’t stopped Democratic voters from showing up at higher rates – generally speaking, Democratic candidates have outdone expected margins by quite a bit in House special elections and state races. The dynamic around primary turnout this year continues trends established earlier this March when Texas kicked off its primary season with record-breaking numbers for its Democratic contests.
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