Rural Voters Showed Up in the 2026 Primaries

Rural voters turned out at notably high rates across the 2026 primaries: Texas rural voters led all geographic groups at 26% turnout amid a record 4.4 million ballots cast statewide, driven partly by a closely watched Senate contest between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett on the Democratic side, and a Cornyn-Paxton runoff won by Paxton on the Republican side. North Carolina saw Democratic rural participation rise from 36% to 42% of rural voters, adding nearly 17,000 rural Democratic votes, while Republican participation fell by about 139,000 voters statewide.

Wisconsin recorded its highest midterm primary turnout in over two decades, with 35.8% of nonmetro registered voters casting ballots; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley led rural voters over Francesca Hong in the gubernatorial primary. Michigan's Democratic Senate primary saw Abdul El-Sayed narrowly lead Haley Stevens among more than 212,000 rural voters, 47.55% to 47%, with Stevens carrying more rural counties overall but El-Sayed posting stronger margins in the Upper Peninsula.

In Alaska, rural statehouse districts made up the majority of primary voters in an all-party Senate contest where Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan by five points statewide, with the two candidates combining for about 90% of the vote.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.