Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong talks during a primary debate in Milwaukee, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) So far this year, primary elections, be they Democratic or Republican, draw a 26 percent voter turnout. That’s a problem for both parties. By definition, that 26 percent is composed mostly of hardcore true believers who vote like the philosophical envelope is never pushed far enough.
Democratic primary voters can enthusiastically rally to a candidate who wants to abolish the local and state police departments and do away with international borders. Conversely, Republican primary voters look for candidates who would abolish most social safety net programs and prosecute doctors who perform an abortion.
Thus, the two shall never meet. And therein lies the problem. When primary winners chosen by these diametrically opposed voters get to Washington, they have absolutely nothing in common. Not only do they have nothing in common; they also understand that looking for common ground and compromising with that other primary winner is a ticket to defeat.
So, getting primary voters in both parties to vote for reasonable candidates could go a long way towards solving America’s governing problem. But primary voters in both parties have acted like the primary is all that matters.
News flash to right-wing Republicans and left-wing liberals: You do not get to make public policy by winning the primary. You must follow that with victory in the general election.
When Democratic Socialists of America come down from their sugar high of New York City primary victories, they will realize that is the point they are at. The real test awaits them in the general election in competitive districts and states, which makes the fast-approaching Michigan and Wisconsin primaries so interesting.
These two midwestern swing states feature Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, who is endorsed by several DSA members in Congress, and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and DSA member Francesca Hong. Should either be successful in the primary, it will set up scrutiny of DSA policy positions which run headlong into a much more skeptical and less friendly electorate than the party has dealt with to this point in New York City.
In today’s Michigan primary, El-Sayed faces Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). El-Sayed is supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.). Stevens is the favorite of the Democratic establishment who fears that El-Sayed’s democratic socialist positions will be a bridge too far for Michigan’s working-class voters in November. Stevens has tried to position herself as the sensible liberal.
Former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost the 2024 Senate race by less than 1 percent, is ready to pounce, especially on El-Sayed’s policy statements. Holding Michigan is a must for Democrats if they want to maintain any hope of taking control of the Senate.
The Aug. 11 Wisconsin primary for governor presents the DSA with another opportunity to take on the party establishment and open the door to an uncertain general election campaign. This campaign has seen candidates drop out and then get back in while other candidates drop out.
Throughout all the confusion, DSA-backed state Rep. Hong has pushed her message to an energized left-wing base. In the meantime, establishment candidates like the lieutenant governor — who has dropped out — and the Milwaukee county executive — who dropped out before he reentered — look like extras in the remake of the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. All this time, waiting outside the spotlight of confusion and chaos is Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany who is looking a lot like a future governor.
If DSA candidates are successful in upcoming August primaries, then Nov. 3 will tell us if the leftward pull on the Democratic Party offends midwestern sensibilities. Before my Republican friends bet big on the outcome, consider this.
A recent CNBC poll, done in part by the highly respected Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, shows candidates who identify themselves as democratic socialist are regarded somewhat more favorably and somewhat less unfavorably than candidates who self-identify as MAGA and candidates who are endorsed by President Trump.
That edge may expand if one party’s leadership is focused on the price of groceries and the other party’s leader is obsessed with ballrooms, tariffs and the 2020 election.
Kevin Igoe is the former deputy chief of staff of the Republican National Committee and former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. He served as chief of staff of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management and was a Reagan White House appointee.
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