Turnout in Wisconsin’s primary that saw hotly contested races among both Democrats and Republicans is the highest since 2002.
Based on official results, turnout in Tuesday’s election was 22.2 percent. That is the highest since 22.5 percent in 2002. That year featured a multi-candidate primary for governor on the Democratic side won by Jim Doyle, while then Gov. Scott McCallum faced nominal Republican opposition.
This year’s primary had eight Democrats running for governor, the most in Wisconsin history. State Superintendent Tony Evers won by a wide margin.
News with a little more humanity
WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.
There was also a Republican primary for U.S. Senate which state Sen. Leah Vukmir won by about 6 points over Kevin Nicholson.
In total, nearly 994,000 people voted in the primary out of roughly 4.5 million voting-age adults.
© Copyright 2026 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
