Democrats Lead Early Voting in North Carolina and Florida
Registered Democrats set a mid-term record for early voting in North Carolina and outpace Republicans in Florida ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Early voting data for the 2026 midterms shows a significant turnout advantage for Democrats in both North Carolina and Florida. In North Carolina, registered Democrats set a mid-term record by casting over one million ballots, accounting for 38.37% of the 2.8 million early votes. Registered Republicans cast 737,349 ballots, creating a raw vote gap of 344,562. Republican Congressman Mark Harris attributed this surge to anger toward Donald Trump.
In Florida, the Division of Elections reported that 49% of registered Democrats have participated in early voting compared to 38.2% of registered Republicans. While Ron DeSantis expressed concern over these figures, other GOP officials, including candidate Byron Donalds, argue that Republican super-voters typically wait until Election Day to cast their ballots.
Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried stated that Democrats are showing up at rates not seen in years. Meanwhile, Republicans are targeting Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon, citing her affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America as a liability in South Florida. In North Carolina, Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley continues to trail former Governor Roy Cooper by 7-13 points in polls, prompting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to conduct campaign stops in the state's 1st and 3rd congressional districts.
