Primary voters are unrepresentative, inconsistent and very powerful

Primary winners represent the views of a small group of people who turn out inconsistently and often do not even represent the the views of the parties’ voters, to say nothing of the general public.

By: Robert Boatright, Clark University; Institute for Humane Studies, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 6, 2026

Words: 1,278

Last Updated: 1 week, 3 days ago

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By Robert Boatright, Clark University; Institute for Humane Studies

The last 2026 primary elections were held on Sept. 15 in Delaware. Although totals are not yet available, there is evidence that turnout was higher than in most prior election years.

This year’s primaries were also the most competitive in recent history; 13 congressional incumbents were defeated, the largest number since the 1950s other than the years when redistricting forced some incumbents …

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