Arizona tallies 1.5 million ballots as half of projected vote arrives
Election analysts see a potential surge of late Republican votes on Tuesday, which could narrow a projected early Democratic lead.
By Imani Donovan ·
1.5 million ballots have been cast in Arizona as of Friday morning. This figure represents approximately half of the total turnout projected for the 2026 election.
Adam Kinsey, director at Uplift Campaigns, analyzed the early returns for KTVK political editor Dennis Welch. Kinsey, who works for a Democratic-leaning firm, stated that the current data provides advantages for both major parties.
Democrats are securing their traditional base early while mobilizing first-time voters, according to Kinsey. Republicans, however, have a large group of consistent voters who have not yet turned in their ballots.
Kinsey noted that this delay suggests many Republican votes are still pending. He explained that these voters are either staying home or preparing to bring their ballots to polling sites on Election Day.
The early count suggests a potential surge of Republican turnout on Tuesday. If this pattern holds, Democrats would likely lead early on election night. Republicans would then be expected to close the gap as day-of ballots are processed and counted.
Welch and Kinsey will discuss the implications of these numbers on the show 'Politics Unplugged' on Sunday morning.
Source: KTVK
