Change Research Moves the Needle in the 2026 Primaries

Change Research polled across the country on behalf of numerous candidates who won their 2026 Democratic primaries. We worked alongside campaigns up and down the ballot as a strategic partner, uncovering our candidate’s path to victory and creating a winning messaging strategy.

Our 2026 primary experience includes:

• Eric Jones (CA-04 CD)
• Fred Clark (WI-07 CD)
• Abdul El-Sayed (MI Senate)
• Alabas Farhat (MI-03 AD)
• Ryan Hampton (NV-09 AD)
• Daniele Monroe-Moreno (North Las Vegas, NV, Mayor)
• Mickell Lowery (Shelby County, TN, Mayor)
• Sim Gill (Salt Lake County, UT, District Attorney)
• Traci Park (Los Angeles, CA, City Council District 11)

Change Research’s polling has been highly accurate in 2026. Accuracy is essential to serving as a compass that helps our campaigns understand what the likely electorate thinks and looks like. For example, after accounting for undecided voters in our polling, our late-April polling in Los Angeles’s 11th City Council District was within half a percent of the actual result.

Our Dynamic Online Sampling methodology allows us to connect with voters where they spend most of their time: their phones. As a result, we’ve been able to reach all likely voters, from hard-to-reach Gen Zers to high-propensity seniors.

As we turn to the November general election, we’ve seen a few consistent points in our primary polling across the country that are worth noting:

1. Democratic voter enthusiasm is through the roof. In most of our polling, Democratic voters are outpacing Republican voters on enthusiasm by double digits. President Trump has catapulted Democratic voters to the polls as evidenced in the recent Wisconsin primary election where there were 300,000 more votes in the Democratic primary than the Republican primary. There was a similar trend in the Michigan primary.
2. Some competitive primaries are elevating younger candidates. In several of the most competitive 2026 Democratic contests, younger candidates outperformed expectations. In Wisconsin and Michigan, millennial candidates emerged at the top of the ticket in high-profile races. In Connecticut’s 1st congressional district, Luke Bronin defeated 78-year-old incumbent John Larson by more than 20 points. The pattern has appeared across multiple states and ballot levels, though it varies by race and local context.
3. Younger and older Democrats and left-leaning independents are looking for different things in their leaders. In a recent national survey, we asked Democrats and independents to describe, in their own words, their ideal 2028 presidential candidate. Voters 50 and older overwhelmingly reached for character and credentials: 39% cited honesty, integrity, or trustworthiness (compared to 23%) and 26% cited intelligence or competence (compared to 18%). In contrast, voters under 50 were more likely than older voters to describe a strong leader as empathetic (41% vs. 28%). Younger voters were far more likely to describe a strong candidate as explicitly progressive or left-leaning (15% vs. 4%), more than twice as likely to call for generational change and younger leadership (10% vs. 4%), and far more likely to bring up concerns like healthcare and the cost of groceries and housing.

As the general election takes shape, we’re ready to help your campaign find its path to victory. Change Research is ready to help your campaign define your winning strategy with our quick, accurate polling methodology that can get you results quicker than ever before. When our campaigns need answers now, we deliver.

Reach out to us to learn more about our polling as we dive into the final weeks of the 2026 election cycle.