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Michigan early voting opens

News · Heat 3.1 / 10 · 2 shows · 23m airtime

Michigan released early-voting totals on October 14, 2026, showing about 314,000 mail ballots cast, 48 percent Democratic and 29 percent Republican, a 3.2-point shift from 2024. Early voting is running at about two-thirds of its 2024 pace in Harris counties and about 45 percent in Trump counties. Reporting notes that late-arriving absentee ballots from Flint, Saginaw, Detroit and Ann Arbor are counted last, so late blue tranches could favor Abdul El-Sayed. The discussion weighs whether the Democratic lead holds as overall turnout lags, and whether disaffected Democrats in Detroit turn out for El-Sayed against Mike Rogers.

How 2 podcasts covered it

  1. Ruthless Podcast, 2026-10-14 (20:11 to 28:26)
    Weighs Michigan's early-vote returns
    Turns to Michigan's early-vote returns: about 314,000 mail ballots, a 48-29 Democratic lead, and a 3.2-point shift from 2024. Weighs whether Detroit Democrats who dislike El-Sayed will still vote, and notes a Democrats for Rogers group.
    New angle: Michigan's early vote shows a 48-29 Democratic lead, a 3.2-point shift from 2024.
  2. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-26 (42:09 to 45:54)
    Adds county-level Michigan early-vote pace
    Adds a county-level read on Michigan's early vote: Harris-carried counties are voting at about two-thirds of their 2024 pace, Trump-carried counties at about 45 percent. Hasan then argues the polls are unreliable and the race will be close or not close at all.
    New angle: Michigan early voting is at about two-thirds of its 2024 pace in Harris counties and about 45 percent in Trump counties.
  3. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, 2026-10-29 (0:15 to 11:00)
    Interviews an analyst on late absentee counting
    Interviews the VoteHub analyst on how Michigan counts late-arriving absentee ballots from Flint, Saginaw, Detroit and Ann Arbor, and what that means for El-Sayed on election night. Also flags North Carolina Gen Z turnout running five to one Democratic.
    New angle: Michigan counts late-arriving absentee ballots from Flint, Saginaw, Detroit and Ann Arbor last, so late blue tranches could favor El-Sayed.
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