Tuesday Primaries Put Taxes, Data Centers and Crypto in the Spotlight

Voters in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming head to the polls Tuesday for primaries that could help shape the 2026 midterm elections. Control of Congress is at stake in November, with Democrats hoping to capitalize on President Donald Trump’s declining approval ratings.

“The decline in President Trump’s approval ratings across a range of issues has increased Democratic prospects,” said one recent analysis from TD Cowen. “Divided government could leave policy in a gridlock.”

The three states are highlighting very different issues: taxes in Alaska, data centers in Florida and cryptocurrency in Wyoming.

Alaska

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan faces a major challenge from former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola in Alaska’s Senate race. The state’s top four primary finishers will advance to a ranked-choice general election.

The Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up. Peltola, who previously won statewide in 2022, is running a centrist campaign focused on energy and tax policy.

She supports targeted tax credits for oil and gas refineries and faster permitting for energy projects. She also wants to eliminate federal income taxes for Alaskans earning less than $92,000, funded through higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires.

Peltola has sought to distance herself from the national Democratic Party, including recently moving away from an endorsement by former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Sullivan, a Marine veteran and longtime senator, has Trump’s endorsement. Another Republican candidate named Daniel Sullivan is also on the ballot, raising concerns that voters could confuse the two candidates.

Florida

Florida’s gubernatorial and Senate primaries are being shaped in part by growing opposition to data centers and concerns about rising electricity costs.

Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds is the leading Republican candidate to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and investor James Fishback are also running.

Donalds says data center developers should pay their own infrastructure costs and has rejected claims that technology-industry donations would influence his position.

Collins has called for a “Florida Strong standard [that] requires operators to fund their own project infrastructure and meet Florida’s water, reliability, and ratepayer terms, so families and seniors are never stuck subsidizing Big Tech’s power demand.”

Fishback has proposed going further, saying he would ban data centers in “all 67 counties by preventing county commissions from approving them in the first place.”

Former Republican-turned-independent Rep. David Jolly is seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Republican Sen. Ashley Moody is also running for a full Senate term and is expected to face the eventual Democratic nominee.

Wyoming

Wyoming voters are choosing candidates to replace Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who is retiring after her current term. Lummis, known as the “crypto queen,” has been a leading congressional advocate for cryptocurrency legislation.

Trump-endorsed Rep. Harriet Hageman is considered the favorite to succeed her. While Hageman has generally supported crypto, she has focused her campaign more heavily on reducing federal regulation and addressing resource issues.

Democrats face a difficult path in Wyoming, where no Democrat has won statewide office since 2006. State Rep. James Byrd is among the Democrats competing for the Senate nomination.