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The 2026 midterms are fast approaching, with primary early voting set for April—just a few months away. As candidates ramp up their campaigns, the state GOP is working to make sure Democrats don’t have a say in which Republicans win their primary battles.
They hope to do this by closing the GOP primaries, which would mean only those who register with the state GOP as Republicans would be eligible to vote in Republican primary elections. Unfortunately, they’re having to fight Republican Secretary of State Jane Nelson in order to do it.
The state GOP is now locked in a federal court battle with the Secretary of State’s office on the issue. State GOP Chairman Abraham George said: “Jane Nelson’s position is, ‘The party does not have the right to close our primaries if the law says the primaries are run by the Secretary of State.’”
George went on to say that Jane Nelson’s position runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution. “It’s a very simple issue,” he explained. “‘Does the party have the right to associate with people they think are Republicans?’ And the Constitution says yes, you do.”
Now the question is: Will a judge agree with George—and if so, will the case actually be settled in time for the midterms? George is confident that the answer to both questions is yes. “We are still hoping for a 2026 closed primary,” he said. “It will be as simple as a verdict from the judge. The systems are in place—it’s not hard to do.”