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Voter enthusiasm

Published: 11/1/10

Ignore Your Inner Cynic and Vote on Tuesday

By  Donna Trussell - Politics Daily
Ignore Your Inner Cynic and Vote on Tuesday

"Tribute to Her," uploaded to the Internet on Nov. 7, 2008, is a slideshow of Election Day photographs. YouTube member SailorBrownie described her post as a "dedication to all those Black Americans who went out on Tuesday and voted. We made history." While it's not altogether clear who is the "Her" in the title of the video, it might as well be the woman collapsed on the floor in tears. A girl nearby touches her cheek with a little confusion and a lot tenderness for the woman who is, most likely, her mother. The pictures are set to the Beatles song, "Blackbird" -- a good choice, considering ...

Published: 10/27/10

Today in Voter Fraud: Hysteria or Imminent Threat?

By  David Knowles - AOL News
Today in Voter Fraud: Hysteria or Imminent Threat?

(Oct. 27) -- As another election draws near, it's worth asking: Which is the larger problem in America, voter fraud or voter intimidation? On Tuesday, 47 people in Minnesota were charged with voter fraud stemming from the 2008 general election, Minnesota Public Radio reported. That location is significant, as conservative activists have long alleged that Sen. Al Franken was only elected because of voter fraud. Unfortunately for the groups trying to prove that Norm Coleman was the real winner of the contest, initial claims that some 1,250 people had acted to throw the election Franken's way ...

Published: 10/15/10

Poll: Democrats Doing Better in Some Districts, but Obama Is a Negative

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
Poll: Democrats Doing Better in Some Districts, but Obama Is a Negative

Going down the stretch to the midterm elections, Democrats have improved some of their numbers since June in the battle for Congress, but President Obama appears to be a significant drag on Democrats running in competitive districts that the party now holds, according to a poll conducted Oct. 7-10 for National Public Radio. The poll surveyed likely voters in 86 of the most competitive Democratic districts and 10 Republican-held districts where Democrats have a decent chance to win. The "targeted" districts in which Democrats were vulnerable were divided into two tiers: those that are now ...

Published: 09/23/10

Disillusioned by Obama's Policies, Independents Turn Toward GOP

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
Disillusioned by Obama's Policies, Independents Turn Toward GOP

Fueled by a big shift among independents disillusioned with President Obama's policies, Republicans have taken a 50 percent to 43 percent lead among likely voters when it comes to a choice between the GOP and Democratic candidates for Congress in their districts, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted Aug. 25-Sept. 6. Pew said that independents, who were a force behind Obama in 2008 and Democratic candidates in the 2006 midterm elections, now have swung behind Republican candidates by margins as large as they were in those years. The sample of the overall electorate in the Pew ...

Published: 09/22/10

GOP 'Enthusiasm' Remains Higher Than Democrats' as Election Day Nears

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
GOP 'Enthusiasm' Remains Higher Than Democrats' as Election Day Nears

The latest measure of the "enthusiasm gap" as Election Day draws near documents again what polls have been showing for months: the percentage of Republicans energized about the midterms is substantially higher than is the case for Democrats, according to a Marist College/McClatchy poll conducted Sept. 14-16. A third of registered voters overall say they are "very enthusiastic" about voting this November. Forty-six percent of Republicans are very enthusiastic compared to 30 percent of Democrats, while independents are the least engaged with 23 percent in the "very enthusiastic" column. For ...

Published: 09/8/10

Generic Congressional Polls: Believe Them . . . or Not?

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
Generic Congressional Polls: Believe Them . . . or Not?

It's no surprise that the topic attracting the lion's share of the attention this campaign year is Republicans' chances of regaining control of the House after two disastrous election cycles (with the possibility that the Senate may switch hands starting to be taken seriously, as well). And perhaps one of the most-watched measures of how things are going is the generic congressional ballot. The question on the generic ballot is usually some variation of this: "If the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in November were being held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate ...

Published: 08/29/10

Democrats Have the Money, but GOP Has the Mojo in 2010

By  Patricia Murphy - Politics Daily
Democrats Have the Money, but GOP Has the Mojo in 2010

Heading into the midterm elections in November, both major parties have a big advantage over the other. For Republicans, it's passion. For Democrats, it's purse strings. The GOP enjoys an energized base of supporters, evidenced by surging turnout in primary contests and a spanking new, if highly unpredictable, political movement within its ranks in the form of the Tea Party. Democrats have cash, and lots of it, bolstering candidates' hopes that the party can inject enough last-minute money to build a firewall against the GOP's red-hot base voters in November. "Reports of the House ...

Published: 08/26/10

Pat Toomey Leads Joe Sestak in Pa. Senate Race, Helped by Greater GOP Enthusiasm

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
Pat Toomey Leads Joe Sestak in Pa. Senate Race, Helped by Greater GOP Enthusiasm

Republican Pat Toomey is running ahead of Democrat Joe Sestak in the race to fill the seat of Pennsylvanian Sen. Arlen Specter by 40 percent to 31 percent among likely voters, with 26 percent undecided, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll conducted Aug. 16-23. The margin of error is 5.4 points. When the poll is expanded to all registered voters, Toomey's lead is a lesser 31 percent to 28 percent with 38 percent undecided. The margin of error for that sample is 4.4 points. We frequently lean on polling analyst Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com to help readers compare these two ...

Published: 08/11/10

'Enthusiasm' Factor Helping Republicans in Ohio Senate, Governor Races

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
'Enthusiasm' Factor Helping Republicans in Ohio Senate, Governor Races

Republicans have a big edge when it comes to the "enthusiasm" factor among Ohio voters, and their candidates have the edge in the races for governor and senator, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Aug. 6-8. Former Republican Rep. John Kasich is leading Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland in the governor's race by 48 percent to 39 percent. Rob Portman, another former GOP congressman as well as a cabinet member in George W. Bush's administration, leads Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher by 43 percent to 36 percent. The margin of error is 4.3 points. Seventy-five percent of registered ...

Published: 06/21/10

Republicans Have Biggest 'Enthusiasm' Edge Over Democrats Since 1994

By  Bruce Drake - Politics Daily
Republicans Have Biggest 'Enthusiasm' Edge Over Democrats Since 1994

The Republican advantage over Democrats when it comes to how enthusiastic their supporters are about voting in an election year is the biggest since 1994 when the GOP last won control of Congress, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted June 11-13. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans and Republican-leaners say they are more enthusiastic than usual compared to 44 percent of Democrats. In 2006, when the Democrats captured the House, they had the advantage by a 50 percent to 40 percent margin. The Republican edge was 4 points in 2202 and 1998, and 10 points in 1994. "The enthusiasm ...

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