A new poll shows that Republican voters are paying more attention to the presidential race than Democrats,
Politico reported.
In a USA Today/Gallup poll, 74 percent of Republicans said they are paying attention to the race and have given about it “quite a lot” to the election compared to 61 percent of Democrats. The numbers suggest that Republican voter turnout could top Democrat turnout.
“In most prior election campaigns, Republicans have typically paid a higher level of attention to the election than Democrats. However, the current 13-point Republican advantage is larger than Gallup has measured in recent presidential election years,” Gallup wrote, according to Politico.
“That may be because Republicans had a competitive nomination contest this year, while on the Democratic side, President Obama was not challenged for the nomination. In the early part of 2008, when Democrats had a prolonged and competitive nomination contest between Obama and Hillary Clinton, Democrats led Republicans in thought given to the election.”
Among all voters, the poll shows that 64 percent are paying a lot of attention to the race, which is down from previous election years, Politico reported. Voter engagement was higher in July 2008, at 70 percent and in 2004, when it was 69 percent. In 2000, only 42 percent said they were paying a lot of attention. Voter turnout in those years mirrored the engagement numbers.
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