Enthusiastic Democrats Angry and Optimistic
The heightened Democratic enthusiasm is particularly notable among liberal Democrats, 53% of whom are more interested in voting this year than usual. The partisan gap in enthusiasm is even visible among independents – those who lean Democratic are considerably more eager to vote than those who lean Republican. Overall, 47% of voters who plan to vote Democratic this fall say they are more enthusiastic about voting than usual, compared with just 30% of voters who plan to vote Republican.
The higher level of enthusiasm among Democratic voters is linked to two underlying attitudes: anger at the president and optimism about Democrats chances in the fall. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those who plan to vote for the Democratic candidate in their district think of their vote this fall as a vote against George W. Bush. These anti-Bush voters are significantly more motivated to vote – 52% say they are more eager to vote this year than usual, compared with 39% among those who say Bush is not a factor in their vote.
Democratic voters also have an optimistic outlook for the fall – 64% think the party will do better in this year’s congressional elections than it has in other recent elections. The heightened expectations among Democrats are strongly linked with increased interest in voting. More than half (55%) of Democratic voters who expect the party to make progress in the fall say they are more enthusiastic about voting this year, compared with just 34% who see the party doing about the same – or worse – as in recent elections.
Enthusiastic Democrats  | Angry and Optimistic  | % more enthusiastic  | than usual  | Allde mocratic voters  | See vote as a vote Yes  | against Bush?  | No  | Will Democrats do Yes  | better this year?  | 34  | No  | Based on re gistered voters 