Voter turnout in November will be bolstered by high numbers of Democrats who are angry but enthusiastic about the election, says a study released today by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press. Fifty-one percent of Dems say they are more excited about voting this year than in recent years, compared to just 33 percent of Republicans. And, Democrats are much more optimistic. Sixty-five percent think their party will do better this year, while only 15 percent of Republicans have more confidence in GOP races. A paltry 2 percent of Democrats think their party will do worse.
Turnout in the 2006 midterm election may well be higher than normal, given the level of interest expressed by voters. Today, 51% of voters say they have given a lot of thought to this November’s election, up from 45% at this point in 2002 and 42% in early October of 1998. Even in 1994
