Last updated on September 24th, 2018 at 06:47 am
The clues for Carol were in the catfish. Or rather, in the shortage of catfish at a Democratic fundraiser in Texas.
Carol Donovan is the Democratic chairperson for Dallas County, Texas, and she knew 2018 could be a good year for Democrats when they ran out of catfish at their annual fish fry fundraiser.
Donovan runs the Democratic Party in a region of 2.5 million people, and according to her Donald Trump is motivating Texans to support Democrats in a way that she has never seen before.
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“Some people are inspired to vote because they are afraid of what he’s going to do. And some are inspired because they’re so aghast at what he’s already done,†Donovan said.
Donovan said she had to print 50,000 more voter information packets this year because so many people were volunteering to get out the vote. Also, she said that Dallas County Democrats will run a candidate in every major race in November for the first time in at least 20 years.
This information is supported by a new poll which shows record-high enthusiasm among Democrats with just a few weeks to go before the November midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
“Democrats‘ enthusiasm to blunt Trump soars for congressional election: Reuters/Ipsos pollâ€
Democrats' enthusiasm to blunt Trump soars for congressional election: Reuters/Ipsos poll https://t.co/TXKCAwYa9l pic.twitter.com/HtngBrcInI
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 21, 2018
According to the new Reuters/Ipsos poll Democrats of all kinds say they are more motivated to vote this year than ever before.
But, as expected, if Republican candidates drown in this year’s Big Blue Wave it will be primarily because of the enthusiasm — and voter turnout — of white women.
According to Reuters:
“White women Democrats over the age of 60 are leading the way: 74 percent said they are certain to vote on Nov. 6, up 18 percentage points from four years ago.”
Many people were shocked after the 2016 presidential election to learn that the majority of white women did NOT vote for Hillary Clinton. This is a major factor in why she lost. So the fact that white women Democrats will be turning out in record numbers this year is truly a big deal, and a great sign for Democrats.
The new poll also found the following:
“Democrats have the edge in enthusiasm within most major demographic groups: college graduates, people between 18 and 34 years old – the so-called millennial generation – and mid-career adults.”
Again, this is great news for Democrats. Millennials are known to favor Democrats over Republicans by about a two-to-one margin, but their voter turnout has historically been low. If this year the younger voters turn out in large numbers to support Democrats than the Blue Wave could turn into a Blue Tsunami.
Historically, only about 40% of eligible voters have cast ballots in midterm elections. All indications are that this year the percentage will be much higher. So far in 2018 we’ve seen record turnouts in Democratic primary elections and in special elections.
Donald Trump and his supporters are in denial, and do not believe that a Blue Wave election is coming. But this new poll is evidence that the record-high enthusiasm and turnout among Democrats will indeed carry them to victory in November.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
