Sunday, March 01, 2020

DEMOCRATS DON'T HAVE A TURNOUT PROBLEM AFTER ALL

Never mind the results, or the botched vote count. This was the most alarming story for Democrats after the Iowa caucuses:
Turnout for the Iowa caucuses fell far short of expectations. The leading campaigns were prepared for as many as 300,000 people to show up — 60,000 more than the record set in 2008. Instead just 176,000 showed up, less than 3 percent more than in 2016.

While that’s higher than 2016, it’s a striking change from just a few years ago, when turnout in the midterm elections reached the highest level in a century and Democrats took control of the House of Representatives....

Now, at the moment when they need their ground troops the most, there are signs that the past three years may have depleted some of their reserves for organizing, activism and fund-raising.
But after Joe Biden's big win in South Carolina yesterday, it appears that Democrats have a turnout problem only in caucuses. Nevada caucus turnoutr? Also not great.
Officials say about 84,000 Nevada Democrats participated in Saturday's caucuses, which is nearly 30 percent fewer than in 2008.
South Carolina and New Hampshire primary turnout? Pretty great:
For South Carolina, there was ... a near-record primary turnout.

With 94 percent of precincts reporting, and the final 6 percent nearly finished with their tallies, South Carolina’s Election Commission has found 524,000 voters cast ballots in Saturday’s primary.

That total would appear to put the state on track to nearly match — or perhaps surpass — the turnout record set during Barack Obama’s first presidential race in 2008, when 532,000 voters participated....

In New Hampshire, a total of 300,622 ballots were cast, besting the previous record of 288,672 votes in 2008.
I was worried after those Iowa numbers came out, but I'm not worried now. The enthusiasm is there. Now we just need a candidate.

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