Republicans are much more enthusiastic about the 2012 presidential election their Democratic counterparts, according to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll.
The poll shows that 51 percent of Republicans nationwide are “more enthusaistc about voting than usual” in November’s top-of-the-ticket election, whereas only 39 percent of Democrats feel the same way.
In fact, enthusiasm among Democrats has waned over the course of this year’s campaign. A USA Today/Gallup poll in February showed 45 percent of Democrats were more enthusiastic about casting their votes in the 2012 election than previous cycles. Currently, 43 percent of Democrats say they are less enthusiastic about voting this year, compared with 33 percent of Republicans who are less enthusiastic.
The poll presents a marked contrast from four years ago. In mid-June of 2008, 61 percent of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic about voting in that year’s presidential election, while only 35 percent of Republicans were more enthusiastic at that point in the race between Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).
