Health & Fitness
Measuring Enthusiasm
When a political race is a dead heat, voter enthusiasm becomes key.
The latest USA Today poll has the presidential candidates in a dead heat in key swing states (including Iowa). USA Today polls "registered voters" rather than "likely voters" so it becomes important to look at voter enthusiasm in these numbers. Telling a pollster who you'd support is different then actually going to the polls.
The USA TODAY Poll shows that Republicans, who lagged in enthusiasm in the last swing states survey, have gained an edge now. That may reflect growing comfort with Romney becoming the nominee now that the GOP primaries are over. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 30 percent say they are extremely enthusiastic about voting, up 5 points from the spring.Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 23 percent are extremely enthusiastic, a 3-point dip from the last survey.
USA Today says the increase in GOP enthusiasm reflects "growing comfort with Romney" but the real reason is the anger over the Supreme Court decision regarding the individual health care mandate. It's now up to Democrats to increase the fervor in their own base which will mean...oh, boy!...more negative ads!