DEMS/ELECTION/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In more than 20 of the most competitive House races of 2018, the share of Democrats voting in primaries notably increased, compared with 2014, the last midterm election cycle. Democrats have appeared to be more enthusiastic than Republicans about the 2018 elections, showing up in massive numbers to protest President Trump and volunteer for campaigns. But to win the midterms, Democrats still have to translate that energy into votes. The still-unfolding season of primary elections has been encouraging to Democrats on that front. Democratic turnout has risen more sharply than Republican turnout in at least 123 congressional districts, including districts where Republican incumbents are most vulnerable, in states like California and New Jersey. That turnout pattern is highly encouraging to Democrats who hope to flood the polls in November and unseat Republicans, even in districts that typically lean to the right. Midterm campaigns often hinge on voter enthusiasm: Without a presidential race to draw casual voters to the polls, the party out of power tends to benefit from disproportionate turnout among Americans who feel angry or aggrieved about politics in Washington.”
-Adam Pearce and Alexander Burns, “Democrats Are Turning Out to Vote in the Most Competitive Primary Races,” The New York Times online, June 25, 2018