Polls: Democrats 21 Points More Enthusiastic for Midterms
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- Juan Williams frames the upcoming midterms as the 'Midterms of Rage,' arguing voter anger at Trump gives Democrats a structural advantage less than six months before election day.
- Congressional Republicans are proposing $1 billion in taxpayer funding for Trump's White House ballroom, reversing his earlier promise that private donations would cover the cost.
- Trump's war against Iran is in its third month, has cost $25 billion, and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, while the GOP majority blocks a War Powers Act vote on the conflict.
- An ABC-Washington Post poll finds roughly 75% of Democrats view the midterms as 'more important than past midterms' — 21 points higher than Republicans.
- A Marquette University poll shows just 28% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters are 'very enthusiastic' about voting, compared to 47% of Democrats and Democratic-leaners, a 19-point gap.
- Trump's false claim that the pope said it was OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon draws disapproval from nearly 60% of voters, and his reposted Trump-as-Jesus meme gets thumbs-down from 87%.
- Thirty-nine House Republicans are not seeking reelection, while populist Democrats like Graham Platner in Maine and Sherrod Brown in Ohio are winning primaries on anti-Trump fury.
Why it matters: With 39 House Republicans retiring and a 21-point Democratic enthusiasm gap, the GOP faces a midterm cycle where Trump's $1 billion ballroom flip, a $25 billion Iran war with no end in sight, and a pope feud have each become turnout accelerants for the opposition. Populist Democrats are already winning primaries on anti-Trump fury, signaling the energy asymmetry is reshaping the battlefield well before the general.
