Democrats close enthusiasm gap in new survey 

Democrats appear to be closing an enthusiasm gap with Republicans as Tuesday’s midterms approach, according to a new NBC News poll. 

Democrats have caught up to Republicans in election enthusiasm, with 73 percent of respondents from each party describing their interest in the midterms as a 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale, according to the network’s last national poll before voters cast their ballots on Tuesday. 

Democratic enthusiasm climbed 4 points from 69 percent reporting the same high interest last month, while Republican enthusiasm fell 5 points from 78 percent in October. 

Enthusiasm among independent voters has also grown since last month, up to 59 percent from 52 percent.  

A Democratic-controlled Congress is likely voters’ preferred outcome by just 1 percentage point in the new survey, with 48 percent hoping Congress remains blue and 47 percent preferring Republicans take control. 

An October poll showed just the opposite, with 48 percent of likely voters wanting Republican control and 47 wanting Democrats in charge. The 1-point difference in either poll is notably within the 3.5 percent margin of error, indicating a tight race between the two parties.  

---

2024 Election Coverage

• 2024 Election News
• 2024 Election Polling Data
• 2024 Presidential Election Forecast

---

A Marist-NPR-PBS NewsHour poll earlier this month found Republicans were notably more enthusiastic about Tuesday’s midterms than Democrats and independents.

A recent Gallup poll also found that more Americans plan to vote early or have already cast their ballots in this year’s election, compared to previous midterms. 

Conducted Nov. 3-5, the new poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters, 786 of whom were likely voters. The margin of error overall was 3.1 percentage points, and 3.5 percentage points for the subgroup of likely voters.