Democratic Voters Can't Match 'Supra-Energized Republicans'

by Mark Memmott, NPR

"Democrats are more engaged than in September," says Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center and one of the nation's top pollsters. In Pew's latest national survey, 49% of Democratic voters said they had given a lot of thought to the midterm elections, up from 41% in September.

But, Kohut tells All Things Considered co-host Melissa Block, Democrats "still can't match the supra-energized Republicans." Pew's latest reading -- that 64% of Republicans have given the election a lot of thought -- "is the highest level for Republicans we've seen in all the midterms we've measured since 1994."

This clip from their conversation begins with an introduction from Melissa:

The Pew findings echo those of the latest NPR Battleground Poll.

Much more from Melissa's conversation with Kohut will be on today's edition of ATC. We'll add the as-aired audio later. To find an NPR station that broadcasts or streams the show, click here.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, October 21, 2010