Voter exhaustion could haunt Democrats and Republicans in the midterms

Despite President Donald Trump’s near record-low approval rating, Democrats only boast a slim advantage over Republicans heading into the midterm elections.

A recent Washington Post poll gives Democrats a 3 point lead, far less than the 10 point margin they boasted during the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first term in office.

Political consultant Chuck Coughlin with Arizona-based HighGround chalks that up to voters’ exhaustion with candidates running against something — for Democrats, against Trump — and not for something.

“There’s nothing there to really excite the electorate or excite constituencies about what to vote for,” Coughlin said following Tuesday’s primary election.

Coughlin said Democrats lack a narrative to sell themselves to voters, beyond the basic fact that they’re an alternative to Republicans.

But some Republicans, he warned, are also so disillusioned with their own party that they may not fully participate in key races in November.

Turnout in Tuesday’s primary is projected to finish at around 25%, one of the lowest rates in years. And while turnout in primaries is typically less than in the general, the GOP’s traditional turnout advantage in the primary was particularly low, even though Democrats lacked competitive campaigns in most statewide races.