Women are increasingly enthusiastic to vote, largely plan to vote for Democrats

published 9 October 2018

Democrats are polling well with just under one month until the midterm elections.

On a generic congressional ballot, 54 percent of likely voters say they'd support the Democrat in their district, while 41 percent would vote for a Republican, a CNN/SSRS poll published Tuesday found.

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It's the widest margin of support for Democrats in the midterms since 2006, CNN notes, which is when Democrats last took control of the House. Enthusiasm is also sky high — 62 percent of Democrats say they are extremely or very enthusiastic to vote, compared to 55 percent last month. Republicans, meanwhile, are more tempered: 52 percent feel extremely or very enthusiastic, while 50 percent felt the same way last month.

There are major differences between genders, however. Women are not only more enthusiastic about voting this year, unlike in 2010 when men were, but they are notably more likely to vote for Democrats. Sixty-three percent of women said they would vote blue; just 34 percent said they'd vote for a Republican. Meanwhile, 50 percent of men say they'd vote for a Republican; and 45 percent would support a Democrat.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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