The bad news is, the Supreme Court's conservative majority has lost its mind (keep in mind that the high court also once upheld Japanese internment camps in 1944, a decade before delivering the landmark civil rights wins of the '50s and'60s, so redemption is possible).
With the conservative court now effectively rubber-stamping executive power and voter suppression, what is left to anyone who does not want to live in an outright autocracy is their vote this fall. And the good news is, Democratic voters have proven highly motivated in special elections thus far, according to the New York Times.
In more than 20 of the most competitive House races of 2018, the share of Democrats voting in primaries notably increased, compared with 2014, the last midterm election cycle. [...]
Democratic turnout has risen more sharply than Republican turnout in at least 123 congressional districts, including districts where Republican incumbents are most vulnerable, in states like California and New Jersey.
There’s a graphic showing what this looks like below, and it’s satisfying.
But there's room for improvement, and we need every one of you to double down.
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In 2010, when Republicans flipped 63 seats to claim control of the House during Barack Obama’s presidency, GOP voters had shown an increase in voter participation in 186 Congressional primaries (as compared to the 123 district improvements for Democrats this cycle). Of course, primary season isn’t entirely over, with races yet to take in critical states like Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin. And Democrats have also seen notable upticks in turnout in key races.
And Democrats surged, too, in the districts of Representatives Leonard Lance of New Jersey and Will Hurd of Texas — lawmakers from diverse, moderate areas where Mr. Trump is unpopular.
According to Civiqs polling, Democratic voter enthusiasm continues to be higher too, with 77 percent of Democrats saying they are “very enthusiastic” about voting in November versus 66 percent of Republicans saying the same. The generic ballot is holding steady at 6 points in favor of Democrats, which is also what the Real Clear Politics average is showing (we’d rather have that closer to 8 points-plus heading into the final month.)
Ultimately, what the political environment boils down to so far is this: encouraging, but not a done deal. So buckle up and let's put in that extra effort. Make sure your neighbors, coworkers, friends, family, etc. are registered and plan to vote this fall. It’s truly a battle for the soul of the nation.