Following lower then expected voter turnout in last week’s Iowa Caucus (which was actually 3% higher than 2016), pundits on the major news networks questioned if the current crop of Democratic hopefuls were failing to excite the base. Even last night as numbers trickled in from across New Hampshire, panelists for both CNN and MSNBC spoke at length of low voter turnout. But apparently, none of these panelists bothered to actually compare last night’s numbers with previous cycles.
With 97% of precincts reporting, some 282,138 votes had been cast. This total is 14% higher than 2016 (247,548) and more than 6% higher than 2008 (265,918).
Whether or not these numbers are surpassing “expectations” is a matter of interpretation. But considering the razor thin margin Trump won in 2016, and the electoral blowout that was 2008, Last night’s turnout should afford Democrats some measure of relief.