While Dems are keeping pace in early voting near everywhere around the country, there's one place where that's not the case -- Florida.
The enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats has for months been cited as a harbinger to major Republican Party victories in the Nov. 2 mid-term elections.
And if early voting is any indication, that barometer appears justified, both locally and across Florida.
Through the first three full days of early voting, ending Wednesday, Republicans were dominating Democrats in Sarasota County. That is sending a panic through local Democrats who fear that unless the trend is quickly reversed, they could be looking at wholesale defeats, including a loss for incumbent state Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota.
Of the 8,600 votes cast early in Sarasota County, just 30 percent were by Democrats. Republicans comprised 53 percent of the voters. The remaining 17 percent were supporters of minor parties or held no party affiliation.
Statewide, Republicans are also leading Democrats in early voting. Of the 778,000 early voters so far, just 33 percent statewide have been Democrats compared with 53 percent Republicans.
Horrid. Catastrophic. So what's going on?
Sarasota Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Ferrandino admits there was an initial panic that set it when she saw only 30 percent Democrats in the early-voting numbers. But the more she has investigated what is going on, the more she is convinced that the U.S. Senate race is causing the voter turnout disparity for Democrats.
Ferrandino said many of the county's best Democratic voters — those who never miss an election — report to her that they are holding off in case Democrat Kendrick Meek or independent Charlie Crist drop out of the Senate race against Republican Marco Rubio.
Unfortunately, neither Meek nor Rubio will drop out, thus handing the seat to Rubio on a silver platter. The low early-voter numbers are just collateral damage in that lose-lose situation of a Senate race.