Harris channels Obama with poll showing Democrats’ excitement to vote soaring

Vice President Kamala Harris is doing her best former President Barack Obama impression by increasing Democrats' excitement to vote to levels not seen since 2008.

A Gallup poll released Thursday shows 78% of Democrats and those leaning toward Democrats are more enthusiastic than usual about voting, compared to 64% of Republicans and Republican leaners who said they were more enthusiastic about voting than usual. The survey, which was conducted from Aug. 1-20, is a jump for both Democratic and Republican voters from the March poll, but for Democrats, it was a 23% jump, while for Republicans, it was only a 5% jump.

Historically, the highest enthusiasm figure Democrats have seen in the poll since 2000 was in February 2008, when 79% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters said they were more enthusiastic than usual about going to the polls. Democratic enthusiasm would also spike in October 2008, when 76% said they were enthusiastic about voting. In the 2008 election, the Democratic presidential ticket led by Obama gave Democrats sweeping victories up and down the ballot.

High enthusiasm does not always equal electoral success. In July 2004, Democrats were at 73%, which was more enthusiastic than usual, but they would go on to lose the presidential election later that year.

Republican enthusiasm peaked in 2012 and 2020, which were both presidential elections the GOP would lose. In both November 2012 and July 2020, Republicans were 70% more enthusiastic than usual about voting in the election.

The Democrats' enthusiasm since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris was elevated to the top of the party's ticket has translated into polls swinging in their favor after months of Biden trailing further and further behind Trump.

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The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Harris leading Trump nationally, 48.3%-46.6%, while the battleground states are all tight races .

The vice president will have her first sit-down interview Thursday on CNN since she was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate. She will be joined by her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), for the interview. Harris and Trump are set to face off in their first debate on Sept. 10, which will be hosted by ABC News.