Democrats May Be Down, but Their Appetite for Voting Hasnt Dimmed

It can feel as if the Democratic Party has a lot of work to do before it is ready to win elections again.Its agenda appears exhausted.

Its voters are disillusioned.Its politicians have struggled to muster vigorous opposition to President Trump.But tonight — and on many Tuesday nights for the next few years — the election results might just make it easy to forget about the party’s woes.Already, Democrats have fared well in special elections since Mr.

Trump's inauguration.On average, they’ve run 12 percentage points ahead of Kamala Harris’s showing across 11 special elections, according to data collected by The Downballot.

This includes flipping two reliably Republican districts in Iowa and Pennsylvania.The pattern of Democratic strength seems likely to continue today, when voters in Florida’s First and Sixth Districts go to the polls to replace Matt Gaetz and the beleaguered national security adviser Michael Waltz.Democrats are not expected to win these races, but there’s every indication of a competitive race in the Sixth District, where Mr.

Trump won by 30 points in November.Democrats have even more reason for optimism in the regularly scheduled election for Supreme Court in Wisconsin.If you’re a longtime reader, Democratic strength in special and off-year elections will not come as a complete surprise.

Throughout the Trump era, Democrats have excelled in low- turnout elections, as the party appears to fare best among the most highly engaged, regular voters.This strength is partly attributable to the party’s advantages among college graduates, but the advantage runs even deeper than demographics....