Democratic voter enthusiasm surged following the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade — but still trails Republican enthusiasm by a significant margin.

It has been almost two weeks since the Justice Samuel Alito-authored draft opinion that would overturn the constitutionally right to abortion became public, and according to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll released this week, Democrats are much more enthusiastic about voting than they were before, driven by a surge among women:

Since an April 29-May 2 survey conducted before Politico published Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion revealing that the court’s conservative majority had voted to overturn Roe, the share of Democratic voters who said they were “extremely” or “very” enthusiastic to vote in the midterm elections increased from 48% to 54%, while Republican excitement increased from 59% to 61%.

Democrats’ increased eagerness to vote was propelled by women: 51% of female Democrats said they are at least very enthusiastic to vote this November, up 11 points over the week and at its highest point since weekly tracking began in September.

Although Republican enthusiasm is still 7 points higher than that of Democrats, the 6-point jump versus an imperceptible GOP gain indicates there is potential for the gap to narrow even further by November — especially if the opinion becomes a decision in June.

Another poll published last week showed that the overturning of constitutionally protected abortion rights is twice as likely to activate Democratic voters in the midterms as it is Republicans.

Respondents to that poll were asked “If the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, would that make you more likely or less likely to vote in the next Congressional elections in November?”

Among Democrats, 47 percent said they are “More likely” to vote in the midterms if Roe is overturned, with 42 percent responding “No change” and only 1 percent answering “Less likely.”

For Republicans, only 25 percent said they are “More likely” to vote in the midterms if Roe is overturned, with 60 percent responding “No change” and 4 percent answering “Less likely.”

Among independents, 27 percent said they are “More likely” to vote in the midterms if Roe is overturned, with 54 percent responding “No change” and only 6 percent answering “Less likely.”

And to the extent that the decision helps with independent voters, it figures to help Democrats more since 55 percent of that group wants abortion to be legal in all or most cases.

The post NEW POLL: Democratic Enthusiasm SURGES After Roe Leak — But Still Trails Republicans By a Lot first appeared on Mediaite.

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