The Hill

Reid Camp Optimistic About Surge in Voter Turnout

Tess Wafelbakker

A few weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D) of Nevada and his campaign seemed to be in serious trouble. National polls showed the incumbent senator behind his Republican opponent and Tea Party favorite, Sharron Angle. The outcome of this high profile race could have had a significant impact on the expected shift in power from Democrats to Republicans in Congress. During Nevada’s first week of early voting (Oct. 16- Oct. 22), Republican voters outnumbered the Democrats, despite a higher Democratic voter registration in the state. However, Democratic voting surged in the final week of early voting, which ended this past Friday. The margin between voters of both parties is not nearly as large as previously projected, and it seems that the only way Reid would have been ousted from the Senate was if a large number of registered Independents who support the Tea Party Movement voted in this pivotal midterm election. Pollsters claimed that regardless of these numbers, the race would be very close and that the results would rely heavily on Independent voters, as well as other turnout factors. Either way, this race was a controversial one. However, Reid eventually proved successful in his bid to retain his Senate seat.

Additional Reading

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/126637-reid-campaign-heartened-by-democratic-turnout-during-early-voting-in-nevada