https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/20/two-early-warning-lights-are-flashing-democrats/

The battle never ends.

«You may recall that, as the 2018 midterms approached, the results of special election contests were seen as a measure of Democratic enthusiasm. In contest after contest, Democrats were picking up seats and beating Clinton’s 2016 margins by double-digits.

Since last November, though, the picture has been different. From November 2016 through March 2017, Democrats overperformed by an average of 9 points compared to 2016 in nine special elections. Since the midterms, REPUBLICANS have overperformed by an average of 1 point — and have picked up four seats that were held by Democrats.

….

But if the question is enthusiasm, there’s another bit of bad news for Democrats, in the form of a new poll from CNN and SSRS. Respondents were asked how enthusiastic they were about voting next year, and more than three-quarters of both Democrats and Republicans said they were at least very excited about casting a ballot.

But Republicans were 11 points more likely to say that they’re EXTREMELY enthusiastic.

This has been a quiet concern of Democrats for some time. In 2010, Republicans swept back into power in the House after Barack Obama’s enthusiastic 2008 base failed to show the same energy for the midterms that year.»