Many of us are following the breakdown of voter turnout across the country very carefully, looking to see how many Democrats have voted vs. Republicans. Normally this would give you a good idea of which D or R candidate was ahead in a particular race. But this year is different. There are several signs that show Republicans are voting outside of their party more than usual. The Hill writes:
Political observers say there is a group of voters that has emerged in this cycle: Republicans who have never supported a Democratic candidate — not for the city council, Congress or president — who suddenly find themselves set to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
And they don’t want anyone to know it.
We asked people on Twitter if they know a Republican who has voted for Biden and the majority of respondents said yes.
On his website, PoliticalIQ, Scott Rasmussen, the former pollster wrote that in Florida, for example, Biden is leading by 11 points, “even though the poll shows 42% of the early votes were cast by Republicans and just 40% by Democrats.”
Biden’s advantage among this group comes partly from the fact that more Republicans have voted for Biden than the number of Democrats who have voted for Trump. Democrats who have already voted favor Biden by a 97% to 2% margin. But 11% of Republicans have voted for Biden.
We have long known that groups like The Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT) were trying to sway GOP voters, but we didn’t know if there would be a large number who actually follow through. If 11% did crossover should be more than enough to help propel Biden over the top, at least in Florida.
