Gallup Poll: Pro-Life Conservatives More Enthusiastic About 2010 Elections
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 18, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — With a pro-abortion health care bill President Barack Obama and his allies pushed through Congress and now a second pro-abortion Supreme Court nomination, pro-life advocates are worked up about the 2010 elections. A Gallup poll shows that to be the case as it has conservatives the most excited.
Upset by the pro-abortion agenda Obama and his Democratic lieutenants in Congress have put in place, pro-life advocates appear ready to go to the polls in droves this November to vote them out.
That’s because a Gallup poll released today shows registered voters who identify themselves as conservatives are significantly more enthusiastic about voting than moderates or liberals, who are mostly for abortion.
Those who say they are "very" conservative are the most enthusiastic of all, with substantially higher enthusiasm than those who say they are "very" liberal.
The poll shows 62 percent of those who call themselves very conservative are very enthusiastic while another 17 percent are somewhat enthusiastic, or 79 percent overall enthusiastic.
Another 40 percent of conservatives are very enthusiastic and 24 are somewhat enthusiastic, for 64 percent total.
Those numbers compared with just 46 percent of moderates who say they are enthusiastic (22 percent very and 24 percent somewhat), 53 percent of liberals saying they are enthusiastic (21/32 percent) respectively) and 63 percent of very liberal voters (44/19 percent).
"Gallup data since March of this year have consistently shown that Republicans are more enthusiastic about voting than Democrats. The data presented here on ideology confirm the conclusion that, at this time in the campaign, those to the right of the political spectrum appear to be most motivated to turn out and vote on Nov. 2," the Gallup firm noted.
Conservatives, who are generally strongly pro-life, have both higher numbers and more enthusiasm about November.
"The challenge for those on the political left is that, not only are there proportionately few self-identified liberals — 20% of registered voters interviewed so far in May identify as liberals, compared to 42% who say they are conservatives — but liberals remain relatively apathetic about voting," Gallup noted.
Conservative writer Ed Morrissey of Hot Air heralded the results, which he says are " troublesome for current Democratic Party leadership."
Morrissey also says it may be more instructive to look at the “not enthusiastic” numbers.
"Among all self-identified conservative voters, only 30% report being unenthusiastic about the midterms. In comparison, 50% of moderates and 42% of liberals are apathetic," he observes. "Considering the wide gaps in identification with these positions, those position differences point to a midterm wipeout for nonconservative candidates."
Morrissey also believes the results show conservative Democrats may show up to the polls to vote for Republicans or remove pro-abortion incumbents.
"The most enthusiastic Democratic voters are those who identify as conservatives (33%), not moderates (20%) or liberal (26%). Many of the Democrats who do go to the polls will not be pulling the lever for incumbents who pushed or even enabled the Nancy Pelosi agenda," he writes. "Those conservative Democrats may see this election as a way to rid the party of the hard-Left leadership that has pushed the nation to the brink of fiscal collapse while conducting social engineering that offends their sensibilities."
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