Even in traditionally Republican strongholds, Democrats are doing really well in primaries across the Mountain West.
But high voter turnout in primaries doesn鈥檛 necessarily indicate a blue wave will sweep across the Rocky Mountains this November.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 a terribly exciting, determinable factor of what鈥檚 going to happen in the fall,鈥� David Parker, a political science professor at Montana State University, said.
According to Parker, primaries only show party enthusiasm. Republicans in Montana, for example, often have higher base turnout in the primaries but then they sometimes lose in the general election.
Parker said special elections, presidential approval ratings, fundraising, and consumer confidence are all better indicators of what will actual happen this November.
And he says many of those indicators bode well for Democrats.
For example, important suburban voters are leaning more and more blue, while some traditionally Republican rural voters have been put off by President Trump鈥檚 trade wars.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen farm prices falling dramatically,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淚f they feel that they鈥檙e pinching their paychecks or they feel that they鈥檙e not able to sell their product and it鈥檚 at a lower price, they鈥檙e going to generally take that out on the president鈥檚 party.鈥�
Montana鈥檚 Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester is to win this November. He鈥檚 faced the ire of Trump in recent months.
The highest ranking Republican woman in the U.S. House, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, is facing a tight race in eastern Washington.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and 萝莉少女 in Colorado.
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