# Will voter enthusiasm play a big role? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [October 4, 2024, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-voter-enthusiasm-play-a-big-role/1008434 "2024-10-04T02:38:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 7
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-voter-enthusiasm-play-a-big-role/1008434/7 "2024-10-04T15:39:49Z")
One proxy for voter enthusiasm is small donors numbers. I still see August as most recent numbers and we can compare and contrast to how 2020 Biden Trump numbers looked. [Open secrets.](https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race) In 2020 Trump was 49% small donors while Biden was 39%. As of 2024 August’s numbers Trump is down at 32% and Harris 42%. And that’s with Harris’s total numbers being substantially higher so in absolute term more impressive. The numbers of of strong approval and disapproval are another proxy for enthusiasm. From a recent YouGov discussed here elsewhere: > [@How can Donald Trump win at this point?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-donald-trump-win-at-this-point/1005351/2440): > > Harris is two points ahead in the “very much approve” among likely voters, along with her four points less in the “very” unapprove rating. And among self-identified Independents that very much unapprove difference is starker, her better by 11. She seems to be ahead in those strongly voting FOR her and way less in those motivated to vote AGAINST her compared to Trump. Hopefully this translates to turnout. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-voter-enthusiasm-play-a-big-role/1008434)._