Study: Democratic turnout for primaries lowest in 80 years

Ruh Roh...

For the first time since 1930, more Republican voters showed up to vote in statewide primaries this year than Democrats -- another sign of the huge challenges facing President Obama's party in this year's elections.

The new figures come from a just-released report by voter turnout expert Curtis Gans of American University.

Gans looked at 35 primaries held before Sept. 1 and found that 4 million more Republicans voted than Democrats -- statistical proof of the "enthusiasm gap" that pollsters and pundits have been talking about.

That, combined with the fact that the percentage of voters who identify themselves as Democrats has been on a steady decline for decades, spells big trouble for the president's party, Gans said: "The Democrats are at an enormous disadvantage."