Pew: GOP Enthusiasm for Presidential Race at All-Time High

Republicans are growing more positive about the presidential campaign, posting the highest showing so far this year in the latest poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

The findings represent a huge change from just after the party conventions in September, when Democratic enthusiasm was stronger, Pew said.

In the latest poll – of 1,005 people conducted Oct. 18-21 – Pew found that 73 percent of Republicans said the campaign is interesting, up 23 points since early September.

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The survey was conducted before the final debate between President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

The Pew results also showed more independents viewing the campaign as interesting, 56 percent, compared with 45 percent in September.

By contrast, the percentage of Democrats who say the campaign is interesting remained unchanged, at 66 percent. Democratic enthusiasm had jumped 19 points between June and September, Pew said.

In addition, far more Republicans also view the campaign informative – 69 percent versus 49 last month – and largely fewer responded that the campaign is “too long” than did so in September, 42 to 62 percent, Pew reports.

In fact, the percentage of Republicans who now say the campaign is too long is ranks about as low as it was in January, 49 percent, which was when the GOP primaries began, Pew reports.

Overall, 63 percent told Pew that the 2012 presidential campaign was interesting, versus 28 percent who said it was not.

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That was up 10 points from September, when 53 percent of found the campaign interesting overall.

The latest results compared with Pew survey results from January to June, in which majorities said the campaign was dull – with no more than about 4-in-10 finding it interesting.