Well, the number one reason why voters will vote for Donald Trump is to stop Hillary Clinton. The problem is that on the other side, the main reason they’re voting for Clinton is to prevent Trump from moving into the White House. So, while there may have been reports about Democratic turnout being lower in the primaries, more importantly the drop in enthusiasm—it would appear Mr. Trump might be the antidote (via Reuters):
About 47 percent of Trump supporters said they backed him primarily because they don't want Clinton to win. Another 43 percent said their primary motivation was a liking for Trump's political positions, while 6 percent said they liked him personally.Similar responses prevailed among Clinton supporters.
About 46 percent said they would vote for her mostly because they don’t want to see a Trump presidency, while 40 percent said they agreed with her political positions, and 11 percent said they liked her personally.
The April 29-May 5 poll included 469 likely Trump voters and 599 likely Clinton voters. It has a credibility interval of 5 percentage points.
[…]
But the negative atmosphere is likely to reign, says Alan Abramowitz, an Emory University professor who has studied the rise of negative partisanship in America.
Both campaigns probably will decide their best strategy is to work even harder to vilify each other, he said.
[…]
A 2014 study by Pew Research Center found that Democrats and Republicans have shown increasingly negative views toward each other over the past few decades. In 2014 more than a quarter of Democrats, and more than a third of Republicans, viewed the opposition as "a threat to the nation’s well-being."
So, there may be some who argue that this is a detrimental aspect of Trump winning the GOP nomination. Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders are going to be bitterly disappointed when he loses the Democratic nomination to Clinton, about a quarter have said they won’t vote for Clinton in the general. Yet, while it’s interesting discussion, don’t put too much stock in it. A Sanders supporter isn’t going to stay home to show their disgust of Clinton, only to see the country be takeover by Trump. And anti-Trump supporters aren’t going to stay home and allow Clinton quarterback a third term of Obamaism. As Guy and Katie pointed out, some GOP heavyweights are lining up behind Trump. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is endorsing the real estate magnate—this is a man who called the billionaire a “cancer.” Romney, Bush 41 and 43 are sitting it out, but Vice President Dick Cheney announced today that he’s on the Trump train. In fact, while Trump is trailing Clinton by double-digits, though he’s starting off with 82 percent of Republican voters backing him. I’m going to assume that figure is going to rise a few notches as we enter the general election phase of 2016.
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The Supreme Court, the Second Amendment, and a multitude of other key issues (Clean Power Plan/coal) hang in the balance with this election, so I’m hoping the pro-Second Amendment takes a hard look at the road ahead. We all know what Clinton is going to do. For those who are worried that Democrats will destroy their lives with their war on coal, I hope they do the same thing. Both candidates are admittedly the worst of the worst this cycle, but there is one question that should give the anti-Trump wing pause. My friend and colleague Larry O’Connor, who’s neither pro nor anti-Trump, mentioned this in a conversation a few days ago: would you rather have a Clinton presidency with a Democratic Congress, or a Trump administration working with a Republican one? I hope that question permeates the rest of the GOP electorate who are still skeptical of the billionaire. It’s going to be a clothespin vote this year, but I’m hoping most might be jolted into action by the thought of President Hillary Clinton. It’s a debate I’m wrestling with at present—and yes, Clinton in the White House, with a Democratic Congress that could, among other things, place two anti-gun jurists on the Supreme Court absolutely terrifies me.
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