In more bad news for Democrats, rain is in the forecast for much of the country on Election Day.
Weather tracking websites, including weather.com and The Old Farmer's Almanac, are calling for rain in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast regions, with chances for precipitation in other parts of the country as well.
According to Laurel Harbridge, a Northwestern University political science professor, GOP voters are not typically discouraged by rain. “Republicans are helped by bad weather ... it does harm Democratic prospects.” Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University, echoed Harbridge. “Bad weather almost always hurts Democrats,” she said.
Robert Shapiro, former chairman of the department of political science at Columbia University, said, “Look for places where the election could be close and where the weather might discourage less-than-enthusiastic-voters.”
In fairness, it's not "Democrats" per se who are making this excuse for themselves just yet. For now, it's merely a trio of professors from elite universities* stating the case.
Parting Thought:
*Ok, fine. It is Democrats who are making this excuse.