Voter turnouts show Dems 'energized and angry'

Democrats' record turnout in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, following similarly heavy attendance at the Iowa caucuses last week, shows that the party is organized and motivated to oust President Bush next fall, Democratic and Republican political operatives say.
More than 208,000 people voted in New Hampshire, easily topping the 170,000 who turned out in 1992. That year, like this one, there was a crowded Democratic field and no dominant front-runner in the early contests.

In Iowa, about 124,300 went to caucuses, more than twice the number who attended in 2000. This year's total matches 1988, when an estimated 125,000 Iowans voted in another crowded field. Some Democratic officials say the 1988 estimate was inflated, which would make this year's turnout a record.

"Democrats are more energized and angry than at any time since Lyndon Johnson's presidency," says Curtis Gans of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. "That probably translates into higher turnout and more Democrats at the polls" next fall.