Mail-in voting data in three key states show the advantage Democrats enjoyed in 2020 has plummeted, something one expert said is a great sign for Republicans and former President Donald Trump.
“It's great news that Republicans are starting to vote early,” Jimmy Keady, founder and president of JLK Political Strategies, a Republican consulting firm, told Fox News Digital.
The comments come as the Democratic lead in mail-in ballot requests has narrowed significantly in Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to data from Decision Desk HQ, signaling a shift in voter habits that have defined the past two elections.
FIRST ON FOX: HARRIS TRIES TO TROLLS TRUMP – AGAIN – OVER CROWD SIZE
Former President Donald Trump attends a town hall meeting moderated by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, Sept. 17, 2024. (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the data, the Democratic lead in mail-in ballot requests has narrowed by more than 5% in Florida, nearly 15% in North Carolina and more than 35% in Pennsylvania.
Keady said getting voters to vote early or in person can free up resources for campaigns, allowing them to focus their attention on voters who are less likely to vote, who often play a significant role in deciding elections.
“I'm sure voters complain all the time about text messages, about getting mail, about getting robocalls to go vote,” Keady said. “Campaigns are now sophisticated enough that once you go to vote, those calls stop… once a voter goes to vote, and those calls stop, that allows for the allocation of resources from that voter to another voter.”
Getting those less likely voters out to vote could play a huge role in states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, which are expected to again be swing states with razor-thin margins.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, Wednesday, September 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS RANKINGS SHOW IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Vice President Kamala Harris has a lead of less than a point in Pennsylvania, while Trump has a similarly sized lead in North Carolina, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, meaning the work on the ground to turn out voters on each side could be the deciding factor in the election.
The Democratic advantage in mail-in and early voting may well have been the difference in the 2020 election, but Keady foresees a shift in momentum for the GOP on that front in 2024.
“This definitely indicates that A, there is participation… but B, also that the base has, in some ways, adopted the ability to accept that early voting is an appropriate and largely safe way to vote,” Keady said.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
That will help Republicans compete with Democrats in an area where the party was at a clear disadvantage in 2020, Keady said, something that could tip another close election in the GOP's favor.
“As Republicans, we have to start getting the base to vote early, to vote by mail, to do these things that we know are safe and secure, to get people out to the polls. Democrats have done this very well for years.”
Get the latest updates on the 2024 election campaign, exclusive interviews and more in our Fox News digital election hub.
