U.S. Republicans watch presidential election more closely than Democrats: poll

U.S. Republicans continue to follow the news of the presidential election more closely than Democrats, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Forty-seven percent of Republicans and 39 percent of Democrats said they are watching the election closely, the poll found.

The poll comes at a time when much drama has been unfolding between Republican candidates, with brash billionaire Donald Trump beating the odds and grabbing the party's nomination.

The bombastic businessman has galvanized rank-and-file Republican voters in a way that no Republican in recent memory has done.

More broadly, attention to the election will most likely rise for all Americans in July, as the two parties hold their national conventions, and then again in September and October, as the presidential campaign comes down to its final two months, Gallup said.

The latter period will include four planned presidential debates, the first of which is scheduled for Sept. 26 in the state of Ohio.

Whether the Democrats can generate more interest from their constituency and increase the probability of higher voter turnout is one of their central challenges moving toward election day in November, Gallup said.

Forty percent of Americans are following the election news "very closely" in May, up from 31 percent in January, the poll found.

More broadly, 79 percent report following news about the election "very or somewhat closely," compared with 69 percent in January, according to Gallup.

(APD)