With Democrats easily winning most special elections lately one might

[pwb]

think Republicans must be voting for Democrats?
Our media would never consider suggesting so. Have you heard that? Ever?
They fear showing puke weakness.
Republicans are voting for Democrats or they are staying home? I think they are hurt and voting with us and staying home.
I would not want to be a Republican this November.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Maybe they are voting for Democrats. I really don't know. But . . .

It might be more likely that folks who are unaffiliated are voting for the Democrats.

[TheRickles]

2. Yes, Peggy. And the people who tend to sit out elections are getting mobilized to get out and vote.

[efhmc]

4. Are unaffiliated and independent considered to be the same thing?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. I'm not sure, but I think so. ...n/t

[EarlG]

3. Some Republicans will vote for Dems, but

I think the more likely effect you're seeing is that over the last ten years Trump's MAGA brand has activated a lot of voters who weren't always reliable voters, and those people came out to vote for Trump in presidential elections -- but many of them don't give a crap about the Republican Party generally, or their own local elected officials. Whether Trump is on the ballot or not has a big effect.

Meanwhile, the party which is not in power always has more active voters -- the president's party usually always loses seats in mid-term elections. So it's a combination of fairweather Trump voters not showing up, general voter disapproval of Republican policies, plus Dem overperformance because Democratic voters are considerably more outraged about what's going on in the country and see voting as a way to stop it, and are therefore turning out in greater numbers than usual.