As we approach the two-year mark for the COVID-19 pandemic in this country, about 91% of Democratic voters have received at least one dose of the three major vaccines approved to protect against the virus, all of which have been available (roughly) since last December. Republican voters continue to trail in vaccine acceptance, with only about 60% having received their first dose. It may very well be that the omicron variant now sweeping through the U.K. and the rest of Europe results in fewer deaths and less severe illness than prior variants; the data on that question is still incomplete. But one aspect of omicron appears beyond doubt at this point: it is far, far more contagious than even the delta variant which continues to sow death and illness in this country, predominantly among the unvaccinated. The early data and studies show that those who have received booster shots of the vaccine (right now about 30% of American adults) are the most protected among the population. It’s reasonable to conclude based on the current vaccine acceptance rates that the majority of those who have received boosters are Democrats. And it’s also reasonable to assume that of those rushing out this holiday season to obtain those booster shots to protect against omicron, the majority of those folks will also be Democrats. Read more