WHY ISN’T HILLARY 50 POINTS AHEAD? Dems anxious over tightening race.

Democrats are taking heart from early voting figures. Around 20 million people had already voted by the time the FBI story broke. That figure has now risen to more than 27 million, according to Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who is an expert in early voting.

The figures have been broadly positive for Democrats, but with significant caveats.

Voting by registered Democrats has outpaced that of Republicans in several key states, and there are some reports that Latino turnout is especially strong. On the downside for Clinton, African-American turnout looks like it could be problematic, especially when compared to the high bar set by President Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Extrapolations from early voting returns are further complicated by some states adopting different processes than before and others setting up fewer polling locations. There is also the perennial question of whether either party is truly finding new voters in the early tallies or is simply getting people who would have voted for its nominee on Election Day to cast their ballots earlier.

In any event, the Comey news has boosted the spirits of Republicans, even those who hold no great fondness for Trump.

“At a minimum, it has put Hillary back on defense for the closing 10 days of the race, and that’s hugely significant,” said GOP strategist and Hill contributor Matt Mackowiak. “It has also brought back all these questions about Hillary’s trustworthiness and honesty. … I didn’t think the race was competitive on Thursday, and now I do.”

Well, stay tuned.