20-yr.-high liberal turnout Trumps IDC

The liberal tsunami that swamped moderate, Republican-aligned Democrats in the state Senate was fueled by unprecedented voter turnout.

More than 1.5 million Democrats — 27 percent of all those registered to vote — flocked to polls around the state, the highest in a Democratic primary in at least two decades, records show.

“We have a truly energized electorate and that is a good thing by almost any measure,” said David Birdsell, the dean of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. “And that was driven by Trump.”

Former members of the controversial Independent Democratic Conference — who earned the ire of liberal activists for cutting deals with Senate Republicans that cemented GOP control of the chamber — were uniquely vulnerable.

“The down-ballot effects of Donald Trump’s presidency are hard to overstate in very blue sections of the country,” added Birdsell.

Six of the eight former IDC members were ousted Thursday, including the mastermind and former head of the breakaway group, Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein.

All told, seven incumbents succumbed to challengers.

Senate Republicans attempted to turn the IDC wipe to their advantage in a fundraising appeal Friday.

“The Democrat Socialists won a number of victories in contested primaries and are now more emboldened than ever to try and take over the Senate,” said GOP state Senate leader John Flanagan.

Gov. Cuomo belittled the nearly clean sweep of the IDC, pointing out that Republicans still control the Senate.

“Last night was meaningless,” he said. “We rearranged deck chairs.”