{"id":2655301,"date":"2026-09-05T23:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T03:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/independent-voters-increasingly-identify-as-democrats-poll\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T23:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T03:42:11","slug":"independent-voters-increasingly-identify-as-democrats-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/independent-voters-increasingly-identify-as-democrats-poll\/","title":{"rendered":"Independent voters increasingly identify as Democrats: Poll"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Findependent-voters-increasingly-identify-as-democrats-poll%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2655301&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The latest data from Gallup indicates a shift in U.S. voter affiliation ahead of the midterm elections, with the percentage of independent voters leaning more toward the Democratic Party increasing. In the second quarter survey, 49% of independents who see themselves neither as Republican nor Democrat favor the Democrats, up from 39% earlier this year. more voters now identify as Democrats (31%) compared to when Trump took office, though a significant portion still remain unaffiliated. Democrats hold their largest advantage over Republicans as 2008,while Republican efforts focus on capitalizing on discontent with Democratic figures and portraying contrast through campaign events. President Trump\u2019s approval rating continues to decline amid ongoing economic and geopolitical tensions, notably regarding inflation and Middle East conflicts, impacting Republican prospects nationwide. The survey, involving over 3,000 U.S. adults with a 2% margin of error, highlights continued partisan shifts and the evolving political landscape leading into the midterms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The percentage of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/independent\/\">independent<\/a> voters who \u201clean more toward the Democratic Party\u201d has ticked upwards ahead of November\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/midterm-elections\/\">midterm elections<\/a>, according to the latest quarterly party affiliation data aggregated by Gallup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the respondents in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/654560\/quarterly-party-affiliation.aspx\">Q2 survey<\/a> who considered themselves neither a Republican nor a Democrat, 49% said they lean toward the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\">Democratic Party<\/a>, compared with 39% who prefer the Republican Party. That split has increased by four percentage points in favor of Democrats since the first quarter of 2025, when President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> returned to the White House for his second term.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4715260\/voters-increasingly-democrat-poll\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Independent voters increasingly identify as Democrats: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4714354\/nationalization-politics-change-candidates-campaigning\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>How the nationalization of politics has changed the way candidates campaign<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4712051\/gop-midterm-convention-organizers-late-push-fill-arena\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Republican midterm convention organizers make last-minute push to fill arena for Trump<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A similar trend is evident among voters who do identify with a specific party: 31% nationwide now say they are a Democrat, compared to 28% when Trump took office. The majority of voters still identify with neither party, though that percentage has fluctuated throughout Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taken together, the new data show Democrats holding their largest advantage over Republicans since 2008, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/05\/us\/politics\/democrats-republicans-voters-gallup-midterms.html\">according to<\/a> the <em>New York Times<\/em>. The nine-percentage-point drop in independent voters who prefer Republicans since the fourth quarter of 2022 signals trouble for GOP candidates nationwide hoping to appeal to centrist voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s approval rating has consistently declined throughout his second term, dampening hopes for Republicans. Despite running on cost-of-living concerns that arose under former President Joe Biden, inflation has remained well above the Federal Reserve\u2019s 2% target since the conflict in Iran began in February. Voters have largely cited these tensions in the Middle East and the rising costs stemming from disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as reasons for no longer approving of the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4715170\/democrats-anti-israel-journalist-hakeem-jeffries-aipac-monkey\/\"><strong>DEMOCRATS CONDEMN ANTI-ISRAEL JOURNALIST WHO CALLED HAKEEM JEFFRIES \u2018AIPAC MONKEY\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans across the aisle are hoping socialist figures in the Democratic Party, such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed, will boost Republicans\u2019 popularity in tight races. The Republican National Committee is holding a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4715188\/rnc-full-keynote-speaker-midterm-convention\/\">campaign-style convention<\/a> in Texas this week to promote the party\u2019s \u201ccommon sense versus crazy\u201d contrast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey was conducted with a combined random sample of over 3,000 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of two percentage points.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Independent voters leaning Democratic rise before midterms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3238,"featured_media":2655302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP24306701272762.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,42540,40635],"class_list":["post-2655301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-independent-voters","tag-political-polling"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP24306701272762.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655301"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2655304,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655301\/revisions\/2655304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2655302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2655301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2655301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}