More Americans either identify as Republicans or align more with the GOP than Democrats, according to Gallup polling.
When asked whether they identify as Republicans, Democrats, or independents, 31 percent of respondents answered Republican, 28 percent said Democrat, and 41 percent chose independent.
When those independents were pressed on which party they lean toward and those results were included in the full sample, 49 percent of all respondents either identified as Republicans or said they leaned toward the GOP, versus 42 percent who either identified as Democrats or leaned that way.
This seven-point edge for Republicans is a major swing toward Republicans and away from Democrats since last month. Gallup’s September poll showed Democrats with a 49 percent to 45 percent advantage over Republicans on this front. This month-over-month change represents a net 11-point swing the GOP’s way.
Moreover, Republicans are also in a much better position regarding self-reported party identification among Americans compared to October 2020, a month before President Joe Biden narrowly won the White House, and October 2016, weeks before former President Donald Trump prevailed in the election.
In October 2020, 45 percent of respondents either identified as Republican or said they tilted toward the GOP, compared to 49 percent who leaned toward the left. Before undecided leaners were pushed to pick a party, 31 percent of all respondents said they identified as Republcians, 31 percent reported themselves as Democrats, and 36 percent categorized themselves as independents.
Democrats also led Republicans in self-reported party identification by four points in October 2016, with 40 percent leaning Republcian or identifying as one and 44 percent aligning more with Democrats.
Those figures showed Democrats with a five-point edge over Republicans before independents were asked to choose a party they tilted toward. Of the respondents, 32 percent said they were Democrats, 27 identified as Republicans, and 36 percent were independents.
Gallup’s latest data is from fieldwork collected between October 1-12, though a sample size and margin of error are not listed.
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