XPost: alt.california, alt.politics.elections, alt.politics.republicans   
   XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics   
   From: leroysoetoro@americans-first.com   
      
   https://abc7news.com/post/poll-record-number-americans-now-identify-   
   political-independents-shifting-away-democrat-republican-parties/18530800/   
      
   SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A growing share of Americans are distancing   
   themselves from both major political parties, a trend that's reshaping the   
   electoral landscape nationally and in California.   
      
   A new Gallup survey found that 45% of U.S. adults now identify as   
   political independents, the highest level recorded in Gallup's three   
   decades of tracking voter affiliation. The trend accelerated over the past   
   year, with the biggest spike coming from voters who lean Democratic.   
      
   California is experiencing its own version of that realignment. No-party-   
   preference voters are now nearly tied with registered Republicans   
   statewide, according to data from the California Secretary of State's   
   office.   
      
   For roughly every six registered Republicans, the state has five   
   independents - a ratio that has evolved over twenty years of slow but   
   steady changes in party identification.   
      
   Democrats, however, still dominate the state by a wide margin,   
   outnumbering either group by roughly two-to-one.   
      
   As of December, more than 10.3 million voters are registered as Democrats,   
   with about 5.8 million registered as Republicans and 5.2 million as no   
   party and 1.6 selecting "other."   
      
   But even with Democrats' clear numerical advantage, East Bay political   
   consultant Jim Ross says campaigns ignore independents at their own risk.   
      
   "There's frustration with both parties," Ross said. "It's hard to figure   
   out what you should say to them and how to communicate with them."   
      
   Ross says voters choose the independent label for vastly different   
   reasons.   
      
   "Some people might be moderate or conservative but want to protect   
   abortion rights," he said. "Others might be progressive but think the   
   Democratic Party doesn't go far enough."   
      
   Why independents matter even more in California's "top two" system   
   California's open primary rules heighten the influence of voters outside   
   the parties. Under the "top two" system, candidates advance to the   
   November ballot only by finishing among the two highest votegetters -   
   regardless of party.   
      
   That means campaigns often need coalitions that cut across traditional   
   partisan lines.   
      
   Ross says the surge in leftleaning independents highlights a gap in   
   California's stillforming 2026 gubernatorial race.   
      
   "There's no Mamdani in the race," he said, referring to New York City's   
   progressive new mayor. "Finding a path in this race is something a lot of   
   candidates are still trying to figure out."   
      
   With independent voters now comprising one of the most dynamic - and   
   unpredictable - segments of the electorate, both parties may face a   
   challenge: courting a growing bloc that increasingly wants something   
   different from what either side is offering.   
      
      
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