When it comes to party affiliation, Gallup is considered the gold standard. It is truly remarkable how far off this CNN poll is from Gallup. I don't know what to make of it, except that is serves the narrative that people are disgusted with both parties when in fact the move toward Dems is BIG.
Relative to the average across 2025, Republicans and Independents decreased and Democratic affiliation increased.
Q1 2026 (ABC report of Gallup numbers)
25% Republican (last time they were this low was 2013)
43% Independent
30% Democratic
Average across all quarters 2025 (Gallup)
27% Republican
45% Independent
27% Democratic
The shift is even more dramatic -- a whooping 10 point difference -- when you look at the "Lean" numbers (Republican + Independent leaning R and Democratic + Independent leaning D).
Added on edit: perhaps the most notable is that the trend has been going one way for six straight quarters, the longest stretch since 1991 (and it could be longer, I just don't have data before that handy).
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