Fewer Americans Consider Themselves Republicans…..

I CONTINUE too say the Grand ole’ Party IS shrinking around the edges…..

Why?

Donald J. Trump and Co.

The number of Americans identifying as Republicans and conservatives has fallen over the past year, according to a new survey released by Gallup on Monday, with the number of Americans identifying as independents hitting a record high.

A full 45% of the country considers themselves independent, a record high in Gallup’s polling, while 27% each consider themselves either Democrats or Republicans. When including what party independents lean towards, Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 48% to 40% margin.

That’s a significant shift from the same time last year, when Republicans outnumbered Democrats by a 47% to 43% margin.

The number of independents in the country began growing rapidly around 2010 in Gallup’s data, reaching a new high this year.

And while the poll found 35% of Americans consider themselves conservatives compared to the 28% who consider themselves liberal, the 7 percentage point advantage for the right is the smallest ever recorded in Gallup’s polling. One third of the country considers themselves moderate.

Since Gallup began tracking the question in 1992, the percentage of conservatives in the country has remained mostly steady, while the number of moderates has declined and the number of liberals has grown, reflecting the Democratic Party’s transformation into a more explicitly left-leaning party.

The pollster noted Americans still do not think highly of the Democratic Party, but are mostly recording their dissatisfaction with Donald Trump’s first year in office by identifying with the opposition.

Gallup based the results on interviews with more than 13,000 adults over the course of the year.

More….