A new poll conducted since President Donald Trump left office shows a 9-point gap between the number of Americans who identify as Democrats or lean Democrat, compared to those aligned with the Republican Party, the largest gap in almost a decade.
A Gallup poll conducted from January to March showed that 49% of respondents consider themselves Democrats or leaning that way, while 40% consider themselves Republicans or lean that way.
Gallup said the jump comes mostly from Republicans leaving the party at the end of President Donald Trump’s tenure. Only 25% of U.S. adults firmly identify with the Republicans, down from 29% late last year.
Some 30% of respondents said they consider themselves to be Democrats. Gallup said it was not unprecedented for Democratic Party affiliation to rise after a Democrat candidate wins the presidential election, and cited similar increases after the elections of Presidents Bill Clinton in 1992 and and Barack Obama in 2008.
There has also been a spike in Americans identifying as independents, no matter which way they lean, since the election of President Joe Biden. some 44% of respondents made that choice. The number is up from 38% at the end of 2020.
The poll was conducted among nearly 4,000 adults and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.