2026 is an election year and of course there is much talk about the possibility of a Blue Wave and the hope for a change in direction for this country.
Sorry to be a downer here but….dream on!
Reports are coming out the that the young are not satisfied with the GOP or the Dems and are identifying themselves as independents….
More Americans than ever are stepping away from the two-party labels. A new Gallup survey finds that 45% of US adults identified as political independents in 2025, the highest share in more than three decades of telephone polling and up from 43% in recent peak years. Just 27% of adults called themselves Democrats and 27% Republicans. The shift is driven largely by younger Americans: Majorities of Gen Z and millennials, and more than four in 10 Gen Xers, now claim the independent label, compared with about a third or less of baby boomers and older adults. A big factor in recent swings is tied to unhappiness with whatever party is in power, which the AP notes may bode well for Democrats in the midterms.
- All these independents, however, are not precisely in the political middle. When asked which party they lean toward, 20% of all adults were independents who favored Democrats, 15% leaned Republican, and 10% did not lean either way.
- Combining party identifiers and leaners, Democrats held a 47% to 42% edge over Republicans in 2025, reversing a three-year period of GOP advantage and returning to a pattern last seen in President Trump’s first term. The Democratic edge widened over the course of the year, from parity with Republicans in early 2025 to an eight-point lead by year’s end.
- On ideology, conservatives still outnumber liberals. Thirty-five percent of Americans described themselves as conservative or very conservative, 28% as liberal or very liberal, and 33% as moderate. However, the conservative lead over liberals—seven points—is the smallest margin going back to 1992. The biggest ideological shift has come inside the Democratic Party, where 59% now identify as liberal, up from 25% in 1994.
Glad to see that people are getting dissatisfied with the two corrupt parties….but with that said do you see any change?
I hate the term ‘independent’ for it is not accurate….these people will still vote for one of the two parties that are destroying this country.
They will not look for a true alternative so they are not independent voters they are just lazy twats.
This next election will be the chance for some real change or at least the beginnings….but will the voter actually want change or just a repeat of stupid voting habits?
Now would be a good time to voice your opinion.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Do you have many candidates who stand for election as Independent, non-aligned over there, chuq? At the moment in the UK, we only have 13 members of parliament who stood as Independents and are are not affiliated to any party. Perhaps those people saying they are ‘Independent’ should try to stand for election on that basis?
Best wishes, Pete.
too many people vote straight ticket, “because”. It’s the family tradition, or Dad would have a FIT (so don’t tell him), or ‘we always always, because…” or they pay no attention to anything being said or done, and I guarantee there are still people in this country who aren’t even sure who Biden was, or “what’s wrong Trump? you some kinda commie?”
The solution might just be to stop the pingpong game of party loyalties, and just have people vote without taking sides. This isn’t a horse race, or a ball game.
Personally I think political parties should be outright banned. This is supposed to be a representational form of government. In theory that means that a politician we elect is supposed to represent the needs and wishes of the people who actually elected him/her. Period. But it generally doesn’t work that way at least in part due to political parties who are largely funded by oligarchs and large corporations pumping millions of dollars into advertisements, flooding regions with outside campaign workers, etc. phoney PACs that are little more than money laundering operations designed to hide who is actually buying political influence, etc.
The only way we’ll ever get a start on getting this mess straightened out is through strictly enforced, rational campaign funding laws. There are ways to do it but the political system is so corrupt now that I doubt it will ever happen.
I agree with GF the place to start is campaign funding and his concern is well founded. chuq
Judy a fine thought but how do we get most people to look beyond some silly party loyalty? chuq
WE have some but never get any press…others like NYC mayor runs as a Dem….it is sad that we can come up with better candidates. chuq
I’ve seen some interesting studies that are very troubling. They’ve described a specific bill that was heavily pushed by the GOP, to a group of average “conservatives” but presented it as a democratic proposal. And almost universally the conservatives would label the bill as being “more liberal extremism” or even worse. But describe the exact same bill to another group of conservatives as being presented by the GOP and they whole heartedly approved of it.
People have switched off their brains, it seems. No one seems to be actually thinking rationally and it’s been reduced to “I’m right, you’re wrong” no matter what the discussion might concern.
A fine observation….I just do not like the term ‘independent’ because they are not. chuq
Terrific insight.
Thanx John….I have a problem when the term inde3pendents is used…..makes me a bit unpopular sometimes. chuq
You know … MANY years ago I avoided “politics” because I really dislike conflict and all the “this party vs. that party” arguments turned me off. Yes, I voted, but as with many others, I tended to go along with family preferences.
As I got older and the financial obligations in my life changed, I started to pay more attention to the political scene and, as a result, began to reexamine my preferences. As a result, truth be known, I don’t like either party! Thus, to me, the choice of “Independent” –if used as intended– seems to be the more appealing designation. However, in Oregon, it is a “party” within itself, which to me, takes away its “neutrality” and thus, forces me to make a choice that I would prefer not to make.
The word has changed over the years and I still believe in its original intent. chuq