Record high number of independent voters in the United States

Dina Mahmoud (London)

With the start of the primary elections in various American states to determine the two sides of the upcoming presidential race, a recent opinion poll revealed an increase in the number of voters with independent orientations, reaching a record level not recorded in nearly a decade, which may cast a shadow on the results of the November 5 elections. , which aims to determine the identity of the occupant of the White House, during the next four years. The poll, conducted by the famous American “Gallup” institution to measure public opinion, indicated that an average of 43% of adult American voters said that they were independent in their orientations from the two main parties, the Republican and Democratic, which is equivalent to the level that was previously observed in 2014. It showed The same poll showed that the percentage of those who classified themselves as Democrats and Republicans reached 27% of those polled, which indicates, according to Gallup, that the increase in the number of independents came primarily at the expense of supporters of the Democratic Party, more than what was deducted from The share of their counterparts who publicly support Republicans.
Foundation officials indicated that greater numbers of Democrats would adopt independent tendencies compared to Republicans, “which is expected” in light of the fact that supporters of the Democratic Party have constituted, over the past few years, the largest political group in the United States. Observers considered, in statements published by the prominent American news site Axios, that the results of the poll confirm that politically independent voters have strengthened their position as a “dominant voting bloc,” less than a year before the expected presidential elections, especially since other studies conducted last year reported that The percentage of these people has already reached 49%, in the spring of 2023. According to observers, independents could constitute the weighting element in any expected runoff in the November elections, especially if its two parties are the current Democratic President Joe Biden, and his predecessor and potential Republican rival, Donald Trump. .
However, experts point out that presidential election years in the United States usually witness a decline in the percentage of independent voters, which means that the number of those belonging to this category, which has usually outnumbered the Democratic and Republican categories of voters since 1991, may decline during the next few months.
On the other hand, the results of the “Gallup” poll, and what it showed of the increasing number of voters with independent orientations, may represent a hopeful indicator for the American political group “No Labels”, which is seeking to find what its leaders describe as a “centrist candidate”, capable of competing with… Republican and Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections.
“Iowa” is preparing to launch the primaries
Des Moines (Agencies) Voters in Washington are braving sub-zero temperatures today, with the launch of the Republican Party’s primary elections to choose its candidate for the presidential election battle, in popular assemblies for the state of Iowa that will serve as the first test to find out whether Donald Trump is indeed the most likely candidate to grab a ticket. Nomination.
With his clear lead in the opinion polls, the former president is expected to easily win the nomination of the American Midwestern state in the first nationwide ballot, to run in the elections against President Joe Biden in November.