CNN poll: Nearly half of Americans don’t consider themselves Democrats or Republicans | CNN Politics

Nearly half of Americans say they don’t consider themselves a part of either major political party, the highest level of partisan independence measured by CNN polling in more than a decade. Independents have grown to 47% of the population, rising roughly 10 points since just after President Donald Trump’s first term as president, according to CNN polling. Over the last 20 years, CNN polling found independent identification peaked in 2015 at just a shade higher than it is today: 48% of Americans on average across all CNN polling that year were independents. The poll suggests a shift away from Republicans since 2024 among registered voters, another ominous sign for the GOP ahead of the upcoming midterm elections as Trump’s approval ratings have sagged. Democrats and Republicans split the remainder of the population in the new poll, with 27% of Americans identifying as Democrats and 26% as Republicans. Many independents do still lean toward one party or the other, and with those leaners included, 39% of Americans align more with Democrats, 37% with Republicans, and 25% say they don’t lean either way. In a further sign of just how evenly divided American politics is today, when