Which political party do Americans align with more? New poll finds a shift

More Americans now identify with the Democratic Party than with the Republican Party, reversing the trend of the past two years, according to a new Gallup poll.

The shift — a common phenomenon following a presidential election — is largely due to political independents reassessing their loyalties.

The Democrats’ renewed advantage also comes despite the fact the party suffers from an all-time low favorability rating among the public.

The results are based on quarterly telephone interviews of at least 3,000 U.S. adults. They have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Here is a breakdown of the results.

Renewed Democratic advantage

An average of 46% of Americans said they identified as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents in the second quarter of 2025, while an average of 43% said they identified as or leaned Republican.

This 3-point lead follows a tie in the first quarter of 2025, in which 45% of respondents identified with both parties. It also marks a reversal of the trend of 2023 and 2024, during which Republicans led or tied in every quarter but two.

This quarter’s boost in Democratic alignment is “entirely due to more Americans saying they are independents who lean toward the Democratic Party,” according to Gallup. Meanwhile, the Republican decline was caused by equal shares of those who identify as and lean Republican.

As a result, the bulk of the shift in partisan affiliation can be attributed to people with weak party attachments reorienting themselves during the first months of President Donald Trump’s second term. Gallup noted that their “temporary loyalties could easily change.”

This trend away from alignment with the ruling party is also not unique. In fact, it has transpired during the first year of the majority of modern presidential administrations.

For example, the president’s party experienced declines in the share of Americans identifying with it in 1993, the year after former President Bill Clinton took office, in 2009, after former President Barack Obama took the White House, and in 2017, after Trump first gained power.

As such, these shifts “appear to reflect less of a change in how the parties are viewed overall or perceived in terms of competence, and more of a typical reaction to one party controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress,” according to Gallup.

Democrats are historically unpopular

The Democratic Party’s newfound advantage also comes at a time when the party has never been more unpopular.

In the poll, 34% of respondents said they have a favorable view of the party, marking the lowest such figure since 1992, the year Gallup began asking this question.

The previous record-low of 36% was registered in November 2014, near the end of Obama’s second term.

Republicans, meanwhile, received a slightly higher favorability rating of 38%. This is down from the 44% measured in November, following the 2024 presidential election that sent Trump back to the White House.

At the same time, both parties received similar marks for their perceived ability to govern.

Thirty-five percent of respondents said the Democratic Party can effectively manage the federal government, while 36% said the same for the Republican Party.

Republicans, though, held an advantage when it came to their ability to effect necessary changes. Forty-two percent of respondents said the GOP “can bring about changes the country needs,” while 37% said the same for Democrats.

This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Which political party do Americans align with more? New poll finds a shift."