Democratic Edge in Partisanship Evident in 2006 at National, State Levels

Gallup News Service ^ | 1/30/07 | Jeffrey M. Jones

[jamese777]

Utah and Idaho most Republican states, Rhode Island and Vermont most Democratic

A review of Gallup polling data from 2006 underscores the relative strength the Democratic Party currently enjoys versus the Republican Party in American politics. For the year, Democrats averaged a nearly four point advantage over the Republicans on national party identification and an even larger 10-point advantage when independents' partisan "leanings" are taken into account. In an analysis of 2006 partisanship at the state level, 33 states show a statistically significant advantage in favor of the Democratic Party, six states show a statistically significant Republican advantage, and the remainder can be considered competitive. Democratic strength in the United States has grown in each of the last three years. The trends are fueled more by movement away from the Republican Party and into independent status than by movement toward the Democratic Party.

National Partisanship in 2006

An average of all national Gallup polling in 2006, consisting of interviews with more than 30,000 adult Americans, finds 34% of Americans identifying as Democrats, 30% as Republicans, and 34% as independents. The parties had been relatively even in terms of national strength since 2001. The most recent figures represent the largest Democratic advantage since the Clinton presidency.

[digger48]

if there is only a 4% advantage to Democrat(ic)s, why are all the polls weighted at a 10-15% Rat favor?

[Alter Kaker]

Utah and Idaho most Republican states, Rhode Island and Vermont most Democratic

And yet Vermont just (narrowly) elected its first Democrat congressman since 1961, only its second since 1857. In 1936, Vermont was one of only TWO states in the country (the other was Maine) to support conservative Republican Alf Landon over Roosevelt.

[johnny7]

Democratic Democrat Edge in Partisanship Evident in 2006 at National, State Levels

[Buck W.]

But the previous congressman was (is) a socialist.

[jamese777]

Well, Vermont didn't have to elect a Democrat, they elected Bernie Sanders, an independent socialist who caucused with the Democrats for 8 consecutive terms until he became Vermont's junior Senator.

[Jumper]

Leanings are all the Democrats have left of the hugh masses they once had in the 60-70s. As an example, in 1990 Cumberland Co NC had a Democrat-Republican divid of 43,000 - 17,000 - but after Clinton's first six years in office, that figure was down to 31,000 - 26,000. As a Republican, I'll take them LEANINGS any day now over the past.

And those Leanings, which Roosevelet and Dems had mass majorities from the 1930s... are evenly split today, again the questions begs is "Why?" are thses numbers so close and now the Dem's roll out slim leads as a mandate????