Dems retake lead in party affiliation

Democrats have overtaken Republicans’ advantage in party affiliation, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

{mosads}Forty-six percent of Americans identify as Democrats or leaning Democratic, compared to 41 percent who identify as Republican or lean Republican.

Democrats have typically had an advantage in party affiliation over the past quarter century, but the GOP had taken a slight lead around the 2014 midterm elections.

“Republicans have lost ground versus Democrats over the last three months in terms of the percentage of Americans who align with each party, essentially resetting the political map to what it had been in 2013 and early 2014, and putting the Democrats in a favorable political position as the 2016 campaign is getting underway,” Jeffrey M. Jones at Gallup wrote about the poll’s implications.

He also notes President Obama’s approval ratings have been ticking up at the same time that Democrats have gained the ground.

The poll tested 3,566 adults and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.