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How Many Republicans Are There?

On July 12, 2018, Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia gave us some interesting statistics:

 44,242,975 voters are registered as Democrats; 
32,570,817 voters are registered as Republicans;  
31,489,028 are registered as Independents; and, 
11,672,1568 voters are registered as other.

 40% Democrats
29% Republicans
28% Independents
 2%  Other

 However, several states don't ask for affiliation and are left out of the count. Sabato points out that "To be sure, there are a number of major states that do not register voters by party, such as Texas, Georgia, Washington, and the keystones of the industrial Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin [19 states]. If they did register by party, Texas, Georgia, and Indiana would almost certainly add to the Republican total; the industrial states probably less so." 


Then he looks at trends and sees that the proportion of voters have shifted to independents as opposed to party affiliation. What does it mean?






It means that Independents have become increasingly valuable to both parties. That if we wish to win in November 2018, Democrats need to attract Independents, the growing part of the electorate.




Another trend from the year 2000 to 2016 is the Northeast has become increasingly Democratic, the Midwest increasingly Republican, the South is split as is the West. We should not write off the South. Even the Midwest, while becomingly narrowly Republican, need not be a write off.



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