For the first time in 20 years, more Americans identify as Republican than as Democrat

For the first time in 20 years, more Americans identify as Republicans than as Democrats. This was the finding of the poll conducted every election cycle by Gallup, a pollster that has been doing this survey for the past 30 years.

According to the results, 48% of Americans identify themselves as Republicans, compared to 45% who opt for the Democrats. The last time the GOP was up in this poll was in 2004, when there was an ostensible tie.

From 1992 to 2020, Democrats were behind Republicans only in 2004 and now they are again in 2024. Gallup identified two factors tied to Americans' hopes for the Republican Party that are driving these numbers.

The first of these variables has to do with the majority believing that the Republican Party can better handle the issue that "matters most," in this case the economy. On this point, 46% see the GOP as the party that is "best positioned" to fix it, while 41% would lean toward the Democrats.

"The top issues Americans currently name as the most important are ones that tend to favor the GOP, including the economy (24%), immigration (22%), the government (17%) and inflation (15%)," the Gallup poll reports.

As for the possible electoral significance of whether there is a relationship between which party has an advantage on the "most important" issue and the winner of the election, they noted the following, "This measure has been highly predictive of election outcomes in Gallup trends dating back to 1948. The party rated as better at handling the most important problem has won all but three presidential elections since that year."

In turn, Americans also identify the Republican Party as the one that would do a better job at maintaining the "prosperity of the country," 50% vs. 44% for Democrats.

"Gallup has asked this question since 1951. In 16 presidential elections since then when one party has had at least a minimal advantage on this measure, that party has won 12 times. The exceptions were 1952, 1968, 1980 and 2000. The question was not asked in 2004, and the parties were tied in 1956," the Gallup report added.

Finally, Republicans have a fourteen-point lead when it comes to assessing which party is better able to keep the nation safe from terrorism and other international threats, the largest gap ever recorded by the  pollster.