An average of 47% of American identify as Democrats, or are Independents who leaned Democratic in 2012, compared with the 42% who identified or leaned Republican. These findings from a recent Gallup/USA Today poll of 20,800 adults from January-December 2012, shows that Democrats now have an edge in party affiliation after the two parties were essentially tied in 2010 and 2011.

The percentages of Republican and Democratic identifiers were essentially unchanged from 2011 to 2012. The new Democratic advantage is mostly due to an increased proportion of Democratic-leaning independents and a decreased proportion of Republican-leaning independents. Thus, the movement comes almost exclusively among Americans with weaker attachments to the political parties. Read More