U.S: Shift Among Independent Voters Since Election
Database Reports Examine Shifts Among Seniors And
Independent Voters Since 2008 Election
We’ve used our extensive database to take a serious look at two of the most important blocs of voters for the midterm elections, seniors and independents.
Using our database of over 20,000 interviews conducted since the 2008 election, and thousands more from years before that, we’ve produced these reports focused on segments of the electorate that can swing elections, particularly in an off-year.
The independent voters who helped create the Democratic wave in 2006 and usher Barack Obama into the White House in 2008 have shifted sharply to the right and prove to be extremely difficult terrain for Democrats this year. It will take a serious and extraordinary effort to swing them back to the Democrats by November.
A deep analysis of seniors reveals that they are a problem for Democrats because of long-term trends and because they vote in large numbers, but that these older voters have not rushed away from Democrats since 2008. These voters are not lost to Democrats and our data points to ways to reach them before the midterm elections.
ENDS