Today's NBC News poll.

[everyonematters]

Last edited Sun Mar 8, 2026, 01:19 PM - Edit history (1)

Independent's view of the two major parties:
Democrats 13% favorable
Republicans 16% favorable

According to Gallup's latest poll independents make up 45% of the electorate. The party that can convince these voters that they are going to make a positive difference in their lives, can become the dominant party. Democrats need to expand their appeal beyond the base.

In Texas, Talarico won the Democratic primary because he appealed these voters. He didn't make it all about the Republicans; he made it about them.

Somehow in recent decades the Democratic Party became less about winning elections and making a difference in people's lives, to more about just belonging, causing the problem of not relating to the rest of society.

[NoRethugFriends]

1. Yeah that always works so well

[displacedvermoter]

2. So so-called Independents

Last edited Sun Mar 8, 2026, 11:57 AM - Edit history (1)

Don't really like either party, and can't tell the difference, and so again we have to wait until the very last second to determine which ad campaign is the most effective come November?

And we will still have the same assortment of dumb ass Independent and Undecided voters on panels telling us they don't know enough about the candidates to be able to discern between a fascist and a progressive.

God I hate Sunday talk shows and the drivel they put forth

[PatSeg]

7. Same here

I quit watching the Sunday talk shows years ago.

[displacedvermoter]

8. Sunday Morning Gasbags

as a colleague describes them

[PatSeg]

13. Perfect description

[PatSeg]

14. Perfect description

[mdbl]

16. And the same assortment of dumb ass lying ad campaigns to convince them they are smart to vote for the GOP.

It always seems to work on certain groups so they repeat it every election cycle.

[displacedvermoter]

17. Yes, indeed!

Not to mention our own batch of political consultants, rehashing ideas that worked for Clinton and Obama. Not working so well now.

[DenaliDemocrat]

3. Well if Democrats would quit

1) taking the bait on social issues that are rare and set to basically bait them

2) quit putting losing agendas (yes, I’m talking guns) At the front of the platform and

3) focus on economic and social JUSTICE issues - they would win

We ALWAYS take the bait. ALWAYS

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. Independents are not all "moderates"

The data I have seen, including Pew Research surveys with sample sizes in the tens of thousands, show that the majority of moderates (and actually all Americans) support progressive policies when they aren’t identified with a particular party.

This includes sensible gun control laws, as well MFA, reproductive rights, LGBT rights, raising the minimum wage and raising taxes in billionaires.

The only consistent exceptions are the narrow wedge issue of trans teens in sports and immigration, although opinions on the latter have changed significantly over the past year.

[displacedvermoter]

11. Some might say guns are a "Social Justice" issue

but I understand what you are saying.

[DenaliDemocrat]

18. Guns are a losing issue

Americans like guns. I own guns. I believe in sensible gun laws. We are promoting some fairly extreme gun laws. Colorado passed a law that will make my Browning Auto Five illegal. That’s bad. Really bad. It’s going to hurt the Dems in the next election. It’s a losing battle.

Unisex bathrooms = losing battle. Leave it alone. It’s a minor issue. Worry about it after we get some economic reforms.

We know it’s a snake and we always pick it up.

[displacedvermoter]

24. Sorry about your Browning

Sorry the bathroom thing is so hurtful to you.

[DenaliDemocrat]

25. See, it's just this attitude

That makes us lose. The condescending snide remarks. My Brownong Auto Five has been around for 75 years. Along with the Remmington 1100 they are probably only second to the Remmington 870 as iconic shotguns. How many pheasants have been taken with them? Countless.

This is the shit that makes us lose.

[Omnipresent]

28. I hear you.

Before the 2024 election, i kept hearing people online and in person expressing themselves about not wanting men in women’s sports.

That turned out to be a “wedge issue” that helped drive voters to the polls…to vote for republicans.
The party did nothing to dispel this talk. All that was said is Kamala has momentum.

[DenaliDemocrat]

32. Yes. And it's affects a TINY fraction of people

That probably needs to be addressed on a 1 on 1 situation. Each case is unique. Each case deserves its own scrutiny. That’s all that has to be said “It’s complicated and each case should be examined and evaluated on its own merit”.

As for Kamala, California Democrats aren’t winning Nationwide elections. It’s not going to happen

[displacedvermoter]

36. I still feel bad that your Browning takes precedent over lots of other issues

And besides, I thought it was just determined that Harris lost because she was pro-genocide, unlike her opponent who was opposed to war in general.

And her sex and race likely had nothing to do with, either, I think you are saying.

[DenaliDemocrat]

38. I actually believe

Being from California was the #1 issue. Not race or gender.

As for my gun, yes. I live in an area where we have less than 2 people per square mile - it’s still classified as the frontier.

I’m sorry that you don’t take the Bill of Rights seriously and are willing to give up your rights. The Supreme Court ruled (and I believe correctly) the Second Amendment is an individual right, because the first ten kind of are geared to that paradigm.

[displacedvermoter]

40. I actually own a Bushmaster AR 15

And as a former USAF security policeman am extremely proficient with it, and I take the entire Constitution to be a sacred document I swore to uphold.

And as Charles Pierce says regularly, of course it was not about race, it's never about race.

[DenaliDemocrat]

42. I don't own an AR15

Because I have no use for it. I DO however own a .338 RUM that shoot a 250 grain bullet at 2900 fps. When you live where the bears are as big as 4H steers - size matters.

[displacedvermoter]

44. It (2nd Amendment) is supposed to

protect us from unconstitutional infringements, right? Don't see a lot of serious 2nd Amendment enthusiasts up in arms -- pun intended -- as we see all manner of criminal and extra legal activity being carried out by our government, in the same fashion we saw them screaming when Obama was going to take away their rights, which he never planned to do. Why is that, do you think?

Not about race, though, it is never about race

[The Wizard]

26. What's wrong with unisex rest rooms if the door locks from the inside?

I see them everywhere with no issues.

[DenaliDemocrat]

33. There is nothing wrong with them

However, there is also nothing wrong with separate men and women’s, especially consider urinals speed up things for men, thus allowing smaller bathrooms with fewer stalls.

It doesn’t need to be politicized. Honestly, it just needs to be let go.

[jimmy the one]

35. False dichotomy; Americans do not like guns.

You: Americans like guns. I own guns.

I reject this premise. Only 32% of Americans personally own a gun, so the solid majority do not.
About 40 to 44% American households have a gun, ergo over 55% of households do not, a Supreme Court majority at 5 to 4.
In other words, most Americans do NOT like firearms. To me they have become more a threat than a safety measure, more the problem than the solution.
I used to own a s&w 5 shot pump 12 gauge but never hunted. Also a ruger 22 cal short rifle semiauto. Got rid of them after I left the navy, where I was a marksman, and became appalled at the gun lobby. The ruger I only ever shot into soft ground once a year to ensure it still worked. Some skeet with the sg. Will never own a gun again.

You contend Colorado passed a law to make your browning shotgun (I presume) illegal.
This is not what this website says .. the bill does not ban the current possession of these firearms.
.. the bill does not ban the possession of these semi-automatic firearms. Current owners would be allowed to keep their rifles, pistols, and shotguns... (but could not purchase new, transfer or sell..)
https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/firearm-hunting/what-hunters-should-know-about-colorados-first-in-the-nation-gun-ban

I sort of agree (I thinks) on one issue, that of banning assault rifles/weapons. The horse are out of the barn. In 2004 when the clinton assault rifle ban was not renewed by republicans under gwbush, there were approx 400,000 assault rifles in America. Today 20 years later there are estimated 10 to 20 millions. The horse are out of the barn; a new awb would be a cosmetic fix but do little towards blunting mass shootings or carnage from the ar15 and those two NATO rounds, .223.
A 10 round magazine limit I would go with, but regrettably, let any federal assault weapon ban be abandoned. Would help appease pro gun democrats, such as yourself.
I agree with banning trans athletes achieving fame, wolves in sheeps clothing.
Cheers Denali.

--- Not an ego, jimmy the one is a British naval term-----

[DenaliDemocrat]

39. I reject your false narrative.

I never said it outlawed the possession of my Auto 5. It makes it ILLEGAL to sell or buy - and it’s stupid.

I support 1) universal background checks

I support 2) mental health checks for purchases

I don’t support dummies who try to outlaw a shotgun that has been carried afield by over 2.7 million hunters.

[Cosmocat]

19. Been saying for decades

That Ds always lose on "culture" issues and need to gtfo out of them.

Personally, I believe they were right to push for firearm control, but agree that we are now well past the point that its a hopeless cause and they should publicly take it off the table.

[Polybius]

20. Add lowering speed limits to 2

I don't know why we take that stupid position. I'm not talking 70 mph or anything like that. I'm talking lowering the NYC speed limit to 20 mph.

[exboyfil]

27. Problem with taking the bait

1. No response or a response not widely disseminated allows the narrative to be set.

2. Agree with you on guns.

3. Define social justice. We are currently seeing the response to the blanket statement that there is no reverse discrimination. Any action that is race based is going to be a loser for quite some time.

[dem4decades]

4. Is this the Gallop poll that stopped doing polls that unfavorable to Trump? Enough said. It's a new reality out there.

[Scrivener7]

6. A good PR campaign would help us a lot. And it's not hard to do.

[usonian]

9. Define "Independent"

I happen to know someone (ahem) who registered as independent for years just to have way more leverage in these "polls" than Democrats or Republicans.

[SamuelTheThird]

10. Gallup is not reliable

[kacekwl]

12. There is no such thing as an

Independent voter. My opinion.

[everyonematters]

15. The current state

Somehow in recent decades the Democratic Party became less about winning elections and making a difference in people's lives, to more about just belonging, causing the problem of not relating to the rest of society.

[Keepthesoulalive]

31. The problem is the Americans and their selfishness

The democrats tried to get a healthcare bill passed and the public said socialism and they are gonna kill grandma. Single issue voters and voters that are easily swayed by bull crap.

[Takket]

21. The problem is always messaging

Specifically the right wing cesspool that is the media and social media now.

Indies hate the gop because the see they are awful. Big they hate the democrats because everyone is TELLING them Democrats are awful.

[Cosmocat]

22. T H I S

1,000%

[Scrivener7]

30. BUT this has been an issue for decades. We took

control of social media under Obama and it made a big difference, but we lost that edge.

Decades. It's time we came up with a solution. For example, I've read that 80% of the social media misinformation in the 2015 campaign came from 80 social media accounts plus bots.

We need to do that.

[ananda]

23. What bs.

kFor the past 25 years we've been
dealing with corrupt Republican politicians and courts
gsming elections criminally in their favor.

[sboatcar]

29. Democrats need to stop edging to the right every time an election doesn't go their way.

There's a LOT of people further on the left that don't vote or vote third party because of the gradual march toward the right that a lot of establishment democrats have taken. We need to be aggressive progressives and stop trying to pander to those on the right who won't vote for democrats anyway.

[The Revolution]

37. Is there any evidence for that?

I've seen it claimed many times that there is this vast pool of far left voters just waiting to be activated. But is there any evidence that that is the case?

My understanding was that was the theory Jasmine Crockett was running on, but she didn't even win the Democratic primary.

Seems like it should be easy to test though. Take some of these "safe" Republican seats and run someone way to the left. If the theory is true, we should see the candidates at least overperform expectations or other recent candidates.

And even if this pool of voters does exist, part of me wants to say "fuck 'em" if they still can't see the difference between the parties.

[Cirsium]

34. Right on schedule

Time to dump on the base.

[Zambero]

41. I guess that's why they are self-described Independents?

As most have opined that both major parties leave something to be desired? I have a pretty good sense of which party's candidates these 71% of poll respondents would favor if the election were held today, and it would not be the MAGA-Trump party.

[betsuni]

43. No third party,. Republican/Independent/non-voters aren't secretly socialist/progressive populists yearning to rise

up in solidarity against old meanie out-of-touch wealthy elite Democrats ignoring us with things "not relating to the rest of society" like health care, Social Security, infrastructure, civil rights, voting rights, economic and environmental regulations and green technology, good relationships with other countries and diplomacy, reproductive freedom, support of unions and education and science, taxing the wealthy and corporations, student debt relief, etc. -- government that works.

The Democratic Party does make positive differences in people's lives, of course. Don't understand the point of this OP.

[Wednesdays]

45. Huh. Democrats polling at 13 percent?

So that's why we've won every special election since 2025?
Every. Single. One.