Almost half in new poll don’t consider themselves Democrats or Republicans

Nearly half of Americans don’t consider themselves a Democrat or Republican, according to a new poll.

In the CNN poll released Tuesday, 47 percent of respondents said they are either “independent,” part of another party or had “no opinion” on identification. Twenty-six percent of those surveyed saw themselves as Republicans and 27 percent saw themselves as Democrats. Among those who fell into the independent bucket, 10 percent said they identify with another political party.

The results mark a slight increase in the share of those who identify outside the two major parties.

Last May, 44 percent of respondents to the CNN poll said they were either “independent,” part of another party or had “no opinion” on identification. Seven percent chose the other party option. Meanwhile, 28 percent saw themselves as Republicans and 27 percent saw themselves as Democrats.

The CNN poll comes a few months out from the midterms, as Democrats and Republicans battle it out for control of Congress next year. The growing share of independents, as indicated by the survey results, will be a key demographic to capture for electoral success in November for both parties.

But Republicans appear to be facing a rockier road to November, with Americans in recent polling expressing their distaste for President Trump’s handling of his job, the war in Iran and the economy.

In another recent survey from NBC News, independent registered voters wanted Democrats to have control of Congress after November by a 12-point margin in comparison to Republicans, 46 percent to 34 percent.

The CNN poll took place from May 8-31, featuring 2,480 adults and with 2.7 percentage points as its margin of error.