logo

Pew: Voters Remain Largely Dissatisfied with Major Party Leadership

image
Created: 02 March, 2015
Updated: 15 October, 2022
2 min read

NATIONAL -- At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) straw poll, Kentucky's Rand Paul emerged on top, followed closely by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush rounding out the top five. The conference discussions centered around a range of issues affecting the government, including immigration and funding the Department of Homeland Security.

A new poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center illustrated the importance of this most recent straw poll since Republicans run ahead of Democrats on who can better handle the major issues of the day.

While the survey results offer a great deal of insight into which party partisan voters see as more open and tolerant and who should take the lead, the most interesting results emerged from those who do not identify with either major party -- independents -- who are the key group that will be up for grabs in the 2016 elections.

First, 54 percent of independents responded that they believe the Republican Party is too extreme compared to only 38 percent who said the same thing about the Democratic Party. A majority of independents (58%) also believe the Democratic Party is the political group that is more open and tolerant; only 33 percent believe that about the Republican Party.

According to Pew, independents believe that Democrats are more concerned about the middle class (56% for Democrats as opposed to 40% for Republicans). However, unaffiliated respondents were more likely to agree with the statement that Republicans have stronger principles than Democrats.

Independents tend to favor Republicans in their leadership potential; 52 percent of respondents said the GOP is better equipped to handle the country's foreign affairs, while only 28 percent said the same thing about Democrats. Similar numbers characterize independents' belief in the GOP's ability to handle the nation's taxes.

One of the more striking statistics though stems from independents' view on both parties. Although Democrats tend to rank higher, independents give the Democratic leadership a 31 percent approval rating. The Republican leadership did not fare any better though, with a 21 percent approval rating. The numbers tick slightly higher among respondents within those parties, illustrating a larger discontent for both parties at the moment.

However, the poll failed to ask respondents to weigh in on a desire to elect candidates outside the major parties, instead choosing to focus exclusively on the two major parties. With discontent so high among the major parties, perhaps candidates without a "D" or "R" next to their name might have the opportunity to appeal to registered members of both parties, as well as independent and third-party voters.

Photo Credit: KamiGami / shutterstock.com

IVP Existence Banner

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read