National Poll: Most Independent Voters Want Trump to Reach Across the Aisle

Donald Trump speaking
Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr. Creative commons license.
Published: 27 Jan, 2025
Updated: 18 Jun, 2025
2 min read

WASHINGTON DC - Independent voters are dissatisfied with the US government and want to see Republicans and Democrats work together under the Trump administration. This is according to a new poll released by The Independent Center.

The Independent Center released the results last week from a survey of 500 self-identified independent voters and 400 Republican-leaning independents. It is the first installment to a four-part series that examines what independents want and expect under the new administration.

According to the data, 64% of independents and Republican-leaning independents said they hope "Trump finds a way to work across the aisle and pass bipartisan measures for our country." What's more, most want to see his success come from bipartisan cooperation. 

There is a substantial 46-point margin that favors bipartisan success among independents (58% vs. 12%) compared to the 10-point margin (37% vs. 27%) in favor of partisan success.

“Our survey of independent voters reveals a strong preference for the Trump administration to collaborate and reach bipartisan agreement to generate solutions for the big issues facing Americans," said Lura Forcum, president of The Independent Center.

"The quickest way for the new administration to lose independents’ support is to double down on the MAGA agenda without input from everyone else at the table. Congressional margins are simply too tight to enact meaningful change otherwise.”

This comes at a time in US politics marred by extreme hyper-polarization. Cooperation with the "other side" is not only discouraged, but it can also cause politicians to be ostracized by their own party. This may be why only a handful of independent voters approve of Congress.

The numbers show that only 12% of independent voters and 14% of Republican-leaning independents approve of Congress' job performance, which matches the number from each survey group that believe their voice is heard in Washington DC.

The Independent Center says the clear support for bipartisan cooperation shows that there is no question independents advocate "for a different approach to governance entirely." However, because most voters don't feel heard, the data "establishes a clear call for political change approach."

IVP Donate

The status quo incentivizes division, as seen in the focus by political leaders to make their base happy. But neither party's base comes close to making up a majority in the US. In fact, polling over the last few years shows that party ID for either party more often than not fails to break 30%. 

To address this, voters have to look at an election system that at every level puts outsized power and influence in the hands of the few rather than the many -- which prevents voters from getting the representation and the response from political leaders they want to see.

However, if elected leaders want to sway the increasingly important independent voting bloc, The Independent Center's data offers a clear opportunity: Embrace cooperation across the aisle and put solutions above partisan policy. 

Related articles

US Capitol Building with American Flags in front.
Five Seats, One Revolution: Independents Launch Political Disruptor
One week after hosting its inaugural event in DC, the founders of The Independent Center announced the formation of the Independent PAC, a hybrid political action committee designed to do one thing: deny the two major parties a majority in Congress....
31 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Joe Manchin
Manchin to DC: Independents Are Here, and We’re Not Going Away
The rise of an independent majority has long been dismissed by the press as a myth, which is why few people heard about an event in the nation’s capital on July 23 that gathered prominent and rising independent voices....
29 Jul, 2025
-
4 min read
Trojan horse being wheeled in front of CA state capitol building; two lawmakers holding a paper that says Repeal Reform
Trojan Horse: How CA Democrats Might Use Voter ID to Turn Back the Clock
Voter IDs are a requirement in almost every democracy in the world from Europe to Mexico.But legitim...
25 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read

Latest articles

Gas station weed signs next to Texas flag
Texas Senate Votes to Ban Gas Station Weed Again -- Will Abbott Go Along This Time?
AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Senate on August 1 passed a bill that would ban all intoxicating hemp-derived...
01 Aug, 2025
-
2 min read
House of Cards logo in front of Texas Capitol
Texas Redistricting Drama Turns into 'House of Cards' Episode
As Texas Republicans push forward with a controversial plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, Democrats are weighing whether to deploy one of their most extreme forms of resistance: a quorum break....
31 Jul, 2025
-
4 min read
US Capitol Building with American Flags in front.
Five Seats, One Revolution: Independents Launch Political Disruptor
One week after hosting its inaugural event in DC, the founders of The Independent Center announced the formation of the Independent PAC, a hybrid political action committee designed to do one thing: deny the two major parties a majority in Congress....
31 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read