Democrat voters have been moving away from the party in a steady stream since 2020, resulting in the loss of millions of supporters.
Reporting from The New York Times shows that of the 30 states that track voters by their stated political affiliation, Republicans gained ground on Democrats in every one.
The Times calculated the spread at 4.5 million in favor of Republicans, a deficit that Democrats may need years to recover from, if that's even possible. The spread reportedly involves Democrats losing about 2.1 million voters since 2020, while Republicans have picked up about 2.4 million.
Michael Pruser tracks voter registration at the election-analysis site Decision Desk HQ. He told the Times that the impact of the changing direction of voters cannot be downplayed. "I don't want to say, 'The death cycle of the Democratic Party,' but there seems to be no end to this," he said. "There is no silver lining or cavalry coming across the hill. This is month after month, year after year."
The reversal in the voter registration trend is remarkable. Democrats picked up 34% of new voter registrations in 2018 compared to 20% going Republican. In just six years, Republicans won more new voters than Democrats as the GOP's share increased 9%, while Democrats lost almost 8%.
Lakshya Jain, a Democrat analyst and co-founder of the nonpartisan election-analysis site Split Ticket, said, "Anyone who says that these things are not concerning for Democrats is, in my opinion, mostly lying. The act of being a registered Democrat is still psychologically something. The act of switching is a political statement."
Pruser said he can offer little short-term hope for Democrats. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.