One Data Point Highlights Why Left vs. Right Is Becoming Less Important

The numbers: Independents made up 34% of voters in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, surpassing Democrats (32%) and tying with Republicans (34%) for the first time since 2004. (Reuters)

• Independent turnout rose by 8 percentage points from 26% in 2020.

Context: This is part of a broader trend of Americans identifying as independents at higher numbers (mostly at the cost of Democratic identification).

Bubba’s Two Cents

So it’s pretty obvious to see what’s going on here — people are fed up with the status quo two-party system. That’s obviously a big reason why people like Donald Trump have been so successful in recent years. There’s another dimension — where you stand on the anti-institution vs. pro-institution axis is becoming more important than left vs. right.