The number 27 is a problem for both Republicans and Democrats. That’s the percentage of U.S. adults who identified as either a Democrat or a Republican, according to the Gallup polling company. For the past 30 years, self-identified Democrats have outnumbered Republicans in all but a few years. Now the parties are tied at a relatively low 27 percent each.

As recently as 2008, 36 percent of adults identified as Democrats. For Republicans, it was 34 percent in 2004. A 9-point drop for Democrats and a 7-point drop for Republicans should concern both parties.

By contrast, the percentage of adults who identify as independents has grown to 43 percent. With a high percentage of voters bemoaning a likely Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch in 2024, and a growing number of voters abandoning the parties to become independents, anything could happen in the November election.

While most Republicans will vote for Trump and most Democrats will vote for Biden (assuming both men are their party’s nominees), a declining number of party loyalists means the winning candidate will have to attract a larger percentage of independents, who will determine the........

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