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Guest Essay

By Kristen Soltis Anderson

Ms. Anderson, a contributing Opinion writer, is a Republican pollster and a moderator of Opinion’s series of focus groups.

In 2004 the percentage of Americans identifying as political independents hit the lowest point since Gallup began regularly tracking party identification in 1988. That year, only 31 percent said they were independent, while Republicans and Democrats were evenly matched among those choosing a party.

That percentage has risen to a record high today — a whopping 45 percent, according to Gallup. It was Republican........

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