Political Party Loyalty May Be Stronger Than Ever

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Wednesday, July 18, 2018 - 2:53pm
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The rise of independent voters was a huge development over the past decade or so.

For a time in Arizona, registered voters expressing no party preference outnumbered Republicans and Democrats. That momentum has leveled off, and those who identify themselves with the two dominant parties tend to be extremely loyal — more so than in the past.

Donald Green, political science professor at Columbia University, said that has made it less common for elected officials and voters themselves to agree with someone from across the aisle.

He believes that, even with around a third of the voting population not identifying as Democrat or Republican, there isn’t momentum to create another national political party.

Andrei Cherny is former chair of the Arizona Democratic Party and worked for the Clinton administration. The Show spoke with him and asked what he saw among Democratic loyalists that was different from what he experienced with unaffiliated voters.

The Show also talked with Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb, who used to work in political consulting. Robb says Arizona used to be a place where some Republicans voted for Democrats and vice versa.

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