The Independent Majority

A new Washington Post and ABC News poll found that 35% of respondents called themselves Democrats, while 21% identified themselves as Republicans and 38% affiliated with neither of the duopoly parties. Naturally, liberal Democrats focused in on the Republicans' "shrinkage problem," dismissing the fact that a plurality of those polled identified with neither of the duopoly parties. Clearly, many among the latter are disaffected former Republicans, but such a change is not without consequences for the two party system itself. Anderson365 considers the implications of the fact that 'the biggest party is no party' for Mesa County, Colorado, in which Democrats lag behind Republicans and independents:

An unaffiliated-dominated Mesa County could signal a drastic change in local politics. It could mean a greater mix of Democrats and Republicans, and possibly a third-party candidate, in office. It could mean more split-ticket results instead of the all-Republican win across the board in the 2008 general election in Mesa County. It could mean more aggressive campaigning, an earlier campaign season, and more gimmicks. It could also mean more campaign promises (and lies) and more contradictory pandering to appease those who don't take sides.