by Andrew Walden

According to Gallup’s annual state-by-state poll of party preference among voters released today, 10.1% of Hawaii voters have abandoned the Democratic party since 2008.  In a survey of 1016 Hawaii adults during 2010, Gallup found 50.0% lean Democratic while 30.4% lean Republican.   Every US state saw voters walking away from the Democratic Party since the 2008 election of President Barack Obama.   Hawaii Democratic numbers enjoyed the fourth largest decline.  By comparison, 9.2% of Wisconsin voters walked away from the Democratic Party.

Hawaii’s 19.5% Democratic advantage places the state fourth behind Maryland, Massachusetts, and Vermont.  By comparison, heavily competitive New York state has an 18.5% Democratic advantage over Republicans—yet Republicans now control the State Senate.

According to Gallup’s news release: 

Gallup has documented the decline in Democratic Party affiliation at the national level from its recent peak in 2008 and early 2009. After several years of increasing Democratic affiliation beginning in late 2005, the current political situation is similar to what it was in the mid-2000s, when the parties were more or less even….

The United States, both nationally and in every state, has moved in a more Republican direction during the last two years. Though the losses are not welcome news for the Democratic Party, the decline since 2008 is from a high point in the party's support, the highest in at least two decades. Thus, while the losses have clearly hurt the party's positioning compared with what it was as President Barack Obama was taking office, its strength is generally back to where it was in the mid-2000s, before a series of events including the Iraq war, high gas prices, and the recession eroded public confidence in George W. Bush and the Republican Party.

At the same time, the Democratic losses have not led to major gains in Republican affiliation. Rather, Gallup finds greater increases in the number of competitive states than in solid or leaning Republican states.

The full news release may be seen here >>> LINK