Though the Republican Party still has a poor image among the electorate, it has narrowed the Democratic Party's longstanding advantage in political party identification in large part because of an improved showing among political independents.

That's the major finding of an analysis from the Gallup Organization, which conducted five polls of more than 5,000 adults in the third quarter of 2009.

The analysis said that 48 percent of respondents identified as Democrats and 42 percent as Republicans -- a six-point edge that is the Democrats' smallest advantage since early 2005, when President George W. Bush began his second term.

Throughout 2006, 2007 and 2008, when the Republican Party's image suffered as a result of Bush's unpopularity, the Democrats opened up a double-digit advantage in party identification.

According to Gallup's most recent polling, 35 percent of respondents said they are Democrats and another 13 percent described themselves as independents who "lean" Democratic.

Just 27 percent of respondents said they are Republicans, but the 15 percent share of political independents who lean Republican is the highest such figure in at least four years.

In each of the 18 previous quarters, there were more Democratic-leaning independents than Republican-leaning independents.

Adults asked for a party affiliation aren’t saying “Democrat” as often, according to Gallup surveys conducted Aug. 1-31.

During August, Gallup said, an average of 45 percent of Americans identifed themselves as Democrats or leaning to the Democratic Party — a 7-point drop since January.

The poll found that 40 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as Republicans or leaning to the Republican Party.

Back in January — the month Barack Obama was sworn into office — that gap in party identification was 17 percentage points. Now the Democratic advantage is 5 points, according to Gallup’s telephone surveys of 31,174 adults.

The number of Americans with a favorable view of the Democratic Party has dipped below 50 percent for the first time since President Obama’s inauguration, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

The poll found that just 49 percent of Americans have a good opinion of the party that controls Congress and the White House. Sixty-two percent had a favorable opinion in a similar poll conducted shortly after Obama took office, and in April, 59 percent of Americans were still supportive of the Democrats.

The survey of 2,010 people, conducted Aug. 11-17, also found that 51 percent still approve of Obama’s job performance, while 37 percent disapprove. But the president has lost a lot of ground with independents, who are now almost evenly divided in their opinions of Obama’s job performance. Forty-five percent approve of what he’s doing, and 43 percent disapprove.

In June, 56 percent of independents approved of Obama’s performance to just 29 percent who disapproved. At the same time, only 40 percent of independents have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, which is a decline of 12 points since April.

Recent town-hall meeting protests against a health care overhaul have raised concerns among Democrats — and they have cause for that concern, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports opinion poll, which shows 41 percent of American voters viewing  the protests favorably.

The telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters taken Aug. 5-6 found that 35 percent are against them while 23 percent are not sure what to make of them.

The good news for Democrats, if there is any, is that most of those who support the protests — 61 percent — identified themselves as Republicans or unaffiliated (48 percent) with either party. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed who identified themselves as Democrats said they have an unfavorable view of those who are critical of the overhaul efforts.

It seems like this is the day for everybody to release a poll doing a Republican vs. Democrats generic match-up for the 2010 congressional elections, and [Gallup] is no exception, reporting that Democrats outpoll Republicans by 50 percent to 44 percent with 7 percent undecided. The survey was conducted July 10-12.

An NPR poll conducted July 22-26 had Democrats and Republicans (including leaners) tied at 43 percent each, and a George Washington University Battleground poll conducted July 19-23 had the Democrats ahead 43 percent to 40 percent, a lead that was within the margin of error.

Gallup polled registered voters and the other two surveyed likely voters.

President Obama is facing some ominous signs on the key issues of the economy and health care with voters demonstrating some strong skepticism about his handling of both those issues, according to a survey conducted for National Public Radio July 22-26.

However, another poll out today from George Washington University (read our post about it here) indicates that while Obama may be losing some ground, voters still favor him and his policies, along with those of congressional Democrats, more than those of the Republican opposition when measured by favorability and approval numbers and who is trusted more on a range of issues

Forty-eight 48 percent of voters said his economic policies have run up a record deficit while failing to end the recession or slow job losses while 45 percent said Obama had helped avert an even worse crisis and was building the foundation for recovery.

Still, 56 percent hold former President Bush responsible for the current state of the economy while 32 percent say the burden of responsibility has passed to Obama.

While President Obama's overall job approval numbers have slipped, voters still favor him and his policies, along with those of congressional Democrats, more than those of the Republican opposition when measured by favorability and approval numbers and who is trusted more on a range of issues, according to a George Washington University "Battleground" poll conducted July 19-23.

Reflecting findings of other polls, 48 percent viewed congressional Republicans unfavorably while 37 percent saw them in a positive light. Democrats were seen favorably by a bare 45 percent to 44 percent ratio. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is viewed unfavorably by 51 percent (including 43 percent who see her "very" unfavorably) while 32 percent see her positively, indicating that she has become a polarizing figure. The numbers on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are not very significant since 38 percent never heard of him and 16 percent had no opinion. Only 7 percent never heard of Pelosi.

President Obama's approval-to-disapproval numbers have dropped to 54 percent to 38 percent, down from 62 percent to 31 percent in early June, and voters disapprove of how he's handling health care by 45 percent to 43 percent, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted July 21-22. The margin of error is 3 points.

One factor in the erosion of Obama's marks is that independents now approve of his performance by a 54 percent to 36 percent ratio, a significant falloff from the 66 percent to 26 percent he enjoyed in June.

Voters are split, 49 percent to 48 percent, on whether they want Congress to pass a major health care overhaul this year. Fifty-one percent don't think the Obama administration has a clear plan for health care. Asked whether they favored or opposed the package being put together on Capitol Hill based on what they know, voters oppose it 47 percent to 36 percent.

Public trust in President Obama has dropped from 66 percent to 31 percent margin in March to a 54 percent to 42 percent ratio, according to a Politico/Public Strategies poll conducted July 9-12.

Democrats as a party took a similar hit: from a positive trust ratio of 54 percent to 41 percent in March to 43 percent who trust the Democrats and 53 percent who do not. Thirty-seven percent trust the Republicans and 57 percent do not compared to 41 percent who trusted the GOP in March and 54 percent who did not.

Americans favor passage of a major health care system overhaul this year by 56 percent to 33 percent although there is a sharp partisan divide on the issue and many shades of opinions on specific proposals, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted July 10-12.

Forty-nine percent percent of voters are opposed to the health care overhaul plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, while 46 percent are for it, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 10-11. Two weeks ago, voters supported the plan 50 percent to 45 percent.

Opposition is higher among voters who have health insurance: 43 percent favor the plan but 52 percent oppose it. Those who strongly oppose it outnumber those who strongly favor it by two-to-one - 40 percent to to 20 percent.

Congressional passage of the plan by August, as the president had hoped, now seems unlikely, with Democrats arguing primarily over how to meet its estimated $1 trillion price tag. But public opinion could shift in either direction if agreement is reached and as details of the plan become clearer.

Democrats still lead Republicans by 49 percent to 40 percent when it comes to which party Americans identify with, but that's down from the 13 point advantage they had in the first quarter of the year, according to a Gallup analysis of its polling data between April and June.

Leaned Party Identification, Quarterly Averages, 2009 Gallup Polls

Gallup says the smaller margin is due more to a drop in Democratic support than an increase in Republican support.

While President Obama's approval-to-disapproval numbers after months in office remain a more than respectable 57 percent to 33 percent, his standing among independents has moved in a negative direction by a net 12 points, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted June 23-29.

Fifty-two percent of independents approve of Obama's performance compared to 37 percent who don't, a falloff from the 57 percent to 30 percent standing with them he enjoyed in early June.

That said, there was a modest rise in the number of voters who are satisfied with the way things are going in the country. Thirty-nine percent are very or somewhat satisfied compared to 60 percent who are somewhat dissatisfied (only 5 percent were "very satisfied). That compared to 36 percent who counted themselves as satisfied in April and 63 percent who weren't satisfied.

It's not surprising that Democrats and Republicans differ sharply on what they consider to be the top economic concerns, but now Gallup, in a poll conducted June 23-24, has put some numbers to those issues that define where the divide is.

President Obama enjoys a job approval rating of 65 percent, slightly lower than in the three previous months, but his approval levels when it comes to his handling of specific issues - while nearly all positive - are lower than his personal marks, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted June 18-21. These findings generally track with several major polls released last week.

Obama's approval falls below 50 percent on the issue of the federal deficit, and 87 percent say they are concerned about its size. Fifty-six percent of those described themselves as very concerned. And his margin over congressional Republicans in terms of whom the public trusts more on the economy, while still large, fell 13 points since April.

President Obama is starting to move out of his "charismatic and charming leader" phase with the public to judgments on how he is handling challenges facing the country, with concerns growing about the budget deficit and the extent of government intervention into the economy, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted June 12-15.

Fifty-eight percent of those polled said Obama and Congress should focus on keeping the deficit down even if it slows economic recovery. Sixty-nine percent said they had concerns about federal intervention in the economy whether it was taking an ownership stake in General Motors, limiting executive compensation or getting more involved in health care. Thirty percent did not share that level of concern. Today, the Obama administration took that a step further with its proposal for broader regulation of the financial system.

Overall, 34 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the GOP compared to 59 percent who do not. In 2003, the reverse was true with 56 percent having a favorable view and 33 percent a negative one. Democrats are viewed favorably by 53 percent to 41 percent with the closest they came to slipping into negative territory being 2005.

Centrism and the increasing number of independent voters are emerging as hallmarks of the Obama era although the "growing political middle" is "steadfastly mixed" in its beliefs, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of its polling data it has been collecting since 1987. It includes surveys this year between March 31 - April 6 and April 14-21.

Pew says the proportion of independents among the electorate is now at its highest level in 70 years. In the last five months, the percentage of independents has risen from 30 percent to 39 percent, while Democrats have slipped from 39 percent to 33 percent and Republicans from 26 percent to 22 percent.

Some independents are more conservative on several key issues because they are defectors from the Republicans. Thirty-three percent describe themselves as conservative, up from 28 percent in 2007.

Sen. Orrin Hatch meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday. (Getty)

Registered voters approve of the nomination by 55 percent to 25 percent with 20 percent undecided, according to the poll which was conducted May 26 - June 1. Democrats overwhelmingly support the choice 80 percent to 5 percent, independents agree by 53 percent to 26 percent while Republicans disapproved 47 percent to 30 percent.

The Dallas Morning News earlier this year called Hispanic Republicans an "endangered species," and new Republican Party chief Michael Steele, the GOP's first black chairman, has said that the party must broaden its appeal, but a Gallup poll conducted May 1-27 shows just how daunting a task that may be.

The survey said only 11 percent of Republicans are Hispanics or blacks or members of other races. More than six in 10 are white conservatives and the rest whites with other ideological leanings. That compares with 36 percent of Democrats who are Hispanics or non-white and 27 percent of independents.

Sonia Sotomayor and her mother, Celina. (Getty)

Out of the favorable responses, the number saying "excellent" was 19 percent.

Fifty-two percent of Republicans called the choice only fair or poor, while 29 percent gave it positive marks. Democrats reacted positively by 72 percent to 17 percent and independents by 40 percent to 36 percent.

Nancy Pelosi (Getty)

Forty-seven percent disapprove of the performance of Pelosi, who has been the center of a what-did-she-know-and-when-did-she-know-it controversy and who also stirred the pot by accusing the CIA of misleading Congress. Republicans have since been pounding on her over the issue. Thirty-one percent approve of her performance and 23 percent have no opinion.

The precipitous decline in voter identification with the Republicans party over the last few years has been noted in several polls, but an analysis by Gallup of data collected from January through April shows that the GOP has suffered losses in nearly every major demographic subgroup.

Overall, for 2009, Americans leaned towards the Democrats over Republicans by 53 percent to 39 percent compared to a statistically even 45 percent to 44 percent in 2001 (this is the figure that takes into account the partisan leaning of independents).

Democrats lead Republicans among every age group of the American electorate, according to the polling firm Gallup.

A Gallup analysis of its polls between Jan. 2 and May 5 shows younger voters, between the ages of 18 and 29, tend to identify with the Democrats or to be independent. As the age increases, voters gravitate toward one political party or the other.

Also, Republicans show gains among voters approaching middle age in their 30s and 40s, and again as they reach retirement age. Even among those age groups, though, Democrats still hold the advantage.

The nation's not exactly content, but the number of Americans who say they're pretty satisfied with how things are going has doubled from 17 percent to 34 percent since President Obama took office, according to a new Gallup poll.

The telephone poll of 3,500 adults ending May 3 found, not surprisingly, that Democrats and, to a lesser degree, Independents accounted for the increase. Still, the poll represented the highest level of satisfaction among Americans found in its weekly tracking since early 2007.

While yet another poll shows that President Obama enjoys strong public approval for the way he has done his job in the first 100 days, his most recent action - ordering the release of previously secret Bush administration records about interrogation of terrorism suspects - draws far less support.

The new survey also revealed divisions on the use of torture and whether there should be an investigation into Bush administration policies.

Sixty-nine percent of the public approves of Obama's job performance compared to 26 percent who do not, a net gain of five points since March, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted April 21-24.

Since the latest 100-day approval rating poll on Barack Obama is about the same as all the rest this week, we'll start with Congress where voters approve of the job congressional Democrats are doing by 50 percent to 40 percent and disapprove of Republicans on the Hill by 52 percent to 36 percent, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted April 22-23.

Forty-six percent of voters say that they'd back a Democrat for Congress in 2010 to help Obama pass his programs while 33 percent would vote Republican to put a check on his power. Seventeen percent say it's too soon to make that decision.

Two-thirds of Americans give President Obama credit for trying to be bipartisan but they have a dimmer view of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, particularly the Republicans, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted April 20-21.

By 66 percent to 30 percent, the public says Obama has made a sincere effort to work with members of the opposite party. Forty-four percent believe that of congressional Democrats compared to 50 percent who do not, and only 38 percent believe the Republicans have made a sincere attempt compared to 56 percent who say they have not.

Forty-one percent of self-identified Republicans say Obama has made a sincere attempt to work with the GOP as do 62 percent of independents.

A majority of Democrats (52 percent) and Republicans (55 percent) say the overall tone and level of civility in Washington has not changed. A third of Democrats say it has improved, but only 17 percent of independents and 11 percent of Republicans agree.

President Obama by far commands the highest level of trust to do the right thing on the economy compared to any of the other players in government whether in his administration, on the Hill or at the Fed, Gallup poll conducted April 6-9.

Seventy-one percent said they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in Obama compared to 51 percent for Democratic leaders in Congress, 49 percent for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, 47 percent for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and 38 percent for Republican leaders in Congress.

Nearly all Democrats put Obama on the top of their list and so do 68 percent of independents. Republicans trust their congressional leaders the most with 57 percent putting their confidence in them, with Obama second at 38 percent. Bernanke is trusted most by Democrats (64 percent). Forty-four percent of independents have confidence in him and only 36 percent of Republicans share that.

The wide partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans as far as their job approval ratings of President Obama was put at 61 percent last week in a survey by the Pew Research Center and now a Gallup poll conducted March 30 April 5 sets it at 63 percent.

The partisan gap stood at 53 percent at the beginning of March and has been in the low-to-mid 60s ever since. In February, 41 percent of Republicans gave Obama a positive approval rating, which then was down to 35 percent at the start of March and has now fallen to 27 percent.

Gallup says the size of this gap exceeds the norm for many recent presidents. The average Republican-Democratic gap for seven presidents dating back to Harry Truman was 35 percent. The most polarizing presidents were Ronald Reagan (53 percent), Bill Clinton (55 percent) and George W. Bush, whose median gap was 64 percent, but hit a high of 83 percent in Fall, 2004.

President Obama's approval rating has gone up a notch since last month as has the number of Americans who believe the country is getting on the right track, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted April 1-5.

Sixty-six percent approve of Obama's performance while 24 percent disapprove compared to 64 percent to 20 percent in March. Fifty-three percent still think the country is on the wrong track compared to 39 percent who say it is headed in the right direction, but that's an improvement over the 57 percent to 35 percent ratio a month earlier. That is consistent with other polls which shows the number of Americans believing the country is on the right track increasing such as a Washington Post/ABC News survey in late March.

President Obama and congressional Democrats continue to ride significantly higher than Republicans in public opinion with a majority of voters saying they trust Obama more the GOP lawmakers on the economy, and Hill Republicans getting much lower job approval marks than their Democratic counterparts, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted March 24-30.

Voters pick Obama over congressional Republicans on handling the economy by 55 percent to 27 percent with 18 percent undecided. Judged by himself, 55 percent approve of Obama's handling of the economy compared to 37 percent who don't.

More Americans are seeing Barack Obama as listening more to his party's liberal wing than to moderates and this has caused his approval ratings to slip, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted March 9-12.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans approved of the job Obama was doing compared to 26 percent who disapproved, a net loss of 14 points compared to his 64 percent to 17 percent rating in February.

In other polls today:

• Gallup puts Obama's approval-to-disapproval ratio at 61 percent to 28 percent in a poll conducted March 13-15. In late February, it had been 67 percent to 21 percent.

• CNN/Opinion Research put his approval rating at 64 percent, down three points since mid-February.

Rush Limbaugh (Getty)

No one sampled in the poll was seen by higher than 4 percent as leader, and that, was, well, Limbaugh. Asked if Limbaugh was the leader of the party absent other names, the answer was "no" by 70 percent to 14 percent.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Sen. John McCain tie at 3 percent, while Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Limbaugh's fellow conservative radio talker, Sean Hannity, weigh in at 1 percent.

On the Democratic side, 49 percent said Barack Obama, 23 percent said no clear leader, 7 percent said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and no one else broke 1 percent.

Sixty-five percent of voters are very or somewhat confident that Barack Obama will be able to turn around the economy while 33 percent are not too confident or not confident at all, according to a Newsweek/ Princeton Research poll conducted March 4-5. That's a net 13 point swing towards fewer people expressing confidence in Obama than Newsweek's mid-January poll.

When it comes to Obama's $787.2 billion economic stimulus plan, 40 percent call it a good start but say more spending is needed, 37 percent say it won't work and 15 percent say it's the right amount.

Congressional Republicans come out on the losing end of yet another poll when matched against Barack Obama and Democratic lawmakers on job approval ratings. Obama's approval to disapproval numbers are 67 percent to 27 percent and congressional Democrats score 49 percent to 45 percent, while the Republicans register 60 percent disapproval compared to 34 percent who see them positively, according to a Diageo/Hotline poll conducted Feb. 28 - March 2.

Seventy percent of registered voters express confidence in Obama compared to 28 percent who do not. They expressed confidence in Obama and his administration to turn around the economy by 64 percent to 33 percent.

Voters trust Barack Obama more than Republicans in Congress to do a better job of handling the economy but nearly two-thirds say Obama will not be able to fix the crisis within two years, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted Feb. 25 - Mar. 2.

Fifty-six percent trust Obama more on the economy compared to 26 percent who trust the Republicans. But by 64 percent to 28 percent, they don't believe Obama will be able to turn things around in that two-year period. On that point, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released yesterday asked the expectations question a somewhat different way - i.e., when would they start holding Obama responsible for the state of the economy - and 41 percent gave him two years or more and 38 percent gave him two years or less.

Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as President by 60 percent to 26 percent and his handling of the economy by 56 percent to 31 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Feb. 26 - Mar. 1. Sixty-eight percent have very or somewhat positive feelings about him, 12 percent are neutral, and 19 percent have somewhat or very negative views.

The poll also indicates that, so far, the Republican opposition to Obama's proposal and policies is working against them.

Sixty-seven percent say they feel more hopeful about what Obama is doing in terms of his leadership and plans for the country while 28 percent are more doubtful.

The change of administrations appears to have benefitted both parties with job approval for congressional Democrats rising from 37 percent to 47 percent since December, and by 25 percent to 36 percent for Republicans, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Feb. 20-22. For the GOP, that's their highest mark since Oct. 2005 when they scored 38 percent.

"These increases suggest that both parties have benefitted perceptually from the change in government from the Bush administration to the Obama administration," Gallup said, even though Republicans are standing in opposition to most of Obama's proposals.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid flanking President Obama at a White House meeting (Getty)

Those figures have to be taken with a grain of salt because neither has run for national office and don't get a lot of face time with Americans. That's underscored by the fact 20 percent of respondents were unsure of their opinion on Pelosi and 48 percent unsure about Reid.

Democrats, in general, are doing far better than Republicans in the public mind. A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted Feb. 19-22 said voters approved of congressional Democrats by a 50 to 44 percent margin while disapproving of Republicans 56 percent to 38 percent. They trust Democrats more than Republicans to cope with the nation's problems over the next few years by 56 percent to 30 percent.

There's been a lot of punditry about whether Democrats are getting the best of the Republicans in the opening round of the Obama administration by pushing through the big economic stimulus package or the Republicans are benefitting from having hung tough against it. The verdict among registered voters in a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted Feb. 17-18 comes down in Barack Obama's favor.

Voters say by 66 percent to 28 percent that Obama had tried to reach out to Republicans and be bipartisan about the package, and they say 60 percent to 33 percent that the Republicans have not sincerely tried to act in a bipartisan way. Overall, voters approve of the job congressional Democrats are doing by 46 percent to 45 percent and disapprove of the GOP's performance by 56 percent to 34 percent. Obama's approval to disapproval ratio is 60 percent to 26 percent, down from 65 percent to 16 percent in late January.

Support for the $787.2 billion stimulus package was 51 percent to 40 percent.

Democrats as a party have notched their biggest margin in nearly two decades over Republicans in favorability ratings , according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Jan. 7-11. Sixty-two percent of Americans have a positive opinion of the Democrats compared to 40 percent for the Republicans. The last time the Democrats had a lead that approached those numbers was in 1992, a situation that reversed itself with the GOP takeover of Congress in 1994 when it led in the favorability sweepstakes by 17 points.

The Democrats lead in just about all demographic groups, and even have a slim 50 percent to 48 percent advantage among white evangelicals. However, the party's favorability score does not carry over to the Democratic-led Congress where only 40 percent say they view the institution positively.