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A consensus opinion has emerged about President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election: Disengaged voters were critical.

With partisans deeply dug in, and views of the parties and politics notably and persistently negative, persuasion in political campaigns has begun to focus more on getting irregular voters to participate than on convincing people to change their minds. In 2024, those irregular voters were a central part of Trump’s winning coalition.

But neither party has any long-term guarantee of disengaged voter support, participation or attention as the 2026 midterms approach.

A new CNN poll highlights the unique political challenges posed by different types of independents for the campaigns trying to reach them. Those who are the most open

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