Rasmussen poll: More identifying themselves as Republican; Democratic identification down since 2008

New Rasmussen poll numbers show an increase in the number of people identifying as Republican, while Democratic identification shows a 7-point drop from the party's Oct. 2008 voter numbers.

In Oct. 2008, 33.3 percent of voters identified themselves as Republican, compared to 40.3 percent who identified themselves as Democrats. In 2012, according to the new Rasmussen data, 39.1 percent of voters now identify themselves as Republicans and 33.3 percent identify themselves as Democrats.

Independents have increased slightly, claiming 26.4 percent of the electorate in Oct. 2008 compared to 27.5 percent in Oct. 2012.

The Republican's 39.1 percent is the highest identification number the party has seen between 2004 and 2012. The lowest party identification in that span came in May 2007, at 30.8 percent.

Democratic identification reached as high as 41.7 percent in May 2008, Rasmussen shows, before dropping down to current levels.

A look at the Oct. 26 Gallup demographics data of likely voters shows an electorate similar to that seen in 2008 and 2004, a recent Gallup article said.

In Gallup's analysis, 37 percent of the electorate identified as Democratic in 2004, 39 percent in 2008 and 35 percent in 2012. Including voters who lean Democratic boosts the 2012 party identification up to 46 percent.

Gallup's Republican identification showed 39 percent in 2004, 29 percent in 2008 and 36 percent in 2012. Including voters who lean Republican boosts the 2012 party identification up to 49 percent.

Gallup's latest head-to-head matchup in the presidential election, released Monday, shows Obama leading 49 to 46 among registered voters, and Romney leading by one, 49 to 48, among likely voters.