Are American political parties really more polarized than before?

Yes — by every major academic measure. DW-NOMINATE scores from Voteview show congressional voting has reached the highest ideological distance between parties since Reconstruction. Pew Research's polarization tracking confirms the same trend among the public. This page shows the issue-by-issue evidence rather than just summary statistics.

Has the Republican Party moved further right than Democrats have moved left?

Most political scientists who study this say yes. DW-NOMINATE and Pew data both indicate the GOP has shifted further from the center than the Democratic Party has. The summary bar at the bottom of this page reflects that asymmetry across the 18 issues we tracked. Both parties have moved from their historical positions, but the magnitudes differ.

Where does the data come from?

Primary sources: party platforms (American Presidency Project at UCSB, going back to 1840), congressional voting records (GovTrack and Voteview/DW-NOMINATE), and long-running polls (Pew Research Center, Gallup). Every issue card on this page cites its specific sources. We don't use secondary analysis or pundit commentary as evidence.

How are the position scores calculated?

Scores range from -5 (strongly conservative/right) to +5 (strongly liberal/left), with 0 = bipartisan consensus or centrist. They reflect each party's official platform, legislative record, and majority caucus position for the given era. Scores are relative representations, not precise numerical measurements — they're calibrated against primary sources rather than computed from a formula.

Why does this matter?

When parties drift far from where they used to be — and far from each other — voters end up without a real home. The Common Good Party was built on the recognition that the binary left/right framing is failing people. Seeing the shift in data form makes the case better than any opinion piece could.

We've applied equal scrutiny to both parties. Every claim is sourced. Both parties have shifted on multiple issues, and the page surfaces both. The Common Good Party exists to transcend the partisan divide, not to take a side within it. If you spot a factual error or an unfair characterization, we want to know — email us via the methodology section.

Does this include third parties?

Not yet on this page — it focuses specifically on the two-party drift since that's the dominant feature of the modern American political system. The Common Good Party's own positions on these issues are available on our policy platform pages (linked at the bottom of this page).

How often is the data updated?

Last updated May 2026. We update the dataset roughly twice a year as new platforms publish and new voting cycles complete. Major events (Supreme Court rulings, party platform conventions) trigger interim updates. Subscribe to our newsletter for change notifications.

Can I use these charts in my own writing, blog, or classroom?

Yes — every chart is free to share, embed, or download. Under each issue's chart you'll find a share bar with four options: share to X or Facebook, copy a direct deep-link, copy an iframe embed snippet for Wordpress / Substack / your own site (the embedded chart carries CGP branding and links back), or download a branded 1200×675 PNG for slides, social posts, or classroom handouts. Citation requested — credit the underlying primary sources we list per issue.

Interactive · 18 Issues · 1960 – Today

Where the Parties Stand Today

Is the left more left and the right more right?
The data says yes — here's how far they've drifted.

For each of 18 major policy issues — from healthcare to gun control to immigration — we tracked where the Democratic and Republican parties stood from the 1960s through today. Every position is sourced from primary records: party platforms, congressional voting records, and major polling organizations. No editorial spin. Just the data.

The Polarization Grid

Each row shows how a single issue moved across five eras. Blue = Democratic position, red = Republican position, purple = centrist/bipartisan consensus. The shift arrow on the right shows the net change for both parties combined.

Click any row to deep-dive into that issue's timeline →

Issue	2020–Present	Shift
Income Tax Rates Economy & Tax		R: →5.0 D: ←1.0
Healthcare / Universal Coverage Healthcare		R: →3.0 D: ←2.0
Immigration Policy Immigration		R: →4.7 D: ←1.5
Abortion Rights Social Policy		R: →5.0 D: ←3.5
Gun Control Social Policy		R: →4.5 D: ←2.0
Environment & Climate Change Environment		R: →5.3 D: ←2.5
LGBTQ+ Rights Social Policy		R: →2.7 D: ←4.5
Defense Spending Foreign Policy & Defense		R: →0.5 D: →1.0
Free Trade & Tariffs Economy & Tax		R: →4.5 D: →1.0
Minimum Wage Economy & Tax		R: →3.5 D: ←2.0
Drug Policy Social Policy		R: →0.5 D: ←4.0
Criminal Justice & Policing Social Policy	R: →2.2 D: ←2.5
Social Security & Medicare Healthcare		R: →2.5 D: ←1.0
Voting Rights & Election Access Rights & Civil Liberties		R: →5.5 D: ←0.5
Foreign Policy & NATO Alliances Foreign Policy & Defense		R: →4.8 D: ≈
Federal Deficit & National Debt Economy & Tax		R: →2.3 D: ≈
Affirmative Action / DEI Rights & Civil Liberties		R: →5.5 D: ←1.5
Religious Liberty & Church-State Separation Rights & Civil Liberties	R: →4.0 D: →1.5

Scale:Strong RRLean RCenterLean DDStrong D

Economy & Tax

Income Tax Rates (Top Marginal Rate)

The highest federal income tax rate applied to top earners, and each party's position on whether it should be raised, lowered, or maintained.

Republican Party

Moved significantly right

From 1.5 → -3.5 (→5.0)

Democratic Party

Moved left

From 2.5 → 3.5 (←1.0)

1960sRevenue Act of 1964: top rate cut from 91% to 70%, signed by LBJ — bipartisan support

1970s–1980sEconomic Recovery Tax Act of 1981: top rate slashed from 70% to 50%; Tax Reform Act of 1986 cut to 28%

1990s–2000sClinton's 1993 tax increase (top rate to 39.6%) passed with zero GOP votes; Bush cut to 35% in 2003

2010sTax Cuts and Jobs Act 2017: top rate to 37%, corporate to 21% — zero Democratic votes

2020–PresentTCJA expiration debate 2025: Democrats want rate increases; Republicans want permanent cuts

Share this chart

Free to use · Credit to The Common Good Party appreciated

What changed and why

In 1960, the top marginal income tax rate was 91% — and a Republican president (Eisenhower) maintained it without serious opposition. By 2017, a Republican president cut the top rate to 37% with zero bipartisan support. Democrats have remained consistently in favor of higher top rates, while Republicans have moved from accepting high rates to treating any tax increase as a near-absolute line in the sand.

Democrats today

Supports raising top marginal rate to 39.6%+, higher capital gains taxes, a corporate minimum tax, and a wealth tax. Progressive wing advocates 70%+ top rates on incomes over $10M.

Republicans today

Supports making 2017 TCJA tax cuts permanent, further reducing the corporate rate, and eliminating the estate tax. Opposes any rate increases.

Sources for this issue (4)

Historical Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates — Tax Policy Center (Urban Institute & Brookings Institution)
History of Taxation in the United States — Wikipedia / Congressional Research Service
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 — Congress.gov
Revenue Act of 1964 — American Presidency Project, UCSB

How Far Have They Moved?

Average ideological shift since the 1960s/70s across all 18 tracked issues.

Republican Party3.7 points right

← RightCenterLeft →

Democratic Party1.4 points left

← RightCenterLeft →

Method: average of position deltas (final era − first era) across all 18 policies. A positive value = moved left; negative = moved right. See methodology for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about political polarization, party drift, and how this page was built.

Tired of choosing between two extremes?

The Common Good Party is a third option built on transcending the left/right divide. 50 sourced policies. Not Left. Not Right. Forward Together.

See our platform Where do you stand? Take the 2-min quiz