One of the biggest factors to influence the Obama Presidency was the winning over of independent voters in the 2008 elections. According to statistics, 52 % of independents voted for him, and continue to remain a force to be reckoned with if the President wants a second term in the White House.
In describing the importance of independent voters, two analysts from the centrist think tank, Third Way, say, “Not all independents are the same, and the real showdown for 2012 is over who will win the Obama independents. If President Obama woos the vast majority of them back, he can be re-elected. But if he performs among them like Democrats did in 2010, when one-quarter of the Obama independents voted for a Republican, it’s going to be a long election night.”
And so far, it looks as if it is going to be a long night as Democratic registration is down in either American states, so Obama will have to keep this key group of people in mind in the campaign leading to the November elections.
Most of these independents that elected Obama into power are essentially swing voters who gave him their support as their concerns about the economy were growing. An interesting statistic that reveals why his supporters are so is because almost 25 % of them voted for a Republican in the 2012 midterm elections. Yet it is also evident that the people who vote for Obama are those who are not necessarily religious but are more moderate in nature.
What is for sure, keeping these factors in mind, is that President Obama cannot afford to lump them together but target them according to their needs.