looked in earlier today and saw a couple of thing in 2 other threads that I thought I'd add here, to expand on not making too many assumptions about someone who is registered with one party or another (though those assumptions will be true of some of them).
One worked on Democrat elections committees, so it's hard to get more Democrat that that among the everyday people. But even she wanted a clamp down on illegal immigration because it undermined unions and labor laws (and also thought they should work to straighten up their countries) in addition to coming down hard on those who hired illegal immigrants (and for those familiar with D&D alignments as I know at least a few here are, I'd place her squarely in the Lawful Good camp).
That said, she also wanted a much reformed immigration system that would make it immigrate much easier (the way the laws are set up now are actually to support big biz for the most part), and of course those seeking asylum for legite reasons should get it (though the US shouldn't be the only nation to do so, and would point out plenty of other nations would also work). Despite this, she was still dismissed as a racist by many she worked with, much to her frustration. She'd have probably approved what the Bush administration was coming up with before 9/11 though as she loathed him she'd be cynical it would've still been something she could support once the final bill was up for vote (and now it's a moot point).
That said, she tended to be typical in many other areas and had no love for the Republican Party. She and I clashed on the issue of guns, but I know plenty of Democrats comfortable with them. I included her because of some comment I saw in one thread or the other which made me want to share about her.
Another woman became an almost a single issue voter that made her Republican. She had been the victim of sexual violence, and what she went through in the hospital and legal system infuriated her even more. She became quite passionate about the right to self-defense (thus carrying guns), and in the legal system showing greater compassion for victims while harsh on criminals, getting some people off the streets for good (and if you knew her experience you'd understand why she was so passionate about it, she never wanted that to happen to anyone else, nor her again). The Republican Party seemed most conducive to this agenda (*), so she joined (I suspect her family being Republican also contributed to it).
But outside these issues she was liberal, supporting welfare and asylum, universal health care, equality under law for gays and lesbians, and so on, and also considered herself a feminist.
However, these all took a back seat to her 2 passions and so was a Republican. And if you were to ask her how she, as a feminist, could support some of the Republican politicians for things they said and issues they pushed for, she'd point out that the Democrats are full of cringe-worthy and problematic candidates and voting records as well, she'd describe them, and she'd be right. This wouldn't be to excuse the Republicans who did and said such things which bothered or even disgusted her (I lost contact with her around 2010 but I bet she voted against Trump, though I know she loathed Hillary as well) but she'd say this is a societal problem that isn't going to be solved by partisan politics as it infects both of them, and she wanted the streets safe first and foremost (she cared about other issues, just not anywhere as much, and she overall supported the VAWA--Violence Against Women Act--by the Democrats, but she did have some quibbles about it).
(* It's been said that a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged, though someone else retorted then a liberal is a conservative who has been arrested.)
And I remember a guy who said he was voting for Trump despite that he normally voted Democrat, not because he believed in him (he thought he was...well I'm not sure I'm allowed to say that word, though I think the trolls of the internet he exchanged insults with desensitized him to a lot that Trump said and he may have even approved of his attitude if nothing else), but because he hated Hillary Clinton, for multiple reasons but especially because of her crusade against video games in the past (**). It may seem petty, but gaming was his life, and he loathed several Republican candidates for the same reason he loathed Hillary.
He also disliked the
PUMAs that tried to replace Obama with Clinton in 2008, and glad they got payback/karma in 2016 from Sanders supporters. I tried to change his mind, but his mind was set, though his vote for Trump was actually a vote against Hillary. We remain friends and I don't see him as either a racist or misogynist (he knows I voted for Hillary as an Independent voter, though he also knows I'm sympathetic to his loathing of her, and he still gets along with me as well).
(** Btw, he was referencing Hillary joining with Republicans in wanting to wage another crusade against video games in 2008, IIRC, though basically it's just a way to make parents feel better about not being better parents and thus getting votes, and as a distraction from other issues that politicians would rather the public not look at. Though she did make some Democratic noise about the "misogyny" of the game, and the violence, her primary obsession seemed to be that sex and nudity were available--though much if not all of it all was ONLY with a hacker's cheat codes, but as a non-player myself I'm fuzzy on the details--rather than the actual violence, including the name of the game.
That is it was more puritanical that kids might see naked boobs or encounter a vanilla sex scene, and that's just one of lesser reasons why I list her as a moderate right winger--as opposed to the far right of the Republicans, which Hillary worked with and this gamer hated them as well. I remember thinking the whole thing was dumb because kids weren't even allowed to buy them so parents either didn't care, or they sucked at parenting, and kids could sure find a lot worse online without even trying. Plus, many adults who did complain about GTA were also fans of shows like The Sopranos and such, and thus thought they didn't have much room to talk.)
Anyway I'm out of time or I'd share other examples of how one should be careful about making assumptions against someone for which party they vote for and/or are registered with (maybe later I'll share of that Republican who finally left the Republican Party and went Independent after Trump got the nod).
One last thing! There is an American Independence Party or some such as one of our "third parties" here. That's not what I mean by Independents here, but rather unaffiliated with any party, be it Republican or Democrat or dozen of third parties out there.
