Americans identified as Democrats declines 12 points in 8 months

According to Gallop, being a Democrat isn't as popular as it was in January. The Democrat's lead in party affiliation has declined 12-points since January from a 17-point advantage to only 5-points.

Gallop reported:

PRINCETON, NJ -- In August, an average of 45% of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned to the Democratic Party, while 40% identified as Republicans or leaned to the Republican Party. This 5-point advantage represents a decided narrowing of the gap between the parties from the 17-point Democratic advantage in January.

Graph from Gallop.