Independent voters now outnumber Republicans in California, according to an analysis cited by The Sacramento Bee, and have become the state's second-biggest voting bloc.

Political Data Inc. found that there are 4,844,803 voters in California with no party affiliation, compared to the state's 4,771,984 Republicans.

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There are 8,436,493 registered Democratic voters in the state who make up 44 percent of the state's electorate.

The firm reports that independents and Republicans each make up roughly a quarter of the state's electorate.

Its research also shows that voters in the Democrat-dominated state have been abandoning their party affiliation at a growing rate.

Paul Mitchell Paul MitchellGOP wants more vision, policy from Trump at convention Loomer win creates bigger problem for House GOP Lisa McClain wins Michigan GOP primary in race to replace Rep. Paul Mitchell MORE, the vice president of Political Data Inc., said, however, that Republicans still have an "outsized influence" because their voting practices are more consistent than Democrats and independents.

"Registration numbers don't beget turnout numbers," Mitchell told the Bee. "This is merely one metric."

The report comes before the state's June primary for the federal 2018 midterm elections during which Democrats are aiming to take back the House and Senate from Republicans.