Political party switching is a phenomenon where politicians change their party affiliation, often due to evolving political views, strategic considerations, or dissatisfaction with their current party. According to the search results, there are several notable examples of politicians who have changed parties:
American Politicians: A Wikipedia list documents American politicians who switched parties while holding elected office. This includes notable figures like Ronald Reagan, who was once a Democrat and later became a Republican, and others who have switched parties for various reasons List of American politicians who switched parties in office - Wikipedia.
UK MPs: The Institute for Government provides an example of Natalie Elphicke, a former Conservative MP who defected to Labour, illustrating that party switching is not limited to the US MPs who change party allegiance | Institute for Government.
Trends in Party Switching: POLITICO reported an increase in the number of lawmakers switching parties, with some Democrats turning into Republicans for various reasons, including furthering their own political careers More lawmakers are switching political parties - POLITICO.
Historical Changes: Stanford Report discusses how political parties have evolved over time, which may influence a politician's decision to switch parties How political parties have changed over time - Stanford Report.
Statistics: The Pew Research Center indicates that 39% of Americans identify as independents, which is more than those who identify as Democrats (32%) or Republicans (23%), suggesting a significant portion of the population does not strongly identify with either major party A Deep Dive Into Party Affiliation | Pew Research Center.
State Legislators: Ballotpedia has counted numerous state senators and representatives who have switched parties, with specific numbers indicating the scale of this phenomenon among state lawmakers State legislators who have switched political party affiliation.
These examples and statistics show that party switching is a complex and multifaceted aspect of political life, influenced by personal, political, and strategic factors.