The ranks of unaffiliated voters in Arizona have grown and grown. With 32.5 percent of the voting populace, they now outnumber Democrats in the state and are steadily gaining on Republicans.

They have become the great wild card. Imagine what could happen if the unaffiliateds – independents and others – were to band together into a potent and perhaps decisive force that presented threat or opportunity for both Republicans and Democrats.

At first blush, the unaffiliateds fit expectations. Thinking Arizona’s study of exit polls shows they are, in aggregate, less conservative than Republicans and less liberal than Democrats. In concept, their moderation could bridge the rancorous political dialogue.

But further analysis puts the movement to the middle in a somewhat smaller light.