Self-identified ‘liberal’ Democrats rise in new polling

Campaign Self-identified ‘liberal’ Democrats rise in new polling Comments: by Finya Swai - 08/04/26 1:13 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 08/04/26 1:13 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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The Democratic Party has shifted to be more liberal over the past decade, with self-identified liberals now making up a majority of the party, according to a new survey.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Tuesday ahead of Michigan’s closely watched Democratic Senate primary, found that 71 percent of Democrats now describe themselves as “liberal” — up from 55 percent in 2012. Meanwhile, the share of Democrats who lean “conservative” has fallen to 16 percent, down from 33 percent.

Liberal Democrats viewed higher taxes on the rich, universal healthcare and expanding access to abortion as the top three most essential political positions, according to the poll. Raising taxes on corporations and billionaires was the highest ranking essential position, with 76 percent of liberal Democrats placing it above all other policy positions.

The findings mirror a string of key primary victories by progressive candidates who have defeated more centrist rivals in the fight over the direction of the Democratic Party.

In Michigan, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed is challenging Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in a race that could determine whether the party’s increasingly liberal base can propel left-wing candidates to victory in battleground states.

The survey also found Republicans remain overwhelmingly conservative, though their policy priorities were less unified than Democrats’ view on key liberal issues.

Eighty-nine percent of Republicans identified as “conservative,” compared to 82 percent in 2012. Among conservative Republicans, 56 percent said reducing immigration is an essential conservative position, while 50 percent viewed shrinking the size of the federal government as most essential.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,505 U.S. adults online over a period of six days, ending Monday. It had a margin of error of two percentage points for all respondents, and a margin of error of 3 percentage points for liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans.

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