Liberals have taken over control of the Democratic Party, a drive to the Left unseen in recent history that is in part spurred by the Trump presidency, according to a new survey.
The latest Gallup poll found that 46 percent of Democrats describe themselves as liberals, up from 39 percent under former President Barack Obama and 32 percent under former President George W. Bush.
As of today, just 35 percent of Democrats calls themselves moderates and a tiny 17 percent conservative Democrats.
While there has been big demographic changes shifting the party from 68 percent majority white in 2000 to 43 percent non-white today, Gallup gives President Trump a lot of credit for the liberal push.
“The Democrats’ grand unifier, however, stands outside the party. Despite differing ideologies and opposing views on some issues, on average last year, 82 percent of conservative Democrats, 91 percent of moderate Democrats and 96 percent of liberal Democrats disapproved of the job President Donald Trump was doing as president,” said the survey analysis.
Gallup warned that the liberal lurch by the Democrats could prompt moderates and conservatives to jump ship.
“Democrats risk alienating center-right elements of the party should they move far to the left on certain social issues, government-run healthcare or defense spending,” said Gallup.
Other key findings of the new Democratic Party, according to Gallup:
- The percentage of Democrats with college degrees has increased from 27 percent in 2001-2006 to 35 percent in 2013-2018.
- Conforming with broader societal trends, the percentage of nonwhite Democrats has swelled from 31 percent in 2001-2006 to 43 percent in 2013-2018.
- Also consistent with societal changes — although more pronounced among Democrats than nationally — the percentage with no religion has doubled, from 10 percent to 20 percent, while the share identifying with a Christian religion has fallen 12 points to 70 percent.
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