WASHINGTON, Aug 4 - A nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week indicates that liberal Democrats now form a substantial majority within the party and regard several policy positions as indispensable. The survey found strong backing among liberals for expanding abortion access, raising taxes on corporations and billionaires, and establishing government-provided health coverage for all Americans.
The six-day online poll, finished on Monday, reported that 71% of Democrats describe themselves as "liberal," a climb from 55% in 2012. Over the same period, the share of Democrats identifying as "conservative" fell to 16% from 33%.
Among Democrats who label themselves liberal, 76% said increasing taxes on corporations and billionaires is an "essential" policy stance for anyone calling themselves a liberal. Seventy-two percent said expanding abortion access is essential, and 71% said achieving government-provided health care for all Americans is a necessary objective for liberals.
Primary contests and the leftward trend
The poll's findings come as Democratic primaries in competitive states underscore the party's ideological shift. In Michigan, a primary contest pits doctor Abdul El-Sayed, identified with the insurgent left, against U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, who is positioned as a more moderate standard-bearer. That Michigan Senate seat is viewed as pivotal to Democrats' chances of winning a majority in the U.S. Senate in the November midterm elections.
The contest illustrates the broader trend of left-leaning candidates winning nomination fights against more centrist Democrats, many backed by party leaders. Support for insurgent candidates extends beyond deeply liberal locales - where figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won election last year - into more politically divided states.
In Michigan, Stevens has the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and numerous leading state Democrats. She supports strengthening subsidies for private health insurance and has benefited from tens of millions of dollars in spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on her behalf. El-Sayed, who endorsed Medicare for All, has drawn support from liberal U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and has sharply criticized Israel's actions in Gaza, calling for a halt to all aid and accusing Israel of committing genocide.
Across the Midwest in Wisconsin, another swing state, democratic socialist Francesca Hong appears poised to secure the Democratic gubernatorial nomination despite party efforts to elevate a more moderate candidate. These nomination fights highlight intraparty divisions that could complicate unifying voters after bitter primaries.
Divisions over Israel and broader party views
The poll shows stark differences within the Democratic electorate on U.S. support for Israel. Overall, just 16% of Democrats told pollsters they support military and economic assistance to Israel, while 57% oppose such support. Among self-identified liberal Democrats, more than 80% said reducing or eliminating U.S. military and economic support for Israel was either important or essential for any liberal; only 18% said it was not important.
Debates over Israel were prominent in the Michigan primary campaign, with Stevens supporting continued military funding for Israel, and El-Sayed calling for a cessation of all aid. The contrast between the two candidates on that question became one of the defining lines in the contest.
Republican self-identification and policy priorities
The poll also measured Republican self-identification. Eighty-nine percent of Republicans described themselves as conservative in this survey, compared with 82% in the 2012 poll. Despite near unanimity in labels, conservative Republicans displayed less cohesion on which policy positions are "essential."
For example, 56% of conservative Republicans said supporting stricter limits on immigration was an essential conservative view, a position closely associated with former President Donald Trump. Only half of conservative Republicans said shrinking the size of the federal government was essential to being conservative.
Methodology
The online, nationwide poll collected responses from 4,505 U.S. adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points for all respondents, and plus or minus 3 percentage points for the subsets of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans.