More Bad News For Dems — Most Voters Now Call Them ‘Too Radical’: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones
The Democratic Party’s attempt to “resist” President Donald Trump is backfiring, the latest I&I/TIPP poll shows. A plurality of American adults now believe the one-time party of the center has gone too far to the left.
Voters who responded to the online national poll of 1,421 adults, taken from June 25 to June 27, were asked the following question: “Do you think the Democratic Party has become too radical in its views and policies?”
A strong plurality of 45% of all poll respondents said yes, while 36% said no and another 18% said they weren’t sure. The poll’s margin of error is +/-2.7 percentage points.
As would be expected, the question elicited predictable differences among Democrats, Republicans and independent and third-party voters.
Among Democrats, for instance, 64% answered “no,” while 22% said “yes.” Republicans were quite different, as befits the current political schism, with just 16% noes and 73% yesses. Independents were at a 40% plurality for yes, and 33% no, with a hefty 27% not sure.
But a key point to make with regard to the political breakdown is that more than one-in-five Democrats believe their party is too radical, sharply reducing the number of reliable votes for the party come election time.
I&I/TIPP went a little further on a second question, asking: “Should Democrats in Congress work with President Trump when possible, or should they focus on resisting his agenda?”
Overall, voters preferred for congressional Democrats to work with Trump, rather than simply opposing his agenda. Among all respondents, 46% answered “work with Trump,” 19% said “resist Trump,” a sizable 26% said “depends on the issue,” with only 9% “not sure.”
Summed up, that means that an overwhelming 72% would like to see Democrats cooperate with Trump, at least on an issue-by-issue basis. Just 19% would resist all Trumpian initiatives.
Once again, the partisan breakdown is somewhat predictable, although not overwhelming. Among Democrats, those who want to work with Trump (19%) plus those who want to work with him depending on the issue (37%) form a significant 56% majority, exceeding the still substantial share of the Dems who prefer to “resist” Trump on all things (38%).
So outright Trump rejectionism is a minority even within the Democratic Party.
Republicans, not surprisingly, overwhelmingly (80%) back working with Trump, while just 6% of never-Trumpers want to “resist” and 9% say “depends on the issue.” Independents line up at 36% “work with Trump,” just 15% “resist,” and 38% with “depends on the issue,” the largest support of any answer for the indie voters.
Finally, I&I/TIPP asked voters a question about the Democrats, namely: “Who do you consider to be the current leader of the Democratic Party?”
Overall, among those mentioned, only one achieved double digits: Former Vice President Kamala Harris, at 10% support. The next four in descending order were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (9%), former President Barack Obama (8%), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (7%), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (5%). (see chart for full breakdown on 12 potential Democratic leaders)
The biggest winner by far among potential Democratic leaders was someone named “not sure,” at a whopping 37%.
As for the party breakdown, it turns out to be not that different. Democrats went 12% Harris, 11% Jeffries, 10% Schumer, 7% Obama and 6% AOC, with an even larger 40% “not sure.”
Republicans give 10% shares each to Harris and Obama, 9% to Schumer, 7% to Jeffries and 4% to AOC, and, again, a hefty 37% not sure.
Indies line up behind Schumer (9%), followed by Harris (8%), Obama (6%) and Jeffries, AOC and California Gov. Gavin Newsom all tied at 5%. But at 44%, independents are the least sure of who is the leader of the Democratic Party.
So with 64% of all voters believing either that the Democratic Party is too radical or aren’t really sure if they’re too radical, it must be a troubling sign for the once-dominant U.S. party of the center.
Today, its members in Congress have backed Hamas terrorists, sought to keep criminal illegal immigrants from being deported, refused to condemn far-left ambush attacks against ICE, and even refused to condemn those in the party who back the destruction of Israel.
But today’s Democratic Party is at war with itself. Once, the party proudly flew on two wings, liberal and center. Today, it’s mostly the left wing, as the party itself has come to realize in the wake of Marxist Zohran Mamdani’s surprising victory in New York’s Democratic Primary.
Running as a loud-and-proud Democratic Socialist, Mamdani and his supporters are now threatening even leftist Dems.
“The Democratic Party’s internal fractures are no longer simmering beneath the surface — they’re erupting into open warfare,” wrote PJ Media recently. “DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) leaders are reportedly weighing primary challenges against several prominent House Democrats representing New York City.”
The sharp intra-party split, coupled with its inability to stop Trump’s BBB and $9 billion in GOP cuts to favored Democratic NGOs and “public television,” and strong public approval of Trump’s policies, has made Democrats in Congress look feckless and weak even to their own supporters.
Other recent polls clearly reflect this.
“Fewer than 2 in 10 voters (19%) approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job, while 72% disapprove and 10% did not offer an opinion,” according to the Quinnipiac University Poll. “This is a record low since March 2009,” the first time the question was asked.
In yet another poll, “only 4 in 10 respondents approved of the job that the Democratic Party is doing,” with the Dems now at a 60% disapproval rating.
Obama didn’t help things with recent comments to Democrats.
“I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions,” he said, according to CNN. “And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up.”
Obama’s words don’t sit well with activist, far-left Democrats who now control the party.
With whole cities being shut down by Democrat-backed radicals who hail their “insurrection,” ICE officials under actual physical attack and threats, and Democratic Party members using violent imagery against Trump (“Time to put Trump in the bull’s eye”), Democrats aren’t exactly in a “fetal position.”
Now, some centrist Democrats are sounding off.
“Former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine responded by calling on Democrats to move away from extreme rhetoric and policies that he believes have contributed to the party’s current problems,” reports Lifezette, noting Turrentine “would prefer to see the Democratic Party ‘sober up’ and move on from what he described as ‘Trump derangement syndrome.’ “
Little chance of that, since the Dems’ civil war shows no signs of ending. And, as the I&I/TIPP Poll shows, there’s a stunning lack of leadership in the party to bring it back together.
I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past six presidential elections.
Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.
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