Most Democrats identify as liberals for first time in Gallup poll

Most Democrats now identify as liberal rather than moderate or conservative, a Gallup poll released Tuesday found, marking the first time since the polling giant began asking the question in the 1990s.

Monday’s poll found that 51 percent of Democrats self-identified as liberal in 2018, up slightly from 50 percent in 2017. The percentage of liberals has sharply climbed in recent years, Gallup noted, with 38 percent identifying as liberal in 2008.

Roughly a third of Democrats — 34 percent — identified as moderates in 2018, according to the new poll.

{mosads}Members of the Republican Party have remained more staunchly conservative, pollsters found, with 73 percent identifying as conservative in 2018 and just 22 percent calling themselves moderate.

At least 70 percent of Republicans have identified as conservative since 2008, according to Gallup.

Monday’s poll was based on telephone interviews with 13,852 random adults in 2018. The margin of error is 1 percentage point.

The poll results come as Democrats have retaken the majority in the House with a caucus that contains a number of high-profile progressives, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who have pushed for policies like Medicare for all and a Green New Deal.

GOP pundits and critics have questioned whether the Democratic caucus, which contains numerous more moderate members as well, will be able to push a unified agenda.