After losing White House, Democrats want party to change, poll finds. But in what way?

A plurality of Democrats believe that — after losing the White House — their party should shift toward the center, according to a new poll. In contrast, a similar share of Republicans want their party to remain the same.

In a Gallup poll released on Feb. 13, 45% of Democrats and liberal-leaning independents said they believe the Democratic Party should become more moderate. About half as many, 22%, believe the party should stay the same, and 29% believe it should become more liberal.

These results “may very well be a reaction to (Democratic) losses in 2024, as they look ahead to 2026,” Gallup said.

Meanwhile, 43% of Republicans and conservative-leaning independents believe the GOP — which now controls the presidency, the House and the Senate — should hold steady. Smaller shares believe the party should become more conservative (28%) and more moderate (27%).

“For now, Republicans overwhelmingly approve of Trump and are more satisfied with their party’s current ideological bent than Democrats are with theirs,” Gallup said.

The Democrats’ desire for a course correction comes as their party faces a record-high disapproval rating, while Republicans boast a record-high approval rating, according to a January Quinnipiac University poll.

Conducted between Jan. 21 and Jan. 27, the Gallup poll sampled 1,001 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Change from 2021

The results for both parties differ significantly from January 2021 — the beginning of former President Joe Biden’s term — which was the last time Gallup asked this question.

At the time, Democrats and liberal-leaning independents were more divided on the future of the party, with 34% saying it should become more liberal and 34% saying it should become more moderate. A slightly smaller share, 31%, said it should stay the same.

In contrast, a plurality of Republicans and conservative-leaning independents, 40%, said their party — which had just lost the White House — should become more conservative.

Smaller shares said it should stay the same (34%) and become more moderate (24%).

This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM with the headline "After losing White House, Democrats want party to change, poll finds. But in what way?."