The Democratic Party has shifted markedly left over the past quarter-century, and new data show a growing share of voters view that move as excessive; this article explains the measurement, how generational change and party self-identification fuel the trend, and what poll numbers reveal about public reaction.
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten traced a clear change in the party’s makeup, comparing the late 1990s to today and showing a dramatic reorientation. He pointed out that the share of Democrats who see themselves as “very liberal” has expanded from a tiny fraction to a major bloc, while self-identified conservative Democrats have all but disappeared. Those internal shifts have consequences beyond party primaries because voters notice and respond to where a major party places itself on ideology.
Enten’s comparison is striking in its specificity and simple math, which helps strip away partisan spin and focus on trends. He observed that “Right back in 1999, 26% of Democrats self-identified as conservative. Just 5% said that they were very liberal.” That snapshot from 1999 reads differently today when the same measures are applied. The change is not just an impression; it’s a measurable rebalancing of identity within the Democratic coalition.
Enten continued by describing how the very liberal share expanded to roughly one-fifth of Democrats, while the conservative share sank to single digits. He said, “Now we’re talking about a fifth of Democrats. 21% say they’re very liberal. That conservative part of the Democratic Party, adios amigos, goodbye, just 8%.” Those are plain numbers that tell a simple story: the party’s center of gravity shifted leftward and the old mixed coalition has thinned markedly.
When you combine those who call themselves “very liberal” with people who identify as “somewhat liberal,” Enten noted that roughly three in five Democrats fall on the liberal side of the spectrum. That concentration matters because it changes which ideas are treated as mainstream within the party and which candidates gain institutional energy. Policy priorities and rhetoric adjust accordingly, and that reshaping affects how independents and swing voters perceive the party as a whole.
The generational angle deepens the picture: younger Democrats are especially likely to adopt more left-leaning labels and policy positions. Enten reported that 42 percent of Democrats under 35 identify as Democratic Socialists, while roughly one-third of all Democrats do the same. That kind of youthful tilt accelerates ideological change, since recruits and future leaders often emerge from that cohort and carry those identities into organizing, campaigning, and elected office.
Public reaction is equally revealing. Enten cited a long-term trend in overall voter perception: “In 1996, it was 42%. In 2013, it was 48%. Now, 58% in 2025 of all voters say that the Democratic Party is too liberal.” A majority of voters now view the party as having moved past the mainstream, and that perception shapes competitive politics. When nearly six in ten voters think a major party is too extreme, it creates an uphill climb in general elections where swing constituencies decide outcomes.
Independent polling work echoes these internal measures, showing liberal identification among Democrats climbing substantially over the last two decades. One long-run tracker puts liberal identification among Democrats at 59% now, up from 33% in 2005 and 25% in 1994. That kind of steady climb is not a blip; it is a durable realignment in how members see themselves and what they expect from the party’s leadership and candidates.
All of this adds up to a party that looks materially different than it did in the 1990s and early 2000s. The once-notable bloc of conservative Democrats has dwindled, while liberal and very liberal voters, along with a nontrivial Democratic Socialist current, have moved toward the center of influence. Those changes will shape messaging, candidate selection, and the policy agenda going forward, and they will also shape how voters weigh the party in competitive contests.
How this ideological shift affects electoral outcomes remains a practical question for campaigns and strategists, because data and perceptions both matter in close races. For now, the numbers show a leftward move inside the party and a public that increasingly says that move is too far. Those are plain facts that should guide how political actors plan and voters decide in upcoming elections.
Add comment