Poll Results Show Democratic Landscape Shifting
On Monday, CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, commented on the surprising polling results among Democratic candidates. He highlighted that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is trailing California Governor Gavin Newsom by a tighter margin in the upcoming 2028 race.
Newsom stands at 21% support among registered Democrats, while Ocasio-Cortez follows with 12%. This data comes from a Yahoo/YouGov poll that was conducted from August 29 to September 2. Interestingly, Bernie Sanders, who has identified as an independent since 2014, appears to be falling significantly behind the other candidates.
Reflecting on past polling, Enten noted, “There’s been a structural change in what Democratic voters are looking for. Back in June 2014, Hillary Clinton was leading with 69% support, and Bernie Sanders was far behind with just 2%.” Now, he points out how much closer Ocasio-Cortez is to the front-runner, stating she’s within 10 percentage points of Newsom.
“If you thought Bernie was a long shot back then, Ocasio-Cortez certainly has a realistic chance based on current numbers,” Enten observed. He finds it remarkable that a candidate like AOC could be in such a position today, making waves in a traditionally structured party.
AOC, a democratic socialist, has been a prominent advocate for initiatives like the Green New Deal—a $1 trillion proposal aimed at achieving net-zero emissions while creating jobs. This plan gained attention when it was unveiled in February.
In a broader view of party sentiment, when Democratic voters were asked who best represents the party, 10% selected Ocasio-Cortez and 8% chose Sanders. According to a CNN/SSRS poll published in March, Ocasio-Cortez was notably ranked higher than Sanders, who came in third after Vice President Kamala Harris.
In another poll, Harris was positioned second among the candidates, with 19% support, trailing Newsom and Ocasio-Cortez.
Additionally, a Gallup poll from September 8 revealed that only 42% of Democrats held a positive view of capitalism, while 66% expressed favorable opinions about socialism. These findings seem to reflect a growing ideological shift within the party.
