A new poll has revealed a growing generational split among California Democrats, with younger Democrats favoring democratic socialists and older Democrats favoring more mainstream candidates, with substantial support for far-left candidates overall.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Most California Democrats support democratic socialist candidates, according to a new poll. 📺 DETAIL: According to a poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, 58 percent of registered Democrats in California favored democratic socialist candidates. The poll also revealed that 60 percent of Democrats in the state support progressives, while only 48 percent favor more mainstream Democrats. Notably, support for democratic socialist candidates varies by age cohort. Democrats under 40 show more support for democratic socialists, while Democrats over 65 overwhelmingly back mainstream Democrats. Specifically, 69 percent of California Democrats aged between 18 and 29 expressed support for democratic socialists, compared to 45 percent of those over 65. In contrast, only 32 percent of Democrats in the state between 18 and 29 were more inclined to support a mainstream Democrat, compared to 67 percent of those over 65. The survey also revealed that 40 percent of all Californian voters support progressives, slightly ahead of democratic socialists, specifically, on 38 percent. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “There’s particular frustration among the younger voting population… Their views of mainstream Democrats are not that positive, and that’s a long-term problem, I think, for the Democratic Party.” – Mark DiCamillo, Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll director 🎯 IMPACT: The results highlight the internal divisions within the Democratic Party. This underscores the leftward shift of the Democrats over the course of the 2026 election cycle. This reflects similar reports from earlier this year. Back in July, a poll revealed that one-third of Democrats describe themselves as democratic socialists. That same month, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the far-left political organization currently taking over the Democrats from within, topped a poll in New Hampshire. |
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