Demographics of the Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party of the United States is composed of various demographic groups.

Ethnicity

In 2023, Pew found that 56% of Democrat voters were white, 18% Black and 16% Hispanic.

African Americans

Originally, the Republican Party was favored by African Americans after the end of the civil war and emancipation of enslaved African Americans. This trend started to gradually change in the 1930s, with Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs that gave economic relief to all minorities including African Americans and Hispanics. Support for the civil rights movement in the 1960s by Democratic presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson helped give the Democrats even larger support among the Black community, although their position also alienated the Southern white population. Starting around this time, African Americans were alienated from the Republican Party by the Southern strategy, particularly by Richard Nixon. Today, African Americans have stronger support for the Democratic Party than any group has for either party, voting 93% Democratic in the 2012 presidential election, 89% Democratic in the 2016 presidential election, and 87% Democratic in the 2020 presidential election. Prominent Black American Democrats include President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Senators Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, former Governors Douglas Wilder and Deval Patrick, Representatives Shirley Chisholm, John Lewis, Elijah Cummings and Jim Clyburn, and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Asian Americans

The Democratic Party also has considerable support in the small yet growing Asian American population. The Asian American population had been a stronghold of the Republican Party until the United States presidential election of 1992 in which George H. W. Bush won 55% of the Asian American vote, compared to Bill Clinton winning 31% and Ross Perot winning 15%. Originally, the majority of Asian Americans consisted of strongly anti-communist Vietnamese refugees, Chinese Americans, Taiwanese Americans, Korean Americans, and Filipino Americans. The Republican Party's socially conservative, fervently anti-communist position strongly resonated with this original demographic. The Democratic Party made gains among the Asian American population starting in 1996 and in 2006 won 62% of the Asian American vote. Exit polls after the 2008 presidential election indicated that Democrat Barack Obama had won 62% of the Asian American vote."Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History ". Pew Research Center. April 30, 2009 In the 2012 presidential election, 73% of the Asian American electorate voted for Obama's reelection.

According to a survey taken by the Times of India, Obama had the support of 85% of Indian Americans, 68% of Chinese Americans, and 57% of Filipino Americans in 2012."85% Indian-Americans support Obama for second term: Survey". The Times of India. May 6, 2012. The Asian American community's increasing number of young voters has also helped to erode traditionally Republican voting blocs such as Vietnamese Americans, making the community increasingly a Democratic stronghold. Prominent Asian American Democrats include Senators Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth, former senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, former Governor and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, and Representatives Judy Chu, Doris Matsui, and Andy Kim.

Hispanic and Latino Americans

The Hispanic American population, particularly the large Mexican American population in the Southwest and the large Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Central American populations in the Northeast, have been strongholds for the Democratic Party. Hispanic Democrats commonly favor liberal views on immigration. In the 1996 presidential election, Democratic president Bill Clinton received 72% of the Hispanic vote.

After a period of incremental gains under George W. Bush, the Republican Party's support among Hispanics seriously eroded after a heated and acrimonious debate within the party during the 109th Congress over immigration reform. Nationwide protests helped galvanize Hispanic political participation, and in the 2006 elections, Democrats increased their share of the Hispanic vote to 69%. This trend continued in 2008, as Barack Obama carried the Latino vote with 67%. Obama expanded his share of the Latino vote to 71% in the 2012 presidential election.

National exit polling among Black/African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino/Hispanic AmericansYearBranch% of Black/African-American Democratic vote% of Asian-American Democratic vote% of Latino/Hispanic American Democratic vote1976United States Presidency - -1980United States Presidency - -1982"1982".United States House of Representatives - -1984"1984".United States House of Representatives - -1984United States Presidency - -1986"1986".United States House of Representatives - -1988"1988".United States House of Representatives - -1988United States Presidency - -1990United States House of Representatives1992United States House of Representatives1992United States Presidency1994United States House of Representatives1996United States House of Representatives1996United States Presidency1998United States House of Representatives2000United States House of Representatives2000United States Presidency2002"2002".United States House of Representatives2004United States House of Representatives2004United States Presidency2006United States House of Representatives2008United States House of Representatives2008United States Presidency2010United States House of Representatives2012United States House of Representatives2012United States Presidency2014United States House of Representatives2016United States Presidency2016United States House of Representatives2018United States House of Representatives2020"2020 United States presidential exit polls CNN".United States Presidency2020"2020 United States House exit polls CNN".United States House of Representatives

Native Americans

The Democratic Party also has strong support among certain tribes of the Native American population. Though now a small percentage of the population (virtually non-existent in some regions), most Native American precincts vote Democratic in margins exceeded only by African Americans."Dems woo Native American vote".

Modern-day Democratic Native American politicians include former Congressman and former United States Under Secretary of the Army Brad Carson of Oklahoma, Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott of Alaska, Principal Chief Bill John Baker of the Cherokee Nation, and Governor Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation.

In 2018, Democrats Deb Haaland of New Mexico and Sharice Davids of Kansas became the first Native American women ever elected to Congress. Democrat Peggy Flanagan was also elected in 2018 and currently serves as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. Flanagan is the second Native American woman to be elected to statewide executive office in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Native woman to be elected to executive office.

Religion

Buddhist and Hindu Americans

Both Buddhist and Hindu Americans tend to vote Democratic. In the 2008 presidential election, Buddhists supported Obama by 86% while Hindus backed Barack Obama by around 82%. In the 2012 presidential election, Obama again received 84% of the Buddhist vote while Hindus backed him by 82%. In the 2020 presidential election, majority of Buddhist voters (73%) chose Joe Biden for president. Similarly, most Hindu voters (77%) supported Biden. As of 2022, both Buddhist and both Hindu members of Congress are Democrats.

Christian Americans

, every Democratic United States President, Democratic United States Vice President, and Democratic presidential nominee has been a Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, 78.4% of Democrats in the 116th United States Congress were Christian.

However, the vast majority of white evangelical and Latter-day Saint Christians favor the Republican Party.

Irreligious Americans

The Democratic Party receives support from secular organizations such as the Secular Coalition for America and many agnostic and atheist Americans. Exit polls from the 2008 election showed that although a religious affiliation of "none" accounted for 12% of the electorate, they overwhelmingly voted for Obama by a 75–25% margin. In his inaugural address, Obama acknowledged atheists by saying that the United States is not just "Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus but non-believers as well". In the 2012 election cycle, Obama had moderate to high rankings with the Secular Coalition for America, whereas the majority of the Republican candidates had ratings in the low-to-failing range.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted between January and June 2016 found 28% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters were religiously unaffiliated. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in June 2016 found that 67% of religious "nones" supported Hillary Clinton and 23% supported Donald Trump."Evangelicals Rally to Trump, Religious 'Nones' Back Clinton".

An October 2012 American Values Survey found that among atheist and agnostic American voters, 51% identified as politically independent, 39% Democratic, 9% Republican, and 1% other. Moreover, 57% in this group identified as liberal, and 81% supported Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election.

National exit polling among Americans who self identify their religion as "None"YearBranch% of Democratic vote among those who self identify their religion as "None"1996United States Presidency2000"People press" .United States Presidency2004United States House of Representatives2004United States Presidency2006United States House of Representatives2008United States House of Representatives2008United States Presidency2012United States House of Representatives2012United States Presidency2014United States House of Representatives2016United States Presidency2016United States House of Representatives2018United States House of Representatives2020United States Presidency2020United States House of Representatives

Jewish Americans

Jewish Americans are a stronghold for the Democratic Party, with more than 70% of Jewish voters having cast their ballots for the Democrats in the 1992 through 2016 presidential elections. Of the 29 Jewish Senators and Representatives who served in the 114th Congress, 27 were Democrats."Jewish Members of U.S. Congress: 114th Congress". Among American Jews are people who consider themselves religious believers of one denomination or another as well as people who are explicitly or implicitly secular.

National exit polling among self-identified JewsYearBranch% of Democratic vote among self-identified Jews1982United States House of Representatives1984United States House of Representatives1984"Presidential Vote Among Jews, 1972–2008".United States Presidency1986United States House of Representatives1988United States House of Representatives1988United States Presidency1990United States House of Representatives1992United States House of Representatives1992United States Presidency1994United States House of Representatives1996United States House of Representatives1996United States Presidency1998United States House of Representatives2000United States House of Representatives2000United States Presidency2002United States House of Representatives2004United States House of Representatives2004United States Presidency2006United States House of Representatives2008United States House of Representatives2008United States Presidency2012United States House of Representatives2012United States Presidency2014United States House of Representatives2016United States Presidency2016United States House of Representatives2018United States House of Representatives2020United States House of Representatives

Muslim Americans