Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic National Committee will elect its new chair on February 1. The chair will be tasked with leading the party throughout Donald Trump’s second term and helping Democrats chart a path forward to compete in future elections.
A new Data for Progress survey of likely Democratic and Democratic-leaning Independent voters, conducted December 12-13, 2024, finds that Democratic voters strongly believe the next DNC chair should not be tied to corporate interests and that they should align themselves with workers and the middle class.
Nearly all Democrats (93%) and Democratic-leaning Independents (87%) say that it is important that lobbyists from Big Pharma, Big Tech, Wall Street, and other corporate interests do not influence the next DNC chair. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats (64%) and Democratic-leaning Independents (60%) say this is “very important.”
Dems and Dem-leaning Indies do not want the next DNC chair influenced by corporate interests
This sentiment is notable given that 61% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents say “big corporations and Wall Street have too much influence within the Democratic Party.” Sixty-one percent of these voters also say the same for big donors.
Conversely, an overwhelming majority of Democrats (89%) and Democratic-leaning Independents (88%) believe “the next party chair should be someone who listens to working and middle-class voters rather than corporate and wealthy executives.”
Dems and Dem-leaning Indies want a DNC chair who listens to working-class people
Notably, Democrats view their party as more supportive of working families than Democratic-leaning Independents do, while Democratic-leaning Independents more frequently view the party as supporting the wealthy.
Dem-Leaning Indies are less convinced that Dems have become more supportive of working people
When asked if the Democratic Party has become more or less supportive of working and middle-class families, Democrats say more supportive by a +40-point margin, but Democratic-leaning Independents are more split, with a plurality saying more supportive by only a +2-point margin.
Meanwhile, half of Democratic-leaning Independents believe the party has become more supportive of wealthy individuals and corporations, while Democratic voters are more split in their opinion, with a slight plurality (47%) saying “less supportive.”
Dems and Dem-leaning Indies think the party should take on wealthy interests
Finally, 78% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents strongly believe “Democrats should take on big corporations and wealthy individuals who have rigged the system to make things better for working and middle-class families,” compared with only 22% who believe “Democrats should work to improve their relationships with big corporations and wealthy individuals which will help grow the economy and win elections.”
--30--
Cross-posted from Data for Progress.
