Following the dramatic and unexpected loss Democrats suffered last Tuesday, we here at the Progressive Turnout Project sent out a post-election survey to over 26,000 of our supporters in order to get a better idea of where we went wrong in 2016 and how best to move forward as a party. Below are the results of that survey, which is the first of many that we will use to build a better understanding of both the current state of the party as well as what progressives hope to see change in the future.
Its no surprise that nearly 90% of our supporters identified as either very or somewhat progressive.
Although most of our supporters believe that the Democratic Party aligns with their views, a significant 15% believe it does not.
According to our supporters, blocking extremist Supreme Court nominations and holding Trump accountable should be priorities of Democrats moving forward, even though tasks like energizing the base should remain essential.
Which of the following do you think Democrats must focus on in 2017?
| Blocking extremist Supreme Court nominations | 83% |
| Holding Donald Trump accountable for his actions | 82% |
| Laying the groundwork for the 2018 election | 78% |
| Preventing Republicans from dismantling Obama’s progressive legacy | 77% |
| Energizing our base | 73% |
One thing a majority of our supporters can agree on is that the Democratic party did not do a satisfactory job in preparing for this year’s General Election.
From our survey results, it is clear that the Democratic party has room for improvement in future election cycles — but how exactly should the party improve?
After last week, 80% of our supporters think that Democrats have a problem with voter turnout, and 91% believe the party should be doing more to engage with voters in the future.
By pooling grassroots financial support, we here at the Progressive Turnout Project have spent the past year building early and locally based field campaigns around the country that can be used as models for the Democratic party to replicate in future cycles in order to increase voter turnout. Only by continuing to expand upon those efforts and connecting with more voters will we succeed in electing progressive candidates to Washington, which is why we are more determined than ever to continue fighting on behalf of disappointed Democrats everywhere.
