Poll Finds 53% See Democrats as Too Far Left, Senate Candidates Less Extreme
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 9
Poll Finds 53% See Democrats as Too Far Left, Senate Candidates Less Extreme
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 9
Summary
A New York Times/Siena poll of voters in key battleground Senate races found a sharp perception gap: 53% said the national Democratic Party is too far left and 47% said Republicans are too far right.
Only 35% viewed their own Senate nominees as similarly extreme, suggesting voters separate local candidates from the harsher image of the national parties.
The finding extends Fenno’s paradox beyond approval of Congress, indicating ideological distrust may also be stronger toward party brands than toward individual lawmakers.
An Ohio Republican voter in the survey said both parties had "drifted to the extremes," underscoring broader unease over polarization even when local candidates draw less alarm.