Democrats’ satisfaction with 2020 candidates among highest in decades: Gallup

Three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are pleased with the selection of the party’s candidates in the 2020 presidential contest, which is among the highest levels of satisfaction measured in decades, according to a survey released Wednesday. 

The Gallup poll found that 75 percent of respondents said they were pleased with the large list of contenders while 21 percent said they wished someone outside the field was running for the nomination.

{mosads}The poll found that 85 percent of those who identified as ideologically liberal said they were satisfied with the field, while 71 percent who identified as moderate and 54 percent of conservative Democrats and leaners said the same. 

By contrast, in April of 2016, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were running for the Democratic nomination, 55 percent said they were happy with the selection while 42 percent said they wished someone else was running. 

The survey also found that 72 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were pleased by their choices for the party’s 2020 nomination, which is almost sure to be President Trump.

Seventy-four percent of conservative Republicans and leaners and 64 percent of moderate Republicans were satisfied with the choices and too few self-identified liberal Republicans participated in the poll to evaluate their opinion.

Overall satisfaction with Trump among Republicans is slightly lower than Democratic satisfaction with then-President Barack Obama in 2012

A Gallup poll from May 2012 found that 80 percent of Democrats were satisfied with Obama for reelection.

Researchers surveyed 1,119 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 1,057 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents from Sept. 16 to 30. Their responses have a margin of error 4 percentage points. 

More than a dozen people are running for the 2020 Democratic nomination. Among leading candidates are former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sanders. 

Trump has three challengers in the Republican presidential primary and has consistently held a significant lead over his challengers in polling.

–This report was updated at 1:54 p.m.