Liberal vs Democrat are two distinct political ideologies. While they may overlap in some ways, they are not interchangeable. Liberal refers to a political philosophy that emphasizes individual rights and equality. Democrats, on the other hand, refers to a political party that supports a wide range of policies and issues, some of which may align with liberal ideology. It’s important to understand the differences between these two terms so that you can accurately convey your political beliefs and perspectives.

Modern-day liberals believe that the government should uphold social and economic equality by introducing social programs, regulating businesses, promoting environmental protection, and supporting labor groups. They are also more supportive of civil rights and social justice issues, including LGBTQ rights and racial equality.

On the other hand, the Democratic party is a broad coalition of liberals, centrists, and conservatives. Some of its founding principles include supporting rural and urban interests, embracing agrarian values, advocating for equal rights for women, minorities, and the poor, and pushing for progressive taxation.

While self-identified liberals have grown over the last three presidential elections, they still make up only a small percentage of American voters. This is likely due to a growing divide in ideological identification between nonwhites and whites, which has been evident since 1972 when the American National Election Studies first asked about ideological identification. (See Table 1.) In addition, a rising number of Democrats are taking the liberal position on specific policy issues such as gun control and climate change.