---
title: "Prefer a Moderate Political Candidate"
description: "That's the portion of Americans who say they would prefer to vote for a moderate candidate from either political party; by comparison only 32% say they would prefer to vote for either a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican.  "
date: "2007-01-23"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2007/01/23/prefer-a-moderate-political-candidate/"
---

# Prefer a Moderate Political Candidate

At this early stage in the 2008 presidential campaign, more Americans express a preference for voting for a moderate candidate — particularly a moderate Democrat — than a candidate from the left or the right. Overall, a new Pew poll finds, nearly half (48%) would vote for a moderate from either party while about a third (32%) say they most want to vote for a moderate Democrat. More than twice as many Democrats prefer to vote for a party moderate rather than a liberal (by 59% to 28%), while Republicans are evenly split between backing a conservative or moderate Republican (40% each). Nearly half of independents (45%) say they most want to vote for a moderate — either a Democrat (28%) or a Republican (17%). Yet independents also are leaning heavily Democratic in their 2008 choices — by 44%-29%, more independents say they want to vote for a Democrat (either moderate or liberal) than a Republican.[Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/281/broad-support-for-political-compromise-in-washington)