Ryan O'Donnell

The politics we have as Americans ultimately is up to us. We can choose for our democracy to be a dreary march to the drab center or running over groups of people with a metaphorical bus. Or we can choose an imagination battle that realigns the center so we can fight and build on favorable terrain.

beyond zohran, sherrill ran on freezing prices and taking on corporate power while spanberger railed against trump's billionaire giveaways. there's no question that economic populism is a winner

zohran's election wasn't just a quirk of NYC — his policies are popular nationwide. voters want to see moral conviction and concrete plans to lower costs

Data for Progress Will Use Polling to Lead, Not Follow As the right uses polling to justify fear, we need to use it to understand possibility.

So grateful for the team for putting their trust in me at this pivotal moment for our movement and our country.

If you want to learn more, work together, or just have a discussion, my DMs are open! Would love to get in touch.
www.dataforprogress.org/insights/202...

Too much of the Democratic coalition are stuck on cautious, business-as-usual politics, while voters have no clue what they actually stand for.

We won’t use research to continue the status quo; we’ll use it to build a positive agenda.

At Data for Progress, we know public opinion isn’t fixed — it’s shaped by trusted messengers, material conditions, and social dynamics.

We’re focused on learning what actually breaks through to voters to fight back against the right and build power for the left.

I’m deeply honored to lead Data for Progress into our next chapter.

The point of our research is not to determine what our values should be, but how to fight for our values most effectively.

Excited to keep working with our amazing, dedicated team to sharpen our strategy.

Horizontal bar chart titled “Most Heard News Story: Oct. 10–13, 2025.” It shows the results of an open-ended survey question asking U.S. likely voters what news story they heard about most recently. The top responses are: Government shutdown — 25% Ceasefire in Gaza — 22% [All other items] — 11% Immigration / Deportations — 6% Nothing — 5% National Guard / Chicago / Portland — 5% Tariffs — 4% Crime — 4% Charlie Kirk assassination — 3% Nobel Prize — 2% General comments about Trump administration — 2% Blank / Unintelligible — 2% Don’t know — 2% Tennessee explosion — 1% Weather / Climate — 1% James Comey / Letitia James indictments — 1% Foreign policy (not Israel / Gaza) — 1% Epstein — 1%. Survey conducted October 10–13, 2025, among 1,217 likely voters by Data for Progress.

NEW: The government shutdown and ceasefire in Gaza were the top stories breaking through to voters from Oct. 10-13.

www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/10...

“Voters across party lines oppose Israel blocking food & medical aid in Gaza, & want Trump to demand that Israel let aid into Gaza.”

@rodonnell.bsky.social, interim executive director of @dataforprogress.org, writes about American voters growing critical of Israel.

Read: zeteo.com/p/poll-ameri...

How much attention do you pay to news about national politics on TV, radio, newspapers, or the Internet?

<> A great deal <> A lot <> A moderate amount <> A little <> None at all

surprise! we too find the republican budget bill is *incredibly unpopular* — truly wild to watch so many house republicans willing to torch their own seats for trump’s ego, all while stripping their constituents of health coverage to fund tax cuts for billionaires

Zohran Mamdani’s Victory Shows That Economic Populism Is a Winner By running on economic populism, Democrats can show voters that they are offering bold solutions that will make life easier and create a more just economy.

New DFP Insights from @rodonnell.bsky.social:

"Mamdani’s campaign showcased how Democrats can reach disaffected voters by acknowledging our political and economic systems are broken and demonstrating that they will actually fight to help fix them."

www.dataforprogress.org/insights/202...

any world turnout could get added to your sheet? 😇 it's so helpful already but turnout as a % of 2024 votes or something would be even more helpful

this is a good one imo! bsky.app/profile/data...

this question also helps contextualize what "governing style" people want

lots of good stuff in the new poll with zeteo — we also ran a conjoint test (iykyk) and the most favored profile for the 2028 dem nominee: a 47-year-old Black woman who’s governed a state and is an economic populist. if only this person existed

we also tested favorables for a wide range of democrats — obama has the highest fav at 92%. fetterman has the highest unfav at 36%

we tested a whole lot of names for the 2028 democratic primary with zeteo — considering vs not considering tells you way more than an early ballot test: cory booker currently leads at +68. stephen a smith finishes last at -18

i was surprised when we asked voters what news story stood out most during peak “signalgate” coverage — at best, it was tied with tariffs and losing to “nothing”

this week, though, trump’s tariffs were overwhelmingly the top story

after the shutdown vote, we asked voters how democrats in washington handle political fights. the most common response? "weak"

voters often say they support mass deportations in theory—until they have to think about the actual people being deported. our research keeps proving it: cruelty only polls well in the abstract. make it real, and support crumbles

one funny thing about being part of an openly progressive polling outfit: plenty of center/right folks assume every poll we release skews left. but bad data isn’t just wrong—it’s useless. cooking numbers would hurt the movement, not help it

new @dataforprogress.org data confirms what you’ve always felt: democrats criticize their own party way more than republicans do

most voters have a sense of what oligarchy means — and it’s probably good bernie is helping teach the rest, since a plurality thinks we're becoming one

whenever you highlight real people affected by trump's immigration policies, voters consistently choose compassion over cruelty

Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress. Title: Voters Do Not Approve of ICE Arrests at Most Sensitive Locations. Description: Below are locations where undocumented immigrants might be arrested by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). For each location, please state whether you believe arrests should be allowed. The site of a funeral, wedding, or other public religious ceremony — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 56%, Not sure: 13%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 31% Churches, synagogues, mosques, or other institutions of worship — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 56%, Not sure: 13%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 31% Schools — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 54%, Not sure: 11%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 34% Places where children gather, such as playgrounds, recreation centers, or school bus stops — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 54%, Not sure: 12%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 34% Hospitals — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 50%, Not sure: 13%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 37% Social services establishments, such as domestic violence shelters, victim services centers, and food pantries — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 48%, Not sure: 13%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 39% The site of a public demonstration like a march or parade — ICE should not be allowed to make arrests in this location: 32%, Not sure: 15%, ICE should be allowed to make arrests in this location: 53% February 14–15, 2025 survey of 1,215 U.S. likely voters.

NEW: When asked about the nuances of immigration policy, voters prefer more humane approaches.

For example, a majority of voters think ICE should not be allowed to make arrests at sensitive locations like schools and churches.

www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/2/...

Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress. Title: Democrats and Independents Say Elon Musk Has Made Them Less Likely to Buy a Tesla. Description: Has Elon Musk made you more or less likely to buy or lease a Tesla? All likely voters — More likely: 17%, Less likely: 45% Democrat — More likely: 13%, Less likely: 66% Independent / Third party — More likely: 12%, Less likely: 50% Republican — More likely: 23%, Less likely: 21% February 14–15, 2025 survey of 1,215 likely voters.

NEW: Forty-five percent of voters say that Elon Musk has made them less likely to buy a Tesla, while only 17% say that they are more likely to purchase one.

www.dataforprogress.org/datasets/pol...

Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress. Title: Democrats and Independents Who Lean Democratic Want the Party to Fight Harder Against Trump. Description: Which of the following comes closest to your view, even if neither is exactly right? Response Options: A) The Democratic Party is not doing enough to stand up to Donald Trump and his administration and needs to fight harder. B) Don't know C) The Democratic Party could do a better job resisting Donald Trump and his administration, but overall is doing a decent job. All likely voters — 67% chose A, 4% chose B, 29% chose C Democrat — 65% chose A, 4% chose B, 31% chose C Democratic-leaning Independent — 80% chose A, 4% chose B, 16% chose C February 8–9, 2025 survey of 542 likely Democratic voters and Independent voters who lean towards Democrats.

NEW: A majority of Democratic voters (65%), and an even larger majority of Independents who lean Democratic (80%), say the party is not doing enough and needs to fight harder against the Trump administration.

www.dataforprogress.org/datasets/pol...

Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress. Title: Voters Oppose Trump's Proposal to Take Over and Own Gaza and Forcibly Resettle Its Residents. Description: This week, President Trump called for the U.S. to "take over" and "own" Gaza, and transform it from a "demolition site" into the "Riviera of the Middle East." This would require forcibly resettling the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians who live in Gaza into neighboring countries. Do you support or oppose this proposal? All likely voters — Support: 28%, Oppose: 64% Democrat — Support: 10%, Oppose: 86% Independent / Third party — Support: 23%, Oppose: 63% Republican — Support: 46%, Oppose: 43% February 8–9, 2025 survey of 1,201 U.S. likely voters.

Americans against ethnic cleansing.

@dataforprogress.org's @rodonnell.bsky.social in @zeteo.com today:

zeteo.com/p/trump-gaza...

a plurality of independents say trump's admin is "chaotic" (45%) — with "effective" a distant second at 19%