Claim: The Democratic Party has some members that define themselves as progressive.

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States , along with the Republican Party . Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison 's Democratic-Republican Party , the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by Andrew Jackson , making it the world 's oldest active party .   The Democrats ' dominant worldview was once social conservativism and economic liberalism , while , especially in the rural South , populism was its leading characteristic . In 1912 , Theodore Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate in the Progressive -LRB- `` Bull Moose '' -RRB- Party , leading to a switch of political platforms between the Democratic and Republican Party and Woodrow Wilson being elected as the first fiscally progressive Democrat . Since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s , the Democratic Party has also promoted a social-liberal platform , supporting social justice .   Today , the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists , with a smaller minority of conservative Democrats . The party 's philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality , along with the welfare state . It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy . These interventions , such as the introduction of social programs , support for labor unions , affordable college tuitions , moves toward universal health care and equal opportunity , consumer protection , and environmental protection form the core of the party 's economic policy . The party has united with smaller liberal regional parties throughout the country , such as the Farmer -- Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota .   Well into the 20th century , the party had conservative pro-business and southern conservative-populist anti-business wings . The New Deal Coalition of 1932 -- 1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction -- many of whom were Catholics based in the cities . After Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal of the 1930s , the pro-business wing withered outside the South . After the racial turmoil of the 1960s , most southern whites and many northern Catholics moved into the Republican Party at the presidential level . The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s . White Evangelicals and Southerners became heavily Republican at the state and local level in the 1990s . Racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. such as -LRB- but not limited to -RRB- Jewish Americans , Hispanic Americans , Arabic Americans , and African Americans , tend to support the Democratic Party in proportions higher than their overall representation in American society . Overall , the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party -LRB- GOP -RRB- .   15 Democrats have served as president under 16 administrations : the first was seventh president Andrew Jackson , who served from 1829 to 1837 ; Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms from 1885 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897 , and is thus counted twice -LRB- as the 22nd and 24th president -RRB- . The most recent was the 44th president Barack Obama , who held the office from 2009 to 2017 .   In the 115th Congress , following the 2016 elections , Democrats are the opposition party , holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate . The party also holds a minority of governorships -LRB- 16/50 -RRB- , and state legislatures -LRB- full control of 12/50 , split control of six others -RRB- , though they do control the mayoralty of cities such as New York City , Los Angeles , Chicago , Houston , and Washington , D.C.