Determining whether the word “democrat” is capitalized or not is a question often asked in these trying political times. It can be a confusing question that depends on how the word is used.
When is “democrat” capitalized?
The word “democrat” is capitalized when used to refer to the political party, the Democratic Party. In this case, the word “party” is capitalized, too. This also is true when referring to someone as a Democrat.
Example: President Obama is a member of the Democratic Party.
Example: My parents are staunch Democrats.
The words “democrat” and “democratic” are not capitalized when referring to the political philosophy.
Example: My dad has a democratic ideologue.
The word “liberal” is generally lowercased as well when used in a sentence.
What about Democratic?
If you’re referring to a party such as the Democratic Party, you capitalize “democratic,” but not when it’s just referring to the political philosophy.
The rule is tricky when describing things other than a party as Democratic. For example, when Trump used “Democrat Lawmakers” in his letter to Nancy Pelosi about impeachment, he should have said “Democratic lawmakers” because lawmakers is a generic word. Unlike “party” in “Democratic Party,” “lawmakers” is not part of a proper noun.
For more title capitalization questions, use our free title capitalization tool here.
Why not make it simple and NEVER capitalize democrat in any of its forms. Just use “Marxist” instead.
Marx was a theorist and you likely never read Das Kapital and could not say what you disagree on. And that’s the real problem: ignorance. That’s why you cannot insult Democrats by calling them “Marxist.” They know you have no clue what you’re talking about. But nice try.