Does ethnic identity constrain the public’s willingness to safeguard democracy? I propose a theoretical framework that elucidates the effect of ethnic identity-driven preferences on support for democracy. I argue that dominant ethnic group members’ commitment to democratic institutions and practices is conditional on their ability not to threaten the existing racial and ethnic order. In racially and ethnically divided societies, when democracy is perceived as empowering minority groups and challenging dominant group status, majority members may retreat from democratic principles and norms – a phenomenon I call racialized democratic exclusion. I expect this dynamic to be most pronounced among individuals with higher levels of ethnic resentment, a new measure I develop to capture dominant group members’ concerns about minority political empowerment. I assess these theoretical considerations in the context of Turkey, a competitive authoritarian regime where an entrenched hierarchy between a dominant Turkish majority and a marginalized Kurdish minority continues to shape both democratic contestation and state repression. I combine evidence from traditional surveys and a series of original survey experiments at the national and subnational levels. The results support my argument that perceived threats to the existing ethnic hierarchy, particularly those stemming from minority empowerment and inclusion, can undermine dominant group members’ commitment to democracy and reshape their perceptions of the meaning of democracy. These effects are strongest among individuals with higher ethnic resentment, which has greater explanatory power than other attitudinal measures. These findings hold implications for understanding ethnic identity-driven preferences in public opinion research on democracy.