Socialism is becoming mainstream in the Democratic Party, according to a new survey funded by socialists.
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Fund paid for a survey conducted by Data for Progress, which shows that a majority of Democrats prefer socialism over capitalism and back far-left candidates like Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Politico first reported.
“What the mainstream of the party wants is both democratic socialism as a value system and democratic socialist politicians,” claimed Gabe Tobias, executive director of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund, which is the 501(c)(3) political education arm of Democratic Socialists of America.
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The survey found that more than half (53 percent) of likely Democrat voters prefer socialists like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Democrat New York mayoral candidate Mamdani, while 33 percent back establishment Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), according to the report. Fourteen percent did not choose either option.
The survey reportedly found that Democrats view elected officials who describe themselves as democratic socialists almost as positively as those who say they are Democrats. They also prefer the definitions of democratic socialism to capitalism when the definitions of each are read aloud, according to the report.
The survey defined democratic socialists as believing “that the government should take a more active role to improve Americans’ lives. They generally support higher taxes on corporations and high-income earners, support regulations that protect workers and consumers, and want more public ownership of key industries like housing, health care and utilities.”
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They survey defined capitalists as believing “that the private sector is best equipped to make improvements to Americans’ lives. They generally support lower taxes, oppose government regulations of businesses, and want the private sector to own key industries like housing, health care and utilities.”
Upon hearing each description, 74 percent of Democrat voters said democratic socialism most closely aligns with their views, while 16 percent say capitalism better reflects their opinion.
Unsurprisingly, the survey found that socialism is largely toxic to Republicans and many independents, explaining why far-left Democrats have had more success in places like New York City but have struggled in red and battleground areas. The poll also found that a plurality of independent voters and Republicans prefer capitalism.
The survey is the first formal poll released by the DSA Fund. The survey was conducted with 1,257 likely voters between August 22-24 and has a ±3 percentage point margin of error.
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