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Most Americans say they wouldn’t support a democratic socialist presidential candidate, according to a new poll.
In The Washington Post/Ipsos poll, 55 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t “consider” casting their ballot for a self-identified democratic socialist presidential candidate, while 39 percent said the opposite and 6 percent did not respond.
Democratic socialists have recently stepped into the national spotlight with notable primary wins in places such as New York and Colorado. One win was that of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last year against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. Mamdani has now become one of the most prominent Democrats in the country.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), another prominent democratic socialist, is one of a few names being discussed as a possible 2028 presidential contender.
Proponents of democratic socialism advocate for progressive change and a rebuke of leadership from the so-called capitalist class. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), one of the largest democratic socialist organizations in the U.S., describes its vision for the country as “a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.”
The Post/Ipsos poll also found 15 percent of respondents said they like democratic socialist political leaders either “a lot” or “a little,” with 36 percent saying they dislike the leaders either “a lot” or “a little.” Forty-six percent of respondents said they “neither like nor dislike” democratic socialist leaders.
The Post/Ipsos poll took place from July 8 to 13, featuring 2,648 participants and a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points.
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