What Americans Think of Democratic Socialism
A new national poll shows democratic socialism has made enormous strides over the last decade. But to grow beyond blue strongholds, its champions will need to continue to anchor campaigns in bread-and-butter economics.
The success of Zohran Mamdani — driven by a sharp focus on affordability issues that speak directly to the material concerns of ordinary New Yorkers — offers a hopeful test case for the potential of democratic socialist politics. (Victor J. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Since Bernie Sanders’s insurgent bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, democratic socialism has migrated from the margins of American politics to a visible and popular current. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) now boasts candidates with real power in city councils and statehouses around the country, and socialists have brought progressive economic demands back into circulation.
Most recently, New York assemblymember Zohran Mamdani shocked the political establishment by winning a decisive victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, making him the odds-on favorite to succeed current mayor Eric Adams. His success — driven by a sharp focus on affordability issues that speak directly to the material concerns of ordinary New Yorkers — offers a hopeful test case for the potential of democratic socialist politics and disciplined populist rhetoric.
But it also raises larger questions. How is democratic socialism viewed by Americans as a whole? Is its appeal confined, for now, to large, heavily Democratic cities? And do candidates who foreground their socialist identity risk blunting the power of their economic populism?
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