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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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As the American left is facing a major test at the ballot box, a new poll shows Americans may be souring on socialism ahead of the midterm elections.
The October Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found 52 percent of registered voters have an unfavorable view of socialism, the first time that a majority has reported having a negative view in the last three such polls.
The poll found just 25 percent viewed socialism favorably, giving it a net favorability rating of -27 points. The survey was conducted among 2,700 registered voters from October 24 to 26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
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The rating is the lowest recorded since August, and marks a reversal from the modest uptick in favorability that was recorded just a month earlier.
The same poll in August had found that 26 percent had a favorable view of socialism while 48 percent had an unfavorable view, a net favorability rating of -21 points when rounding to the nearest whole percentage.
The September poll saw a slight improvement in Americans’ view of socialism, with 29 percent saying they had a favorable view and 47 percent saying they had an unfavorable view, a net favorability rating of -19 points.
It comes as candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, are running for Congress after notching a series of victories in congressional primaries this year.
This follows the rise of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who was elected New York City’s mayor a year ago, and has spurred the organization’s growth. Mamdani’s influence was clear when all three of his endorsed candidates defeated establishment Democrats in congressional primaries in New York in June.
As more Americans began to have a a positive view of socialism, Republicans have continuously attacked the ideology, seeking to cast Democrats as "communists" and extremists ahead of November’s midterm elections. Republicans are facing serious political headwinds as they fight to preserve their slim majorities in Congress, amid President Donald Trump’s falling approval ratings caused by voter concerns about high prices and the Iran war.
At the Republican Party's midterm convention in Dallas in September, Trump repeatedly claimed that Democrats were running as communists in the midterms, despite no credible midterm candidate identifying as such.
The Democratic Party had been overthrown by "crazed lunatics and radicals," he said. "It's going to be a communist country if they win."
Other speakers at the convention used similar language, with House Speaker Mike Johnson warning that "the communists will be in Congress."
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Could It Impact the Midterms?
Experts told Newsweek that the drop in favorability measured by the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll was unsurprising given Republicans’ ongoing attacks.
"The label is getting hammered by Republican messaging, so I imagine that's having an effect," Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek.
"And there may be some association now for some voters between socialism and communism, given that messaging."
Costas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, said the deterioration may demonstrate that GOP attacks are having an effect.
"These shifts likely reflect the impact of the intensive offensive against democratic socialism by Trump and Republican candidates on the campaign trail and in ads in recent weeks," Panagopoulos told Newsweek.
"Deteriorating views about the label could affect races like the U.S. Senate race in Michigan, but outcomes in these, like all races will ultimately reflect a broader swath of considerations."
Other recent polls suggest that a dimmer view of socialism as an ideology may not translate directly into complete opposition to voting for a democratic socialist candidate.
A new Economist/YouGov poll found that 50 percent of registered voters said they would vote for a democratic socialist, compared with 41 percent who said they would not and 9 percent who said they were unsure.
The same survey found that slightly more voters preferred a moderate Republican over a democratic socialist, with 52 percent saying that they would rather vote for a moderate Republican in favor of cutting spending and reducing the deficit than a democratic socialist in favor of taxes. Another 48 percent said they would cast their ballot for a democratic socialist in favor of raising taxes on billionaires, Medicare-for-all and abolishing ICE.
The survey also found that a majority (51 percent) think capitalism is a better economic system than socialism (20 percent), while 29 percent were unsure.
But there was a partisan divide. Most Republicans (79 percent) thought capitalism is better, while just 5 percent said they preferred socialism and 17 percent were not sure, when rounding to the nearest whole percentage. Among Democrats, just 25 percent said capitalism was better while 38 percent said socialism, and another 38 percent said they were unsure.
That survey was conducted from October 23 to 26 among 1,440 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
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What Is Democratic Socialism?
The DSA describes democratic socialism as a system "where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society."
"We want a democracy that creates space for us all to flourish not just survive and answers the fundamental questions of our lives with the input of all. We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation. We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear," the DSA website reads.
DSA members typically support progressive policies like single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal.
The key difference between democratic socialism and other forms of socialism is that democratic socialism maintains that any move toward a more socialist economy must happen through democratic institutions, civil liberties and competitive elections, not through centralized or authoritarian control.
The philosophy supports a socially owned economy but believes it should be achieved through political democracy. It also emphasizes individual rights.
Merriam-Webster defines democratic socialism as a "political movement calling for the establishment of a decentralized socialist economic system within a democratically run political system."
It defines socialism as "any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods."
It’s also different from communism, which is defined as a "totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production."
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Which Democratic Socialists Are Running in Midterms?
The most prominent democratic socialist candidates on the ballot this year are:
Angie Nixon, a Florida state representative and DSA member, is challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody in the Florida Senate race. Most recent polls show Moody ahead in the race.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, who was initially elected to Congress in 2018, is running for a fifth term representing Michigan’s 12th Congressional District.
Melat Kiros is running in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District after ousting 30-year incumbent Democratic Representative Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary. She is favored to win the race against Republican Christy Peterson in the deep blue district.
Chris Rabb, a self-described democratic socialist and Pennsylvania state lawmaker, is running in Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District. He is favored to win over independent Dennis Mahoney in the deep blue district.
Angela Gonzales-Torres, who is challenging Democrat Jimmy Gomez in California’s 34th Congressional District.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, is running in New York’s 13th Congressional District after defeating Representative Adriano Espaillat in the primary.
Claire Valdez, who is running in New York’s 7th Congressional District after defeating the handpicked successor of retiring Representative Nydia Velazquez.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Tony Phillips.
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