A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS reveals that approximately one-third of Democrats and Democrat-leaning adults identify as democratic socialists, underscoring a deepening ideological divide within the party ahead of the midterms.
The survey shows that 59 percent of self-identified democratic socialists are under the age of 45. Additionally, 57 percent of these voters are white, and they are less likely to hold college degrees or earn more than $100,000 annually.
Democratic socialists demonstrate significantly higher voter motivation, with 66 percent reporting they are “extremely motivated” compared to 57 percent of non-socialist Democrats. They also express a stronger positive view of the Democratic Party, with 68 percent holding favorable opinions.
The poll indicates that democratic socialists are nearly twice as likely to support moving the party further left than non-socialist Democrats. Only 36 percent of non-socialist Democrats would be unhappy with an explicitly socialist candidate.
This trend has been accelerating over the past year. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI) recently encouraged her fellow Democrats to embrace the term “socialist.” Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan immigrant who currently serves as New York City’s mayor, is currently the most successful Democrat candidate in recent years to identify explicitly as a socialist.
The data also reveals that many Democrats believe the party’s failure in the 2024 Presidential election was due to being insufficiently radical and left-wing on social issues such as gender transitions for children.
