Democrats have been sliding toward socialism for the past several years, with the rise of avowed "Democratic Socialists" like Bernie Sanders gaining a stronger foothold in the party. But that trend appears to be supercharging. A new survey taken by a pro-socialist group finds that the majority of likely Democrat voters now prefer socialist candidates, and socialist principles. Among the findings: 53% of Dem voters support socialist-aligned candidates like Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over "traditional" Democrats like Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi. But perhaps most striking in the poll was that Dem voters prefer socialist principles over capitalist principles by a margin of 74% to 16%.
This may be a dangerous road politically for the party, as polls show independents and Republicans are strongly opposed to socialist principles and candidates. "(Democrats) want to believe in this perfect utopia where we can be socialist, and try to do what's been done in other countries but completely failed," says Anthony Russo, host and political analyst. "I think the Democrat Party has bigger problems, but this is just a signal that shows how out of touch they are with any form of logic."
Beyond those poll numbers, the biggest sign of socialism's advancement in the Democrat Party is the rise of avowed socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is now the favorite in the New York City mayoral race. Russo believes Mamdani's election may be a tipping point. "If they take the biggest city in this country and we allow this (socialism) to start bleeding in, I personally don't want to give that inch," he says. "I pray for New York City to not have to deal with him being their leader, and I'm scared for the people who live there if that truly does come to fruition...because it won't be pretty."
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