Half of American voters say they would cast their ballot for a democratic socialist: Poll

Half of American voters say they would cast their ballot for a democratic socialist , according to a new poll.

In The Economist/YouGov poll , 50 percent of respondents said they would cast their ballot for a democratic socialist, while 41 percent said the opposite. Nine percent said they were unsure about voting for such a candidate.

The poll took place Oct. 23-26, less than two weeks out from the midterm elections. In this election cycle, democratic socialists have made a splash on the national political scene with primary wins across the country.

In the wake of primary elections this cycle , a democratic socialist is on track to become the next mayor of Washington, D.C., with another advancing to the November mayoral runoff in Los Angeles.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), another democratic socialist who was elected last year following a shock Democratic primary win, has also had a meteoric rise on the national political stage since launching his campaign for the Big Apple’s top job. Two democratic socialists endorsed by Mamdani won their congressional primaries in New York in June.

Mamdani is not the only notable democratic socialist from New York City in the national political spotlight at the moment, however, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) is considered a possible contender for the 2028 presidential election.

The Democratic Socialists of America, a prominent democratic socialist group in the U.S., has described democratic socialism as “a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.” The group has pushed for collective ownership of “key economic drivers that dominate our lives.”

In The Economist/YouGov poll, 49 percent of respondents said they viewed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), another prominent democratic socialist, favorably, while 44 percent said the opposite. Seven percent said they didn’t know Sanders.

The Economist/YouGov poll featured 1,440 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.