Nearly one-third of Democrats back democratic socialists as party's left wing gains ground: Poll

WASHINGTON, DC: Nearly one-third of Democrats now say they have a favorable view of democratic socialist politicians, according to a new Pew Research poll, as the party's left wing continues scoring primary victories.

According to the survey released on Tuesday, June 30, the findings add fresh data to a series of recent election wins by Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates. They also show that support for democratic socialists remains strongest inside the Democratic base rather than among the broader American public.

Liberal Democrats drive socialist support

The Pew Research survey found that 32% of Democrats said they like politicians who identify as democratic socialists, while 11% said they dislike them and 56% said they had no strong opinion.

Support climbed sharply among self-described liberal Democrats. The poll found 52% of liberal Democrats said they like democratic socialist politicians, compared with just 4% who said they dislike them, while 43% said they had no opinion.

Moderate and conservative Democrats were far more divided. Among that group, 17% said they disliked democratic socialists, 15% viewed them favorably and 66% reported having no opinion.

The survey also found support varied across demographic groups within the party.

White Democrats showed the strongest backing, with 40% expressing favorable views, compared with 21% of Black Democrats and 20% of Hispanic Democrats.

Income levels also revealed differences. Four in 10 upper-income Democrats said they like democratic socialists, compared with 34% of middle-income Democrats and 24% of lower-income Democrats.

Democratic primary wins mirror poll

The polling comes as the Democratic Party's left flank has continued to notch victories in safe blue districts.

According to the report, more than three dozen Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have won their primaries this year, including three New York candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mandani.

The list also includes Melat Kiros, who defeated 15-term Rep Diana DeGette in Colorado on Tuesday.

Those victories align with the new survey's finding that a sizable share of Democratic voters hold favorable views of politicians identifying as democratic socialists, particularly among younger, white, college-educated, and upper-income Democrats.

Americans remain skeptical of democratic socialists

While Democrats showed growing support, the broader electorate was considerably less enthusiastic.

Overall, 38% of Americans said they dislike self-described democratic socialist politicians, while 15% said they like them and 43% reported feeling indifferent, according to Pew Research.

Republicans registered the highest level of opposition. The survey found 69% of Republicans said they dislike democratic socialists, while 3% expressed favorable views, and 27% said they had no opinion.

Pew Research said it surveyed 8,512 Americans between January 20 and January 26, and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.