A stunning new political poll finds that younger voters are eager to vote in a so-called “democratic socialist” into the White House during the next presidential election.
A new Rasmussen Reports and Heartland Institute poll found voters ages 18 to 39 want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election — which includes the likes of progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who is viewed by many as frontrunner for a potential 2028 run in the Democratic Party.
Ocasio-Cortez is openly exploring a 2028 campaign for either the presidency or U.S. Senate.
The fourth-term congresswoman has hired former advisers to socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and is spending millions of dollars to strengthen her online presence
The survey of 1,496 likely voters showed 51% favored a democratic socialist victory, while 36% said they opposed that outcome and 17% were unsure.
The survey was conducted from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Among young Democrats, support for a democratic socialist president stood at 82%. Among young Republicans, 65% opposed the idea.
Independents were split, with 37% supporting and 31% opposing.
The rosy view of a democratic socialist winning the next election appears to be driven by family influence.
54% of the respondents said their parents or guardians held favorable views of democratic socialism when they were growing up, and 27% identified those same family members as the most influential force shaping their worldview.
52% of respondents recalled teachers or professors who were favorable toward democratic socialism, and 22% described those educators as “very favorable.” Only 26% said their teachers or professors expressed unfavorable views.
17% of young voters said online videos or podcasts were the primary influence behind their support. Ten percent pointed to books.
Smaller shares identified grandparents, print or digital news, and television. A limited number said church leaders or teachers were their most important influence.
Previous Rasmussen polling showed that younger voters also supported economic proposals favored by democratic socialist lawmakers, including rent freezes and government-run retail options.
Regardless of influence, the grim news isn’t just isolated to who young voters want in the White House.
According to a Gallup poll released in September, Americans’ approval of capitalism has sunk to a record low, while support for socialism has slowly ticked up slightly in recent years.
Much of the erosion of Americans’ positive image of capitalism comes from a decline among independent and Democratic voters, with Republican support largely remaining steady.
The poll noted that Democrats’ view of capitalism dropped from 50% positive in 2021 to 42% — the first time the group’s approval amount dipped below 50%.