A recent CNN poll revealed that approximately one-third of Democrats and those leaning Democratic now identify as ‘democratic socialists.’ This emerging trend highlights the increasing influence of groups like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on national politics. According to polling data shared with Fox News Digital, 34% of respondents who lean Democrat view themselves as democratic socialists. Overall, 15% of all participants in the poll reported identifying as democratic socialists.
The survey noted that those Democratic-aligned respondents identifying as democratic socialists tend to be young, White Americans. It found that 59% of these respondents are younger than 45, with 57% identifying as White. This shift in political identification has sparked discussions over the growing impact of socialism and the DSA in American politics.
The poll, conducted by SSRS in collaboration with CNN, found that Democrats who identify as democratic socialists are less likely to hold a college degree and more likely to earn below $100,000 annually. Additionally, these democratic socialists appear more motivated to vote this year. CNN reported that 66% expressed they are ‘extremely motivated’ to vote, compared to 57% of other Democrats. This heightened motivation corresponds with notable victories for democratic socialists in recent elections.
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America gather outside a Trump-owned building on May Day, May 1, 2019, in New York City. (Getty Images)
Notably, DSA-backed candidates have seen success in major cities. In New York City, socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor. Seattle voters also chose socialist Democrat Katie Wilson as mayor. On a national scale, several DSA-endorsed candidates won Democratic primaries for Congress in states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by the DSA, is favored for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.
There is concern about the DSA’s growing influence, partly due to its platform advocating for significant changes in America’s governance. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella voiced concerns about the DSA’s proposals, including abolishing ICE, defunding the police, eliminating prisons, granting mass amnesty to illegal immigrants, doing away with the Senate, packing the Supreme Court, and increasing taxes.
Marinella stated, ‘Those aren’t mainstream ideas, and voters are seeing in real time how the Democrat Party is conforming to these radical socialist ideas.’
The DSA recently updated its policy platform, proposing to eliminate the U.S. Senate and replace the president and Supreme Court with an executive branch and judiciary controlled by Congress. Additionally, the platform calls for mass amnesty for immigrants and defunding the Department of War. It advocates for ending all deportations, allowing free migration without restrictive controls, and extending voting rights to individuals with criminal convictions and noncitizens.
From left foreground, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate primary candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., join hands following a campaign rally Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Further, the platform suggests a 32-hour workweek with no pay or benefit reduction, Medicare-for-all, canceling student loan debt, eliminating cash bail, and implementing universal rent control.
Republican National Committee spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre reacted to the poll by stating that the embrace of these policies by the left could have negative consequences for them in upcoming elections. Baldassarre emphasized, ‘Socialism may be taking over the Democrat party, but the majority of Americans are nowhere close to adopting this extreme ideology.’
Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA and the Democratic National Committee for comment. Peter Pinedo, a politics writer for Fox News Digital, provided the report.
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