A new poll is dropping jaws in Washington after finding that most rank-and-file Democrats now openly identify with the Democratic Socialists of America, offering fresh evidence that the once-mainstream party is being pulled hard to the left.
The Quinnipiac University survey, released Thursday, found that 59 percent of Democrats consider themselves supporters of the DSA, compared with just 30 percent who do not. Among the general electorate, though, the socialist label is far less popular — only 26 percent of all voters polled said they back the group, while a commanding 66 percent said they do not.
The numbers get even worse for candidates who wear the DSA badge proudly. Only 17 percent of voters polled said a candidate’s DSA affiliation would make them more likely to support that candidate. Meanwhile, 43 percent said it would make them less likely to vote for that person, and 35 percent said it wouldn’t move the needle either way.
The DSA did not respond to a request for comment on the poll.
The survey lands after a string of primary wins for self-described democratic socialists across the country. Darializa Avila Chevalier ousted an incumbent Democrat in New York, Melat Kiros did the same in Colorado, and Donavan McKinney knocked off a sitting lawmaker in Michigan. Two more DSA-aligned candidates, Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania and Claire Valdez in New York, captured open seats.
Recent data from the group’s own internal polling, DSA North Star, shows its supporters tend to be highly educated but skew toward lower- and middle-income brackets.
In an October post on X, the DSA rallied supporters ahead of the midterms, writing that its candidates are facing off against “corporate backed opponents” and urging followers to chip in donations to get them “over the finish line” in November.
The leftward shift has not gone unnoticed by Republican leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson sounded the alarm in June after the DSA unveiled a sweeping new platform called “Workers Deserve More,” which calls in part for drafting an entirely new constitution and establishing what the group calls a “democratic socialist republic.”
“The DSA Communists have now published their insane agenda to take over Congress and America,” Johnson wrote on X. “We will not let it happen! WE ARE READY FOR THIS FIGHT!!”
The platform has also drawn sharp criticism from other congressional Republicans since its release.
The Quinnipiac poll was conducted September 3-6 across the contiguous United States, surveying 970 self-identified registered voters. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
With midterms bearing down and socialist-aligned candidates racking up primary victories, the numbers suggest the ideological fight inside the Democratic Party is no longer a fringe battle — it may be closer to a takeover.
