Democratic socialists top MAGA candidates in CNBC’s ‘All America’ poll

More voters would be more likely to support a democratic socialist candidate rather than a Make America Great Again supporter or a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump. CNBC All-America Economic Survey He was released on Friday.

The survey’s findings emerged as democratic socialist candidates won Democratic primaries across the country following the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in November. This shift became a lightning rod for Republicans, who aggressively branded Democrats as communists.

The results suggest Democrats will have the upper hand in November’s midterm elections, widely seen as a referendum on Trump, even with a number of self-described democratic socialists on the ballot. It also shows that voters are receptive to the idea of ​​a stronger federal government that provides additional services in exchange for higher taxes.

The survey found that 32 percent of registered voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate if they identified as a democratic socialist, while 50 percent would be less likely to vote for such a candidate. It is stated that 29 percent of voters are more likely to vote for a candidate with Trump’s support, while 52 percent are less likely. It’s even worse for a candidate who identifies as a supporter of the MAGA movement; Only 27% of voters say it would make them more likely to vote for them, and 57% say it would make them less likely to vote.

CNBC’s All-America poll was conducted July 8-12 with Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies of 1,000 registered voters in the United States. It has a margin of error of +/-3.1%.

Most democratic socialists heading to the polls this year are calling for increased taxes on America’s richest to fund universal health care, a higher minimum wage and a universal basic income.

Given that Republicans control the White House until 2028, the election is unlikely to spur a sudden change in policy. But it would mean a more adversarial relationship between Congress and the executive branch that could delay legislation backed by the Trump administration, while offering a window into how Democrats would govern if they retake the White House in 2028.

Democrats also hold a 4 percentage point lead in the overall vote; 49 percent of voters say they would prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, and 45 percent say they would prefer Republican control.

The poll found the president’s approval rating was 40%, with 59% disapproving; this was 1 point worse than the April poll. Sixty percent disapprove of his handling of the economy; That’s one point worse than April, but 38% approve. Both changes are within the poll’s margin of error but are consistent with other recent polls of the president’s position.

The survey found that capitalism remains more popular than socialism in the United States, but public sentiment has waned with the rise of socialism in recent years.

28 percent of registered voters surveyed viewed socialism positively; This is a jump from 18% in 2024. Fifty percent of registered voters viewed capitalism favorably; There was little change compared to 51% in 2024. Forty-eight percent of voters viewed socialism unfavorably, while 27% viewed capitalism unfavorably, in the poll released Friday.

Voters aged 18-34 preferred socialism by 18 percentage points, while older age demographics preferred capitalism. This could reshape voters in the future. Or today’s young voters may change their preferences as they get older.

“If these current attitudes were to persist over time, and if today’s 18- to 49-year-olds were to maintain these types of attitudes, we would have a disruptive shift in the national conversations and economic policy prescriptions that we see coming out of Congress and in different places over time,” said Micah Roberts, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican pollster for the study. “The attitudes of young people aged 18-34 today are the reality of our country 20 years from now.”

Voters surveyed did not believe some form of socialism would be a good idea for the country, but by an extremely narrow margin. 44 percent of voters surveyed said some form of socialism would be a bad thing, while 40 percent said it would be a good thing; According to the last survey, the gap has halved. In a 2019 Gallup poll, 43% of adults viewed socialism as a good thing and 51% viewed it as a bad thing.

And in 1942, one of the first times this question was polled, while the world was embroiled in World War II, 25% of voters thought socialism was a good idea. Forty percent thought it was a bad idea, while 34% were unsure.