Why Democratic Socialists Are Causing Stir Amid Favorability Concerns

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are viewed more unfavorably than MAGA and President Donald Trump, but the most prominent Democratic socialist politicians are viewed more favorably, according to a Marquette Law School poll released on Wednesday.

DSA-backed candidates surged in recent Democratic primaries, securing victories in places like New York City, Philadelphia and Denver. But many in the Democratic establishment are nervous about the momentum behind the DSA movement. They have raised concern that DSA candidates could become an albatross for the party and alienate independent voters ahead of the November midterm election as the party works to flip seats with the hope of gaining control of the House and Senate. The new poll released Wednesday sheds new light on how Americans view DSA candidates compared to MAGA.

In a statement to Newsweek, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster wrote: “The Democrats’ full-blown embrace of socialism and communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. President Trump will never allow America to become a socialist or communist country.”

Newsweek reached out to the DSA for comment via email.

DSA Faces Poor Favorability Ratings

DSA’s favorability rating stood at -30 points in the new Marquette poll, with 24 percent of respondents saying they view the organization favorably and 54 percent viewing it unfavorably. Twenty-two percent said they had not heard enough to give their view on it. That marks a slight decline in favorability since April, when its net favorability stood at -28 points in Marquette’s polling.

Among independent voters, 13 percent viewed DSA favorably, compared to 46 percent who viewed it unfavorably.

Individual Democratic socialist candidates were viewed slightly less unfavorably, with 31 percent viewing them favorably and 53 percent unfavorably.

Meanwhile, MAGA’s favorability stood at -26 points, with 35 percent viewing the conservative movement favorably and 61 percent unfavorably, according to the poll. Itsa favorability has declined from -19 points in July 2025.

Seventeen percent of independent voters said they view MAGA favorably, compared to 69 percent viewing it unfavorably, according to the poll.

The poll, which surveyed 1,076 adults nationwide from July 22-29 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, sought to differentiate between how voters view the DSA as an organization versus candidates who describe themselves as democratic socialists but are not necessarily connected to the organization. Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders, for instance, is not a member of the DSA but identifies as a Democratic socialist.

The poll divided respondents into two random samples: half were asked about their view of the organization, while the other half were asked about candidates.

Despite poor views of DSA overall, some of its most prominent lawmakers are viewed less unfavorably than Trump and members of his administration, according to the poll, which broadly found all national politicians included in the survey underwater in terms of personal favorability.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent and Democratic socialist, was viewed favorably by 45 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 47 percent. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s favorability rating stood at -6 points, with 33 percent viewing him favorably and 39 percent unfavorably.

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s net favorability rating was -11 in the poll, with 32 percent viewing her favorably and 43 percent unfavorably.

Meanwhile, Trump’s favorability stood at -22 points, with 38 percent viewing him favorably and 60 percent unfavorably. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s was -11 percent, viewed favorably by 34 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 45 percent. Vice President JD Vance was viewed favorably by 38 percent and unfavorably by 54 percent for a net of -16.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was viewed favorably by 23 percent of respondents, with 45 percent saying they viewed him unfavorably for a -22 net.

What Do Other Polls Show?

A new poll from Ipsos and The Washington Post similarly found that many Americans hold negative views of the DSA. It found that 15 percent said they like political leaders who identify as Democratic socialists, compared to 36 percent who dislike them. Forty-six percent said they neither like nor dislike them.

Fifty-five percent of respondents said they would not consider voting for a Democratic socialist, while 39 percent said they would consider it, according to the poll of 2,648 U.S. adults July 8-13.

A Pew Research Center poll found that 17 percent of Americans like a political leader who identifies as a Democratic socialist, compared to 38 percent who dislike leaders who do so.

DSA describes democratic socialism as a system "where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society."

"We want a democracy that creates space for us all to flourish not just survive and answers the fundamental questions of our lives with the input of all. We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation. We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear," the DSA website reads.

DSA members typically support progressive policies like single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal.

The key difference between democratic socialism and other forms of socialism is that democratic socialism maintains that any move toward a more socialist economy must happen through democratic institutions, civil liberties and competitive elections, not through centralized or authoritarian control.

The philosophy supports a socially owned economy but believes it should be achieved through political democracy. It also emphasizes individual rights.

Merriam-Webster defines democratic socialism as a “political movement calling for the establishment of a decentralized socialist economic system within a democratically run political system.” It defines socialism as “any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

It’s also different from communism, which is defined as a “totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production.”

Democratic socialist-backed candidates have won in several key primaries this year. Incumbents like Ocasio-Cortez and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan won primaries and are poised to be joined by other Democratic socialists in Congress after the November general election.

In Michigan, DSA-backed Donavan McKinney defeated Representative Shri Thanedar in the Detroit-based 13th District on Tuesday, the latest victory for an insurgent challenger.

In New York, DSA candidate Claire Valdez won an open seat held by Representative Nydia Velázquez, who has served in Congress since 1993 but is not seeking reelection. Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated Representative Adriano Espaillat in a rare instance in which an incumbent, particularly one who had not faced any major scandals, loses to an insurgent challenger.

Chris Rabb, backed by the DSA, also won an open primary in a Philadelphia-based district.

In Colorado, Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated Representative Diana DeGette in a Denver-based district.

All four are likely to easily win their elections in November, as they are running in some of the most Democratic seats in the country. That means three new DSA-supported candidates are likely to join the two current DSA members in the House—Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib.

In Washington, D.C., Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis-George won the Democratic mayoral primary and is poised to win in November.

All of those victories are in safe Democratic areas, but some in the party worry about the possibility of Republicans tying more moderate Democrats in swing districts to the DSA ahead of the midterms.

The next major test for DSA will be Wisconsin’s governor's race, where DSA candidate Francesca Hong is leading polls ahead of the August 11 Democratic primary against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. If Hong pulls off a victory, the race could become the most prominent test for the DSA in a battleground state.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Dave Siminoff.