Democrats have begun to embrace the word “socialist.”
But the American people? Not so much.
According to a new poll from Hill.TV/HarrisX American Barometer, a huge majority of Americans would not vote for a candidate who calls themselves a “socialist.”
76%, in fact, would refuse to cast a vote for a socialist candidate, while just 24% would.
Even among people who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, a whopping 59% said they wouldn’t vote for a socialist.
The word “socialist” had long been used as an attack line against liberal Democrats, but after the strong showing of Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary–an avowed “democratic socialist”–and the surprise win of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a New York Democratic primary, Democrats have begun to embrace the label.
But if they want to gain ground among the American people, it looks like they’re making a huge mistake.