Swing Voters Grow Wary of Socialism and the Democrats’ Leftward Shift, New Polls Show

Swing voters across the country are turning against the Democratic Socialists of America and growing more convinced that the Democratic Party has moved too far left, according to a new report from the libertarian, free-market-oriented advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.The group’s “Americans Unscripted” report, based on 81,673 in-person conversations conducted October 1–16 across eight battleground states, found that 56 percent of swing voters now hold an unfavorable view of the DSA, up from 50 percent in September. Nearly 60 percent of swing voters said the Democratic Party is controlled by the far left, also up from 50 percent the previous month, and 82 percent said they favor personal freedom and free markets over government control.Voters interviewed by Americans for Prosperity canvassers echoed the data. In Keene, New Hampshire, a couple who usually vote Democrat told one canvasser that they “do not want socialists writing one set of rules for themselves and another for everyone else,” reads the report. In Holland, Michigan, a man named Michael put it more bluntly: “Nothing is free. There’s an agenda behind all these promises of free benefits.”When Republican-leaning voters were included alongside swing voters, the numbers were even more stark: 76 percent said the Democratic Party is controlled by the far left, and unfavorable views of the DSA outnumbered favorable ones nearly seven to one, 69 percent to 10 percent, according to the report.Despite the drop in support for the DSA, the report found warning signs for Republicans on the economy — the issue voters consistently rank as their top concern. Democrats now lead Republicans 45 percent to 36 percent among swing voters on which party is trusted more to lower costs, a reversal from August, when Republicans held a 44 percent to 39 percent advantage. Another 18 percent of swing voters said they trust neither party.“In Durham, N.H., a young woman told one AFP canvasser that the cost of things like gas and food is becoming ‘out of control,'” the AFP wrote. “Less than an hour south in Salem, N.H., small businesses are feeling it too. ‘Inflation and fuel costs are squeezing my business,’ said Nick, a local contractor.”A separate CNBC All-America Economic Survey, conducted October 14–18 among 1,000 registered voters, found deep partisan anxiety about what happens if the other side wins control of Congress. Forty-four percent of all voters said they fear President Trump would be allowed to exceed his constitutional authority if Republicans keep Congress, including 74 percent of Democrats. Twenty-eight percent of voters said they worry about the DSA’s policies gaining influence if Democrats take over, including 54 percent of Republicans.“That totally shows the polarization … and the fear that one side is going to completely undo the agenda of the other,” Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, co-founder of ROKK Solutions, told CNBC.A senior political advisor at the center-left think tank Third Way, Lucas Holtz, cautioned that Democrats risk squandering gains with swing voters if they move too far left. “They should not misread their mandate if they hope to retain the inroads that they’re making this cycle with Latino voters, with working-class voters, who they have been hemorrhaging cycle after cycle,” Mr. Holtz told CNBC.Mr. Bonjean added that voters are hungry for change but wary of returning to the status quo under either party. “Voters absolutely want change from the way things are going now, but they also don’t want to go back to the way things were when Democrats ran Washington,” he said. “The branding is so bad on the Democratic side, and it’s not great on the Republican side.”

Swing Voters Grow Wary of Socialism and the Democrats’ Leftward Shift, New Polls Show

Swing Voters Grow Wary of Socialism and the Democrats’ Leftward Shift, New Polls Show

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