53% of likely voters under 40 want socialist for president in 2028: Rasmussen poll

A new poll has found that over half of all American voters under the age of 40 would like to see a socialist candidate win the next presidential election. This comes as New York City’s mayoral race has received attention after socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary in June.

The poll, conducted by Rasmussen Reports and StoppingSocialism.com, found that 53 percent of likely voters between the ages of 18 and 39 would like to see a democratic socialist win the 2028 presidential election, while 27 percent did not. An additional 20 percent were unsure.

The group of likely voters were also asked: "Major Industries like health care, energy, and big tech should be nationalized to give more control and equity to the people," to which 76 percent agreed, and 18 percent disagreed.

Primary author of the poll Justin Haskins, a senior fellow at The Heartland Institute, said, "This survey clearly shows that due largely to economic challenges, young Americans are increasingly turning to socialist candidates and radical collectivist policies. The fact that three-quarters of voters aged 18-39 support nationalizing major industries is an incredibly disturbing trend that must be taken seriously. Clearly, socialism is once again on the rise in the United States."

Of those who said they want to see a socialist candidate win, 31 percent said the biggest reason was because housing costs are too high, 17 percent said it’s because the US economy benefits older, wealthier Americans, 15 percent said it's because the economy unfairly benefits large corporations, 12 percent said it's because taxes are too low for large corporations, and 11 percent said it's because taxes are too low for wealthier Americans.

Among different racial groups, 48 percent of white voters, 64 percent of black voters, 62 percent of Hispanic voters, and 52 percent of other minority voters under 40 said they would want a socialist candidate to win.

Despite the majority wanting a socialist candidate to win, many of the figures whom voters would cast their ballot for are mainstream names in the Democrat party. If the party’s presidential primary was held today, 36 percent said they would vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris and 16 percent would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). In a tie for third place, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) received nine percent support. Socialist Zohran Mamdani received four percent support.

The poll was conducted between August 26 and 27 of 1,201 likely voters ages 18 to 39. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percent.

According to a RealClearPolling average of polls, Mamdani is currently in the lead in New York City’s Mayoral race at 38.2 percent. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democrat primary to Mamdani and launched an independent campaign in the wake of the loss, is at 23.2 percent, while Republican Curtis Silwa is at 16.6 percent and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is at 10.6 percent.