Can Democrats still win if socialists take over their party? 

Let’s face it — the Democratic Party is in the doldrums. Recent polls show that 53 percent of the American public view the party unfavorably, compared to just 38 percent who view it favorably.  

That its leadership in Congress is old and most often uninspiring may explain why only 24 percent of the public approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their job. And looking ahead to 2028, among people most likely to vote in the Democratic presidential primaries, there is a pronounced age split: Voters under 30 favor Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), whereas California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) leads among Democrats over 65.

Even President Trump’s declining popularity has not given Democrats a boost. Indeed, the only ray of hope for the party has come from the enthusiasm generated by people who call themselves democratic socialists — about one-third of those who identify themselves as Democrats.

That’s more bad news for the Democratic Party.

On July 30, the Washington Post released the results of a survey that found “less than half of all Americans” said they would be willing to support a democratic socialist for president. And although three-quarters of Democrats said they would be open to it, 54 percent of independents would “rule out a democratic socialist candidate.”

As Michael Greenberg noted in the New York Review of Books, “Moderate Democrats seem possessed by the fear that Americans will abandon them — not for their lassitude in the face of a far-right takeover of the country, but because they might be poisoned by the contagion of a handful........

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