Democrat Party 'being taken over by far left socialists'

Harry Enten.

If it feels like socialism and communism are very suddenly having a moment in 2026 America, it's because Democrats are increasingly espousing those views in "stunning" numbers, according to survey results parsed by CNN polling guru Harry Enten. 

The so-called Democratic Socialists of America have a far higher approval rating than congressional Democrats, by a whopping 13 points, according to polling data cited by Enten. On top of that, the shift toward socialism among liberals in America has been head-spinning. In 2010, about 50% of Democrats had a favorable view of socialism, polling at the time showed. As of 2025, a Gallup poll showed that number has skyrocketed to 66%.

And not only are leftist voters leaning heavily toward socialism and communism, but, overall, a significant amount of Democrats seem to be drifting away from capitalism. Sixteen years ago, favorability for capitalism was just above 50% among Democrats. 

"Capitalism has absolutely fallen through the floor," Enten said on a recent CNN appearance. "Look at this: it’s now just 42% of Democrats who have a favorable view of capitalism. Socialism, on the other hand, has risen like a rocket."

If these numbers are truly representative of the Democrat electorate, the recent mayoral race results in New York City as well as other deep blue cities back this polling data up. Socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City last year, and over the last few weeks, socialist candidates had strong showings in the L.A. mayor's race, with Nithya Raman advancing to a November runoff against the incumbent leftist Karen Bass, and Janeese Lewis George winning the primary in Washington, D.C.'s mayoral race last week. 

During an appearance on Fox News last week, Doug Schoen, a Democrat strategist who's worked for Bill Clinton and Mike Bloomberg over the years explained what's becoming of the Democrat party. “It is moving far left. Bernie Sanders has become the ideological leader of the party," Schoen said. "My party is being taken over by far left socialists who do not believe our American values.”

As Enten pointed out, this "stunning trend" also extends to races for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and could play a pivotal role in the coming midterm elections. Watch Enten's explanation below.