New Poll Shows California Democrats Strongly Favor Democratic Socialist Candidates

By Charlie McCarthy | Wednesday, 19 August 2026 03:19 PM EDT

A new survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that 58% of registered California Democrats would be inclined to support a candidate identified as a democratic socialist, compared with 48% who favor a “mainstream Democrat.”

Candidates described as “progressive” garnered the highest approval among Democrats at 60%.

The results highlight the Democratic Party’s continuing shift to the left in deep-blue California and a sharp generational divide over its political direction. More than two-thirds of California Democrats under age 40 said the democratic socialist label would make them more inclined to support a candidate, while fewer than half of Democrats aged 65 and older agreed.

Older Democrats were about twice as likely as younger Democrats to favor candidates described as mainstream Democrats.

“There’s particular frustration among the younger voting population,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll. He warned that younger voters’ negative views of mainstream Democrats could become a long-term problem for the party.

Among all California registered voters, 38% said the democratic socialist label would make them more likely to support a candidate, while an identical 38% said it would make them less likely. By comparison, only 29% viewed a mainstream Democrat favorably, and 36% indicated they would be less inclined to support such candidates.

The findings come as Republicans increasingly seek to frame socialism as a campaign issue. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently warned that young Americans “have not been taught the truth about socialism and communism,” while President Donald Trump and other Republicans have sought to tie Democrats to the party’s increasingly influential socialist wing.

The survey, conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies from August 3-9, included responses from 4,207 registered California voters in English and Spanish, with weighted samples of 1,905 Democrats and 1,060 Republicans.