Grim warning for California Dems as bombshell new poll shows allegiances shifting

Voters in the Golden State are now more inclined to vote for a Democratic socialist than for a mainstream Democrat, according to a shocking poll released Wednesday.

The poll, conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, surveyed more than 4,000 registered California voters from August 3 to 9 with a proportional split between Democrats, Republicans and independents.

Pollsters asked if they would more or less likely support hypothetical candidates that had certain labels, including “progressive,” “Democratic socialist,” “mainstream Democrat,” “MAGA supporter” and “Republican.”

According to the poll, the “socialist” label — a formerly toxic identifier — now has 38% of Californians deeming it a positive, including 58% of Democrats.

Just 16% of Democrats described the socialist label as negative.

A total of 38% of voters overall said they were less inclined to vote for a socialist, thanks to the Republicans polled.

The “mainstream” label only made 29% of Californians — including less than half of Democrats — more inclined to vote, far below the share of support for a socialist candidate.

“There’s particular frustration among the younger voting population,” poll director Mark DiCamillo told the Los Angeles Times, which helped fund the poll. “Their views of mainstream Democrats are not that positive, and that’s a long-term problem, I think, for the Democratic Party.”

The label that saw the highest level of support was “progressive,” which 40% of all registered voters saw as a plus — including 60% of Dems. Only 29% of voters felt that label was bad, far below the negative perception of other descriptors.

The findings come as the Democratic Party nationwide and in California is locked in an internal battle between establishment politicians and members of the Democratic Socialists of America. In this year’s primaries, socialists have scored notable upsets in multiple states.

California’s upcoming November elections may further test the viability of socialists and progressives against the rest of the Democratic Party.

In the Los Angeles mayoral race, socialist City Councilmember Nithya Raman is trying to unseat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

A handful of congressional races will also serve as litmus tests. Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, who identifies as a socialist, is posing the first real threat to incumbent Congresswoman Doris Matsui in many years. In the Los Angeles area, Angela Gonzales-Torres, who is backed by progressive PAC Justice Democrats, is challenging Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who is facing sexual harassment accusations.

However, there have been signs of the limits of the far left in California. In the gubernatorial primary, billionaire Tom Steyer, who branded himself as ultra-progressive, failed to overcome a late rise by Xavier Becerra, who had the support of many establishment Democrats.

Still, socialists told the Times they’re cheering the poll’s results.

“To us, it’s honestly an incredibly good thing to hear that by and large, California voters see democratic socialism as a preferable option,” said Misha Kesselman, who leads membership coordination at the California Democratic Socialists of America.

“I don’t see this as our ceiling; this is a great floor for us to start running from,” Kesselman added.

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