A majority of Americans say they view socialism unfavorably, even as left-leaning candidates posted strong wins on Election Day, according to the Fox News Voter Poll.
The survey, conducted by SSRS from Oct. 19 to Nov. 3, 2026, polled 100,000 registered voters. It found 54% held a negative view of socialism, while about a third viewed it favorably. Views on capitalism ran nearly the opposite direction: 57% positive, 32% negative.
Despite that preference for capitalism, 69% of respondents said they believe the current economy favors the wealthy.
That combination — distrust of the socialist label alongside widespread belief that the system favors the rich — may help explain how candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed won office despite being painted as too far left by opponents.
El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race after months of insisting he was not a socialist, but a capitalist who wants the system regulated.
“I believe in capitalism. I just believe that capitalism has to be regulated,” El-Sayed said in a July interview with CNN’s Manu Raju. “We live in a society right now where too many monopolies and oligopolies can buy politicians to get their way.”
El-Sayed also called repeatedly for billionaires to “pay their fair share” and focused heavily on breaking up monopolies. He supported Medicare-for-all and campaigned alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, but rejected that label for himself.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico won his race with a similar message, combining support for capitalism with sharp criticism of income inequality.
“We have got to take on these monopolies, this consolidation, because again, it’s fundamentally anti-capitalist,” Talarico said at a CNN town hall in October. “Right now, again, because billionaires can buy politicians, all of the gains in this economy, all of the growth is going to the top. All of the wealth is being accumulated by the top 1%.”
Both El-Sayed and Talarico were repeatedly labeled socialists or Democratic socialists by Republican opponents during their campaigns. Both responded by defending a regulated form of capitalism rather than embracing the socialist tag outright — a distinction that sets them apart from allies like Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represent solidly Democratic districts in Vermont and New York City and openly describe themselves as Democratic socialists.
The poll results suggest that at least some voters who reject socialism and favor capitalism were still willing to support candidates running well to the left of a typical Democratic nominee, so long as those candidates framed their agenda as a fix for capitalism rather than a replacement for it.
