Most Democrats would vote for a democratic socialist for president, but not most Americans: poll

Three out of every four Democrats say they would throw their support behind a democratic socialist for president, but less than half of all Americans would, a new poll finds. 

The Washington Post-Ipsos poll found that 55% of U.S. adults and 54% of registered voters would not support a democratic socialist for president, while 75% of Democrats would. Only 10% of Republicans would support such a candidate. 

Open-ended survey questions found that Americans disagree on what democratic socialists stand for. Of those surveyed, 13% said they stand for economic equality, while 13% said they stand for government control and anti-capitalism. One-in-ten said they stand for communism and Marxism, 11% said they stand for wealth distribution, and 6% said they stand for authoritarianism and power grabs.  

Others had a more positive view of democratic socialists, with 13% saying they stand for equality and fairness, 11% said they stand for universal healthcare, 13% said they stand for helping ordinary people.