The national wave of democratic socialism has made its way to swing states, wreaking havoc for established Democrats in Wisconsin’s primary and raising questions about electability.
But young voters, whom democratic socialist gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong has polled highest among in the Democratic primary, seem to be leaning into it.
Some Democrats have warned that nominating a socialist candidate could spell trouble for the party in November. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for governor, has warned that Hong could have trouble defeating Republican front-runner Tom Tiffany, a staunch conservative, in the fall.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to young voters, from Wisconsin and out of state students, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison ahead of the partisan primary election on Aug. 11.
“Everyone I’ve seen is low key 100% Hong,” 21 year-old Miriam Alvarado said, which seems to be a widely shared sentiment among young voters the Journal Sentinel spoke to.
“I feel good about it,” 19 year-old Edie Frese said about the rise of democratic socialism across the nation, adding that she believes a democratic socialist candidate could win a statewide election in Wisconsin.
Finn Cashin, who is 18-years-old and a first time voter, agreed, saying he has seen a lot of support for Hong from young voters because of her policies.
Cashin, like many others, has followed the national trend and call what is happening in New York City under newly elected socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani “really inspiring.”
“I think more policies focusing on helping the citizens of your community instead of promoting corporations, I think that speaks to a lot of my generation because we maybe don’t see ourselves in those like big corporate roles yet, and… I want to be able to pay rent,” Cashin said.
This opinion among young voters is a driving factor into their appeal toward democratic socialism in general and Hong as a candidate, according to UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden.
Burden said the socialist messaging offers remedies and solutions to those concerns, especially for young people worried about affordability and jobs. Hong has preached policy plans for workers and homeowners including raising the minimum wage, guaranteed paid leave, creating more affordable housing and renter protection and regulation.
In Marquette University’s final poll before the primary election, released on July 28, Hong remained on top, furthering her lead from earlier polls, especially among 18-29 year-olds. Her support from that age group increased from 43% to 66% in the two weeks between the last two polls. Still, 22% of 18-29 year-olds said they were undecided.
Burden said this support from younger voters is unusual for a primary election, which typically see low voter turnout among young people, but nonetheless Hong has seemed to energize this base at a time when college campuses, which often see large voter mobilization efforts during the academic year, are empty.
Wisconsin College Democrats Chair Emma Steffen highlighted Hong’s ability to mobilize younger voters, because she is able to speak to the issues they care about and are impacted by.
“[Hong] certainly is speaking to a lot of the issues that college students are facing, and doing it in a way where she’s meeting them on social media and making things very accessible and fun to them… and I think that that seems to be the sentiment that college students are resonating with and feeling passionate about,” Steffen said.
This profile of a dissatisfied younger voter is the core of Hong’s campaign.
“Her campaign is built on young progressive supporters at the core of her base. It’s where she started early in the campaign when I think she was not taken as seriously by the establishment, and she has slowly expanded her pool of supporters. But it is still young, liberal, dissatisfied voters who are the real energy, who are the volunteers and the voters backing her,” Burden said.
For 21-year-old Bisma Arif and 20-year-old Salma Ibrahim, social issues are a top priority for them, and when it comes to the recent wave of democratic socialism they voiced a “mixed point of view,” but do generally align with it, they said.
“I’m more positively leaning towards democratic socialism… it’s more for the people,” Ibrahim said.
Both students said many of their peers also align with democratic socialist values and that conversations about democratic socialist ideas are circling. With more discussions and unknowns about what the label actually means, Arif and Ibrahim say this could make young voters more intrigued.
With democratic socialism becoming a common talking point for younger voters, Jenna Lawrence, co-chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College Republicans, also said she believes younger voters are learning into it.
“I do think younger voters might be following this new trend. I also think because we’re still in the process of the primary, the young voters who are supporting Hong are very involved in politics, making them likely to lean towards a candidate who is not a typical Democrat,” Lawrence said in an email.
“If she does win the primary, I think her attention will increase among young voters, and for that matter increase among young people all over the country.”
What does democratic socialism actually mean
Although democratic socialism has a negative connotation for many general election voters, it is positively viewed among young voters. But to complicate matters further, there is no real definition, according to Burden.
Burden pointed to this as either a problem or an advantage for Hong, saying because the definition is “somewhat in the eye of the beholder,” it is an opportunity for her to be able to “define it for herself.”
Hong has said she does not adhere to every element of the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America but she has also not walked away from the label, which Burden said would likely have different definitions for voters. The DSA has not endorsed Hong in the race. The DSA platform includes such positions as abolishing the U.S. Senate and Supreme Court and abolishing police, stands that Hong has recently distanced herself from.
Inara Spector, 20, said democratic socialist ideas and policies are not new to her and she feels “comfortable” with them, but she said she doesn’t think the state is ready to elect a democratic socialist, adding that it might impact her primary vote, balancing between wanting to vote with someone she stands with while also considering a bigger picture of who can win in November.
Factions within parties
Factions gaining momentum within parties is not new, especially before an election, when many in the electorate are unhappy with the status quo.
Burden noted a similar trend with the rise of MAGA-Republicans before the 2016 election, saying the democratic socialist movement has already been “working its way” into the bigger party platform with prominent politicians like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushing for policies such as Medicare for all, marijuana legalization and a higher minimum wage.
“I expect the Democrats will want to take this into account as they think about how to portray themselves nationally. It might hurt some Democrats who are running in red parts of the country or in moderate places, swing districts. But [democratic socialism] is going to be part of the Democratic image, whether they want it to be or not,” Burden said.
While Democrats are divided in their primary candidate choices, the Republican party has rallied around their presumptive nominee, Tiffany.
Tiffany, armed with President Donald Trump’s endorsement is using his far less competitive primary to already run ads against the top Democratic candidates.
Trump made strides with young voters across Wisconsin in 2024, especially in voting wards around universities like UW-La Crosse and Marquette University.
Some aren’t following the trend
Not all younger voters in the Badger State have trended toward democratic socialism, with some saying they don’t pay much attention to politics and others hoping for less polarized candidates.
Korz Loken of Iola said his top issue is keeping “Wisconsin values” the same, supporting local businesses and not making “any insane changes.”
“There’s been companies that have been buying a lot of farmland and having that protected would be big for Wisconsin,” Loken said.
Loken will be 18 in September and plans to vote in the general election. He said he doesn’t want too many data centers in Wisconsin, taking up “valuable land.”
Loken leaned away from democratic socialism, saying he’s unsure about the movement.
“Socialism is, as they say, a stepping stone to communism … I guess it could be done right in theory,” Loken said. Socialism has its benefits, but I also don’t know if I want to pay 40% in taxes every year.”
Lincoln Boehm, 19, from Appleton said he doesn’t pay much attention to politics, saying talking about politics has made people become divided. He prefers a more moderate candidate.
“I think change can come from a more in the middle candidate, just as much as it can come from a polarized candidate. The main problem with having a polarized candidate, I feel, is that it’s causing divisions and fights that don’t need to be there,” Boehm said.
Hong has differed from a typical candidate in the Democratic field, which has helped her in the primary election. But, challenges might emerge in the general election, if Hong takes the ticket because she is often viewed as an extremist, according to Burden.
Burden also pointed to Tiffany’s status as a staunch conservative MAGA Republican “attached to the Trump administration.”
If the primary front-runners prevail, the general election could result in “a campaign with two candidates who are pretty far apart from one another, and voters might not like that. They might prefer to have someone who’s a little more centrist or conventional, or maybe cooperative with the opposing party,” Burden said.
Whether voters are trending toward candidates further out on the political spectrum or dislike them, Burden said such candidates will drive up voter turnout because it “raises the stakes.”
Clara Strecker is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel state Capitol bureau intern. She can be reached at [email protected].
Shane Colpoys is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel breaking news intern. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What young Wisconsin voters say about the rise of democratic socialism
Reporting by Clara Strecker and Shane Colpoys, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
