Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has spent months warning his own party about socialism, and the left has refused to take him seriously.
"Our party has a socialism problem," Fetterman said. "I'll be the one Democrat that calls it for what it is and not use the euphemism that it's a big-tent situation."
Conservatives have mocked the Democrat Party's "big tent" rhetoric when it comes to DSA-aligned candidates, and for good reason. The phrase is supposed to signal a broad, welcoming coalition. In reality, it’s meant to justify welcoming radicals as more moderate voices get pushed out. Heck, Fetterman, who is no moderate, is being pushed out of the “big tent” because he only supports his party 95% of the time.
Fetterman has also called out the company his party keeps, like Hasan Piker, the popular left-wing streamer who said “America deserved 9/11,” among other things. Now that he has become a liability for Democrats, he has tried to walk back his past comments. Fetterman isn't buying it, but unfortunately for the Democrats, they haven’t heeded his warning, and the numbers now suggest the trouble has arrived.
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Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a libertarian-leaning advocacy group, has been tracking voters in the battleground states all cycle. Earlier this month, its organizers spoke with 81,673 voters in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Between 9,000 and 10,200 of them answered questions about the DSA. It's AFP's final "Americans Unscripted" report before Election Day, and the New York Post got an early look.
Let’s start with the DSA itself.
In September, 50% of respondents viewed the group unfavorably. That number has climbed to 56%. Then consider the broader perception of the Democrat Party. In September, half of respondents said the far left controls it. Now nearly 60% say so. And when asked to choose between personal freedom and free markets on one hand and government control on the other, 82% picked freedom.
Put those together, and the picture is clear. Swing voters in the states that will decide the midterms are turning against the DSA and the far left, and they're doing it in the final stretch.
"Swing voters are souring on socialism — and fast," AFP spokeswoman Katelyn Bledsoe told the Post.
Democrats on the ground seem to sense it. In Michigan, House candidate William Lawrence recently dropped his DSA membership while facing a tough race.
Of course, the same survey carries a warning for Republicans.
On cost of living, 45% of respondents trust Democrats more, compared with 36% for Republicans and 18% for neither. Back in August, the GOP led on that issue 44% to 39%. Top forecasters already see Republicans as underdogs for the House and, increasingly, the Senate.
That matters because the cost of living keeps topping voter concern lists, from gas prices to inflation.
"Inflation and fuel costs are squeezing my business," Nick, a contractor in New Hampshire, told AFP.
So the opening is real, but it comes with conditions. Bledsoe said the souring on socialism gives Republicans an advantage, adding that "the candidates who show voters a credible plan to bring their costs down are in the strongest position on November 3." Voters have rejected the far left's answer. They're still waiting to hear a convincing one from the right.
In the end, the Democrat Party isn’t rejecting socialism; it’s embracing it, and when the blue wave doesn’t materialize in November, that will be the reason why.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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