Analysis: How open are Americans to socialism, after all? | CNN Politics

Democratic socialists might be having their best year ever. After they took over the mayoralties of New York and Seattle on January 1, they won a congressional primary in Philadelphia last month. A couple weeks ago, their candidate, Nithya Raman, won one of two competitive spots for the Los Angeles mayoral general election, facing incumbent Karen Bass. They won the primary for mayor of Washington, DC, last week. And now they’ve won a pair of high-profile primaries in New York City, including Darializa Avila Chevalier’s upset of Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. There is a caveat when considering how ascendant the democratic socialists are: Their victories are largely relegated to big, deep-blue cities, especially New York City. But it’s clear they’re a growing force to be reckoned with in American politics. That has some Republicans licking their chops — and some centrist Democrats rather anxious. Not that long ago, the s-word was clearly a label Democrats wanted to avoid. But Americans and especially Democrats have warmed to the concept of socialism in recent years. In 2010, a Gallup poll showed 50% of Democrats had a favorable view o