Ted Cruz Says Young Americans' Socialism Support Is 'Not Deep' Before Midterms

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said a new Gallup poll showing 43 percent of Americans view socialism positively should alarm Republicans five weeks before the midterms. He also argued that young people's support for socialism is shallow because most of them do not know what the word means.

"Well, socialism is on the ballot," Cruz said on Monday's episode of his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz, which he co-hosts with conservative radio host Ben Ferguson.

The Texas Republican has warned before that the rising appeal of socialism is a danger to his party. This time he tied it directly to November, while conceding that "as lousy as the poll numbers are looking for Republicans right now, Democrats have a problem, too." Democrats lead Republicans 47.8 percent to 40.3 percent in PolitiKool's polling average of the generic congressional ballot.

What the Gallup Socialism Poll Found

In a release published Wednesday, Gallup said 43 percent of U.S. adults have a positive view of socialism. That is the first time the positive rating has topped 40 percent in the trend Gallup cites, which starts in 2010, when 36 percent held a positive view. Gallup surveyed 1,200 adults from August 3 to 24, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Cruz read the numbers aloud, saying the positive view of socialism had topped 40 percent for the first time since 2010.

Independents drove the change. Their positive rating of socialism rose from 37 percent in 2025 to 45 percent this year.

"Now, that's highly troubling," Cruz said. "...That that is a very disturbing movement."

Democrats' positive rating of socialism was essentially unchanged at 65 percent. But their positive rating of capitalism fell from 42 percent to 35 percent. Only 14 percent of Republicans view socialism positively.

Among all adults, capitalism still leads socialism, with 55 percent viewing it positively, 6 points lower than in 2010, Gallup found. The positive rating of free enterprise has fallen 9 points over the same period. In a survey conducted in December 2025, Gallup found socialism at 39 percent and capitalism at 54 percent.

Ted Cruz Blames Schools and Culture

Cruz blamed the trend on education and entertainment, saying "the left seized K through 12 education, seized college" and "seized much of entertainment," and that it has used "their control over cultural organs to propagandize."

This causal claim is Cruz's opinion, and Gallup's data does not test it. The poll does show the age gap he described. Adults ages 18 to 34 view socialism more positively than capitalism, 57 percent to 43 percent. Adults 55 and older favor capitalism, 65 percent to 34 percent.

Ferguson argued that socialists had been able to "mainstream in a pretty significant way, socialism, where it seems like a normal word, not a radical idea."

Why Cruz Says Young People's Support Is 'Not Deep'

Cruz said young people in particular are far more likely to say they have a positive view of socialism, and he argued that their support is thin. His comment was about young people, not about the 43 percent figure for all adults.

"Now, I will say that positive view, I believe, is not deep. It's not thick, because most of them have no idea what socialism is." — Ted Cruz

He added that most of them think socialism is, "Should people give me free stuff?"

Gallup's past research partly supports the point that Americans are unclear on the term. In a September 2018 survey that asked Americans what socialism means, 23 percent described some form of equality. Seventeen percent said government control of business and the economy, which is close to the textbook definition Cruz offered on air. Ten percent cited free social services or medical care, and 23 percent had no opinion. In 1949, 34 percent defined it as government control.

Cruz also pointed to Cuba as a warning, saying "the rafts are all going one direction."

Zohran Mamdani and What Happens Next

Cruz framed the poll around New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist whom he repeatedly called "Comrade Mamdani." He played a clip in which Mamdani said, "I think this will absolutely translate on a national level," and argued that Democrats would carry that agenda nationwide.

"If they win in November, if they take power, they want to bring socialism to you," Cruz said.

The poll does not show whether independents' warmer view of socialism will change how they vote. That question will be tested on November 3.