A Quinnipiac poll found that 59 percent of Democrats surveyed consider themselves supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America. Overall, 26 percent of all respondents answered yes when asked if they support the DSA.
The organization has released a foundational document, "Our Program," that outlines goals including ending capitalist oligarchy and creating a democratic socialist republic. The document calls for "public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries" and explicitly aims at achieving a "classless society."
DSA-aligned politicians have frequently invoked Nordic countries to justify their platforms. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promoted policies similar to those in the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland and Sweden after her initial election. Sen. Bernie Sanders made a comparable case in a 2015 presidential debate, arguing the United States should learn from Denmark, Sweden and Norway about policies benefiting working people.
But Nordic nations operate as market economies with strong private property rights, open trade and relatively light business regulation. Denmark ranks among the top 10 freest economies globally, and all Nordic countries except Norway place in the top 25 percent.
The DSA's program presents a different vision. It does not include market mechanisms that form the core of Nordic economic models. Instead, the organization's document suggests that while some demands might be won under the current system, complete victory requires building a new society from the ground up.
The stated goals in the DSA's platform—transforming society, winning the battle for democracy and drafting a new constitution to establish a democratic socialist republic—move beyond the welfare-state concept. The economic framework the organization describes bears closer resemblance to Venezuela's system under Hugo Chavez, who campaigned on a "democratic socialist" platform in 1998, than to the market-based economies of Sweden or Denmark.
