Would Cooper stand athwart Dems’ turn toward socialism?

Few voters are likely to confuse Roy Cooper with a socialist.

One of Cooper’s latest television campaign ads doesn’t even mention that he’s a Democrat. It talks about Cooper “bucking” his own party, working with Republicans, and “partnering” with President Donald Trump.

Cooper’s team clearly sees no benefit in portraying his US Senate bid as part of a plan to boost a left-wing agenda in Washington.

Yet the latest Carolina Journal Poll suggests many North Carolina Democrats would like to see a candidate embrace the socialist cause. Plenty of unaffiliated voters agree.

Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley, 51.5%-39%, in the poll conducted among 600 likely North Carolina general election voters on Aug. 9-10. Among his fellow Democrats, Cooper enjoys 91% support. His reluctance to embrace socialism in public-facing remarks doesn’t appear to hurt him.

A separate poll question suggests that many Democrats who back Cooper would gladly support a more openly left-of-center alternative.

The poll asked likely voters whether they would be more likely or less likely to support a candidate who identified as a democratic socialist.

Overall, more people answered “less likely” than “more likely.” But the numbers will offer little comfort to those familiar with socialism’s troubling track record.

Some 49% of likely North Carolina voters said they would be less likely to support a democratic socialist, while 26% answered more likely. About 17% said neither more nor less likely, and roughly 8% were unsure. Nearly 44% indicated they would be “much less likely” to support a democratic socialist.

Beyond the headline numbers, we see interesting contrasts.

Some 90% of Republicans are less likely to support a democratic socialist. Most (86%) answered much less likely.

Democrats and self-identified independents offered a different perspective.

A plurality of Democrats (45%) indicated they would be more likely to support a democratic socialist, while one in four (25%) answered much more likely. Just 13% of Democrats indicated they would be less likely to support that type of candidate, with only 7% answering much less likely.

One might label the latter group the remnant of the business-friendly, socially moderate Democratic Party that ran the General Assembly and much of state government well into the early 21st century.

The “democratic socialist” label generates less enthusiasm among independents. Yet enough of them register support to make a difference in a hotly contested political contest.

About 45% of independents are less likely to support a democratic socialist, but 27% indicate they are more likely to support that type of candidate. About 17% of independent voters — nearly one in five — say they would be much more likely to support a candidate who adopts the democratic socialist label.

Focusing on ideology rather than party, 88% of self-described conservatives and 37% of moderates said they would be less likely to support a democratic socialist. More than three out of five (62%) liberals would be more likely to support that candidate, and one in five (21%) moderates also register support for the socialist agenda.

Men and women are both less likely to support a democratic socialist, though the sentiment is stronger among men (59%) than women (41%). White and black voters split significantly on the question, with 59% of whites saying they would be less likely to support the candidate, and 33% of black voters answering more likely.

Voters with household incomes of less than $40,000 registered a bit more support (37%) than opposition (32%) to democratic socialism, while opposition grew at higher income levels, peaking at 54% among those earning more than $100,000 annually.

Age disparities offer the most interesting data points for the future of Tar Heel politics.

Support for democratic socialism outpaces opposition among 18- to 29-year-old voters (43-39%), and among 30- to 44-year-olds (41-34%). Support craters among older groups: 22% among 45- to-54-year-old voters, 21% of those from 55 to 64, and just 14% among those who are at least 65.

At age 69, perhaps it’s no surprise that Cooper eschews democratic socialism. The recent TV ad portrays Cooper as willing to work across party lines and even “partner” with Trump.

But it’s fair for voters to ask whether Cooper would be willing to stand athwart his party in the nation’s capital as it pursues the socialist agenda favored by its youngest and most energetic members. Will he support taxing wealth? Packing the Supreme Court? Revving up the federal government’s regulatory machine?

It would be nice for voters to know the answers to these questions as they prepare to cast their general election ballots.

Mitch Kokai is senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation.