The word "socialism" strikes a peculiar form of terror in half the country, so the GOP is capitalizing on the idea that democratic candidates will usher in an era of government control like the U.S. has never seen. While it is true that Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ortega-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are self-described socialists, most Democrats are primarily just in favor of placing a check on businesses, so that they don't wreak havoc on society and the environment through unrestrained greed. That being said, conservative voters can rest assured that if a far-left candidate were elected, they would probably end up having to settle for more watered-down versions of their agenda due to congressional roadblocks. My personal opinion on socialism is that it is a cause whose heart is in the right place, and that it does work successfully in places like northern Europe where the nations are small enough and everyone living there pretty much supports socialism. The United States is a whole different ball of wax: it is vast and half the population simply does not support socialism. The best we as Americans can reasonably expect is a system of restrained capitalism with something of a responsible economic safety net.