Whatever happened to last year’s political rage, socialism? Was it one of those musical one-hit wonders that soared briefly but then flamed out? Was it the political equivalent of a new television program that bombed after only one season?

With the news flooded by stories of a pandemic and racial injustice, it may be difficult to remember the hot political news of 2019 and early 2020, but it was a newfound taste for socialism in America. Once a dirty word, socialism began to receive a fresh look, especially from young people. A 2018 Gallup poll revealed that 51% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 had a positive view of socialism, rising to 59% among young Democrats. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 65% of Democrats held a favorable view of socialism. President Trump included a warning about the rise of socialism in his 2019 State of the Union message, saying that “we are alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism.”