Today is Super Tuesday, the day Democratic presidential primary voters in 14 states head to the polls to cast their ballots, and self-proclaimed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders has a good chance of coming away with a plurality of the 1,357 delegates that are up for grabs. 

The Democratic nominee, of course, will face President Trump in the November General Election. While there’s no denying that elections can certainly bring out plenty of our worst tendencies, like divisive political rhetoric, we should remember that presidential elections are also an important opportunity to examine and compare different policies that will have a huge effect on all of us in the years and generations to come.

Most would agree that the Democartic Party as a whole has moved further to the Left in recent years. In fact, the Senator Sanders, has long embraced socialist policies like Medicare for All, which would actually function more like Mandatory Medicaid.

One of the biggest questions in 2020 is: Will voters embrace socialism over capitalism? 

While most Americans still have an unfavorable view of socialism, polls show that socialism is gaining in popularity in the U.S., particularly among younger age groups. When asked in a Gallup poll if socialism would be a good or a bad thing for the country, about four in ten respondents said it would be a good thing, an 18 percent increase since 1942. Another recent poll found that 7 in 10 millennials would vote for a socialist candidate.

Proponents of socialism argue that free market capitalism equates to crony capitalism. But an opportunity economy is the opposite of cronyism. In fact, an opportunity economy is the only way to ensure that individuals are afforded the greatest degree of freedom over their enterprises and earnings.

Alternatively, history tells us that socialism delivers less freedom and prosperity for everyone. The Independent Institute has a new, very timely resource out where you can find all of the best books on the folly of socialism, all in one place.

After that, be sure to check out IWF’s Two Truths and a Lie: Socialism and our review of The Case Against Socialism.