You folks are probably seeing the same thing as I am. There are a lot of stories out there about socialist Dems this year and what it means. I saw it in 2015-16 with Bernie: Chris Matthews almost every night in a loud and whining voice would say “Can somebody tell me what a socialist is?”
Its not an unfair question, as many have been labeling themselves this way and it inevitably will lead to this question. In this nation at this time, there is not a clear and agreed upon definition of what a socialist is or what they stand for. Why go there? If you are running, do you want your entire campaign to revolve around this? Do you want an R opponent to be able to slam you with it? Do you want the first five minutes of every interview to be about the meaning of “socialist”?
Just be a progressive or a liberal. While it is generic, it is something that everyone is comfortable with. Then you go easily go on to explain what you stand for. Why put the Socialist anchor around your neck when it provides few if any benefits, and brings obvious problems?