Progressive wins rise, but tax hurdle stalls US welfare-state dreams

Insurgent socialist candidates have won several Democratic primaries, signaling a shift in the party. But translating those gains into a full-fledged welfare-state expansion in the U.S. faces a core obstacle: broad voter acceptance of higher taxes, especially on the middle class. Nordic models fund extensive welfare through high overall tax intake, not just levies on the ultra-rich, and Americans show rising anti-tax sentiment and a preference for spending cuts to shrink deficits. Unless progressives win more marginal seats and persuade swing voters to back higher taxes, their ambitious welfare-state agenda may remain out of reach.