In something of a stunning admission for CNN, network data guru Harry Enten warned the party that, as of now, it looks like it is headed toward major trouble with voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with polling showing the party to be supremely unpopular with many Americans.
As background, the new polling data rolls in amidst larger concerns for party leaders, particularly Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the senior Democratic leader and thus the nominal party figurehead at a time when those with larger ambitions, like failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris, are largely disasters.
Specifically, a slew of longtime Democrats have announced that they will be retiring ahead of the 2026 midterms. While some of them are in safe seats that will likely just end up in the hands of another Democrat, though after an expensive primary election, many, such as a number of important Senate seats, are in battleground states that are looking like they’re leaning Republican.
In any case, Enten revealed on CNN during an appearance on Monday, September 22, that Americans are turning away from the Democratic Party, or remaining resolute in their decision to have already done so. Such came when anchor Kate Bolduan asked Enten about a new poll showing “that most Americans still trust Republicans over Democrats on some major issues.”
Responding, Enten noted that the Democrats are far from being in the clear, telling her, “You know, Donald Trump being underwater, Democrats and, ‘Oh, this guarantees us we’re going to fly high in the midterms!’ Let me tell you, this guarantees you nothing! Nothing! Because at this particular point, the Democrats are the New Orleans Saints of political parties.”
Continuing, he noted that on a host of important issues, particularly crime and economics, voters trust the GOP much more than the Democrats. He said, “Who leads on the economy? Republicans by seven. Immigration? Republicans by 13. How about crime? A big issue for Donald Trump and the Republicans. Look at that, lead by 22 points!”
Further, Enten noted, “So the bottom line is, at this particular point, the ball may be on the ground, but the Democrats have not picked up the ball and running with it. If anything, at this particular point, it’s the Republicans who are running with the ball on the top issues, the economy, immigration and crime.”
"*" indicates required fields
Then, comparing that to the last midterm cycle, he noted that Democrats haven’t really improved any from the Biden years, explaining, “Let’s compare it back to 2022. I think this kind of gives away the game right here, okay? The GOP is more trusted than the Dems on the economy. It was 12 points in 2022. Slight, slight decline in that lead, but still seven points. How about immigration? It was Republicans by three back in 2022. Look at this! The Republican lead has actually gone up by 10 points. What are you doing Democrats?! My goodness gracious.”
Concluding, he noted that the crime issue has gotten much, much worse for the Democratic Party, explaining, “And on crime the Republicans were up by 13 and now they’re up by 22. The lead again expanding by nearly double digits. So whatever Democrats are doing it ain’t working.”
Watch Enten here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video