CNN data analyst Harry Enten reacted with disbelief on air after reviewing a new Quinnipiac poll that finds congressional Democrats at the lowest net approval rating Quinnipiac has recorded.
On Thursday, Enten and anchor Kate Bolduan discussed the results on CNN’s studio big board. Enten warned that, “in the minds of the American public,” Democrats are now “lower than the Dead Sea,” and framed the numbers as a stark warning for a party hoping to reclaim majorities in the 2026 midterms.
Key figures from the Quinnipiac poll:
- The overall net approval for Democrats in Congress is 55 points underwater, with approval below 20%.
- Among independents, Democrats register a net rating of -61.
- Support among Democrats themselves fell from +22 in October to -6 in November — a 28-point drop.
- The generic congressional ballot currently shows Democrats leading by roughly four points.
Enten emphasized Quinnipiac’s long track record asking this question and noted that the pollster has never found Democrats in Congress in as poor standing. He highlighted that the decline is not limited to swing voters but includes a sharp drop in approval among the Democratic base.
“This is Democrats on Democrats!” Enten said, pointing to the internal swing in approval. He called the October-to-November shift a dramatic reversal of the brief rally Democrats experienced around the government shutdown in the autumn.
Asked whether Democrats can still win control of Congress, Enten gave a cautious answer: yes, it's still possible, but the recent numbers make the path to a midterm majority more difficult. He noted that a four-point edge on the generic ballot is historically weak at this stage compared with past midterm cycles.
Both Enten and Bolduan acknowledged that late shifts in voter sentiment can occur, but Enten urged Democrats to take the poll as a warning: “When you have numbers like this, hold the phone just a second.”
Context: The analysis was shown during CNN’s coverage and was later summarized by Mediaite.
