Even CNN’s Data Guru Has To Laugh As Dems Hit Lowest Approval Numbers Ever

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten had to chuckle on Thursday morning when he looked at the latest poll numbers concerning whether or not the American people approve of the actions of Democrats currently in Congress.

Enten shared the grim news with anchor Kate Bolduan, noting that Democrats were going into a midterm year with dismal approval ratings — and attributed at least some of the disfavor to the recent government shutdown that ended without Democrats getting any of the things they’d set out to gain.

Enten shared video of the breakdown via X on Thursday, saying, “Cong Dems now have a -55 net approval, an all-time low & lower than the Dead Sea. 2 causes: Dems gives them a -6 pt net approval(!), & they’re at -61 pts with indies! The effect? Dems lead on the generic ballot is less than half of what it was at this [point] in the 06 & 18 cycles.”

WATCH:

Cong Dems now have a -55 net approval, an all-time low & lower than the Dead Sea.

2 causes: Dems gives them a -6 pt net approval(!), & they’re at -61 pts with indies!

The effect? Dems lead on the generic ballot is less than half of what it was at this pt in the 06 & 18 cycles. pic.twitter.com/Os17D7BkHR

— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) December 18, 2025

“Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea,” Enten began, laughing a bit as he added, “The net approval rating for Democrats in Congress? … The lowest ever. Look at this! Overall, they are 55 points underwater. Their approval rating is south of 20%. It’s even worse when you look at independents. Look at this: -61 points! That means that their approval rating is 61 points lower than their disapproval rating!”

“Quinnipiac has been polling this question for the better part of the 21st century. They have never found Democrats, at least those in Congress, in worse shape than they are right now,” Enten added.

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The longtime data analyst went on to say that the biggest problem for Democrats was that some of the decline in their popularity was coming from voters in their own party.

“This is Democrats on Democrats!” he exclaimed, and pointed out that Congressional Democrats had been up 22 points with their own voters in October — and had plummeted to -6 in just one month’s time. “That’s a 28-point decline! Falling through the floor!”

Enten attributed the dramatic shift to the shutdown and the fact that Democratic voters had not been happy with the way the shutdown had turned out — and he said that while he thought it was still possible for Democrats to turn the ship around and win control of the House in 2026, it wasn’t something they should take for granted.

“When you have numbers like this, hold the phone just a second,” he warned.