Shock polling showing Democrats still languishing behind Republicans on economic issues stunned CNN analyst Harry Enten on Monday.
Enten, the network’s number cruncher, marveled at Democrats’ inability to close the gap with Republicans — in what is typically the most important issue for voters — despite recession jitters, stock market volatility and President Trump pressing forward with his unpopular tariff plan.
“You’d expect that Democrats would have this massive lead on the economy — it ain’t so! It ain’t so!” Enten said as he unveiled new CNN polling showing the GOP still holds a massive advantage over Dems.
Republicans led Democrats by eight points when asked which party was “closer to your economic views” in the May survey, released Sunday.
Enten noted that the survey was “still within the margin of error” of a November 2023 CNN poll showing Republicans with an 11-point advantage over Democrats.
“How is that possible, Democrats!?” the CNN analyst said.
“How is it possible after all the recession fears? After the stock market’s been doing all of this, after all the tariffs that Americans are against, and Republicans still hold an eight-point lead on the economy? Are you kidding me!?” Enten continued.
The data guru pointed out that other polls are even more brutal for Democrats, including the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, which shows Republicans widening their margins on economic issues under Trump.
“Party with a better economic plan? Well, in May of 2024, just before Donald Trump was re-elected president, Republicans had a nine-point advantage. Look at where we are now in May 2025 — the advantage actually went up by three points,” Enten explained. “Now, Republicans have a 12-point advantage when it comes to the party with a better economic plan.
“Again, this is after months of supposed economic uncertainty in which the stock market’s been going bonkers, in which tariff wars that Americans are against have been going on. And yet, despite all of that, the Democrats are down by 12 points on the economy.”
But nothing “speaks to Democratic problems on the economy better than” polls asking voters to choose which is the party of the middle class — a poll question that has traditionally given Democrats a “huge advantage” over Republicans, according to Enten.
“In our latest CNN poll, among registered voters, ‘Which is the party of the middle-class?’ — It is tied!” the shocked analyst revealed.
Enten noted that in 1989, polling showed Democrats with a 23-point advantage, which dropped to a 17-point lead in 2016 and a four-point edge in 2022.
“This, I think, speaks to Democratic ills more than anything else,” Enten argued. “They have traditionally been the party of the middle class. No more!”
“Donald Trump and the Republican Party have taken that mantle away … Republicans have completely closed the gap.”
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