The Democratic base is split on where they want the party to go — left, center, or stay put — but the majority can agree on their dissatisfaction with the party’s direction, says CNN data guru Harry Enten.
Fewer Democrats are currently satisfied with their party than they were after President Joe Biden’s debate performance that led to him dropping his reelection bid, Enten noted.
Democratic voters’ “p—— offness” Enten added on social media, “has never been higher with their own party in Congress.”
Noting that 46 percent of Democratic voters currently are satisfied with the Democratic Party, Enten reiterated that the majority are dissatisfied.
Looking specifically at Democrats’ net approval of congressional Democrats, Enten explained that after the shutdown in October of last year, congressional Democrats had a net approval rating of plus 22 percent.
“Today, though, look at that,” he said, pointing to a net approval rating of minus 9 points.
“That is an over 30 point drop, at the climb, right into the ocean, right there,” he said.
“And I will note it had never been negative. Democrats had always had a positive net approval rating of their own party in Congress in every Congress before this one.”
“Congressional Democrats are underwater with their own party, and that’s why I think these primaries are going to be so interesting, because they’re going to tell us, okay, which way do Democrats want their party to go?”
He said the “big problem” is “Democrats aren’t sure what direction they want their party to go.”
Nearly three in ten (28 percent) want the party to move to the left, he said. Less than one in five (18 percent) want the party to not move at all. And nearly half — 47 percent — want the party to move to the center.
“This is a party divided, where they’re not actually giving a clear message of where they want their party to go,” he noted.
Offering a note of caution to lawmakers in primary races, Enten said that “if all of a sudden, Democrats are actually going to move to the left — which is not what their party wants — that will actually upset the rest of the electorate.”
Enten said the “only thing” that unites the Democratic base right now is “they are very upset with Donald Trump, and I think the candidates who are able to actually capture that, that’s the candidates who are going to advance to the general election.”
