‘The Democrats, Who Are the Party of the People… No More!’ [WATCH]

CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten shared what he described as one of the most surprising polling developments in years during a segment on Friday: the Republican Party has closed the gap on a key political question that has long favored Democrats.

For decades, Democrats held a significant advantage when voters were asked which party “cares more about the needs of people like yourself.” That lead has now disappeared.

“This to me is one of the most shocking pieces of poll data that I truly, truthfully have seen this year, maybe in any prior year,” Enten said on air.

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The development comes at a time when President Donald Trump has reimposed and expanded tariffs on Chinese imports, pushing rates as high as 145%.

Despite predictions that such moves would alienate working-class voters, the opposite appears to be happening.

Enten noted that Democrats previously dominated this metric by wide margins.

In 2017, ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats held a 13-point lead.

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That advantage was even higher in earlier cycles—23 points in 2005 and 19 points in 1994, despite Republicans gaining House control that year.

Now, the data shows the two parties are statistically tied on the question of empathy toward everyday Americans.

“We got a tie even after this tariff war had already started,” Enten said, emphasizing the magnitude of the shift.

“The Democrats, who are the party of the people… no more!”

The movement appears to be driven largely by a realignment among working-class voters, especially those without a college degree.

According to Enten, while Democrats continue to enjoy an 18-point advantage among college-educated voters—unchanged from 2017—the numbers among non-college-educated voters have flipped dramatically.

In 2017, Democrats led that group by 7 points.

In 2024, that advantage reversed, with Republicans now holding a 9-point lead. That marks a 16-point swing in just seven years.

“The working class, that is where Republicans have gained, even since the beginning of the Donald Trump administration,” Enten explained.

As attention begins to turn toward the 2026 midterm elections, scheduled for November 3, this data signals a shifting political landscape that could impact control of Congress.

Enten warned Democrats not to assume the political winds are in their favor.

“If Democrats think they automatically have a ticket back to control of the House, I’d say hold on a second,” he said.

“Republicans still have a real shot at this, despite all of Trump’s theatrics over the last month with this tariff war.”

The realignment is significant because it undermines a narrative Democrats have long relied on—that their party alone speaks for the working-class and economically marginalized.

Despite aggressive messaging from Democratic candidates and campaigns, the polling suggests that Republicans are increasingly resonating with blue-collar voters.

The trend could be critical in determining the makeup of Congress in 2026, as both parties prepare for what is expected to be a high-stakes election during President Trump’s second non-consecutive term.

Polling data and electoral history suggest that voter sentiment on economic issues, especially among non-college-educated Americans, will remain a decisive factor in upcoming races.

Both parties are now vying for a demographic that, just a decade ago, leaned heavily Democrat.

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