CNN Polling Analyst’s Warning to Kamala Harris: Signs ‘Have Been Obvious’

CNN data analyst Harry Enten issued a warning to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, saying President Joe Biden’s approval ratings and Republican registration in key states are troubling and if Donald Trump wins, “the signs all along will have been obvious.”
While speaking on CNN’s News Central with anchor John Berman on Wednesday, Enten also pointed to data surveying Americans if they think the U.S. is on “the right track.”
“I went back through history, there isn’t a single time in which 28 percent of the American public thinks the country is going on the right track in which the incumbent party actually won,” Enten pointed out. “They always lose,” Enten said adding that “very few Americans think the country is on the right track at this particular point.”
Enten used data from the Cook Political Report and his own aggregation.
Newsweek has reached out to the Harris campaign via email and online forum Wednesday evening for comment.
Continuing, Enten said, “Republicans are putting more Republicans in the electorate, the Democratic number versus the Republican number has shrunk, and so the bottom line is if Republicans win come next week, Donald Trump wins come next week, the signs all along will have been obvious.”
Enten also posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “If Trump wins, the signs were there all along,” then in a later post said, “This remains the closest presidential election I’ve ever seen.”
In a poll by YouGov and the Economist released on Wednesday, 25 percent of U.S. adult citizens think that the country is “generally headed in the right direction,” with 64 percent saying that it is “off on the wrong track.”
The YouGov poll also showed Biden having a 40 percent approval rating with a 55 percent disapproval rating. The 538-polling forecast similarly shows Biden with a 39.1 percent approval rating with a 55.7 disapproval score.
“Joe Biden isn’t on the ballot but he’s certainly in the minds of Americans,” Enten noted.
Harris has attempted to separate herself from Biden since announcing her candidacy after Biden dropped from the 2024 race after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
“Clearly I am not Joe Biden,” Harris has repeatedly said when asked about her policy differences. She has also said that she would put a Republican in her cabinet, noting that as a key difference.
When asked if she would have done anything differently over the last four years Harris told The View, “Not a thing comes to mind,” adding, “I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”
Meanwhile, Republican registration numbers have been strong over recent months, with Republicans outpacing Democrats in the must-win swing state of Pennsylvania.
Republican early voter turnout has also appeared to have increased along with Democrats this election cycle compared to 2020.