With the 2026 midterms looming and the 2028 presidential race already beginning to take shape, the Democratic Party finds itself in unfamiliar territory and not in a good way.
New polling reveals a staggering collapse in party support, unprecedented disunity, and a leadership vacuum that has insiders panicking and potential challengers circling. The party is in horrible shape.
CNN’s Harry Enten didn’t hold back Friday morning when he laid out just how deep the hole has become.
“Democrats at this point are historically divided,” Enten declared. “It is a complete and utter mess. It is messier than a hoarder’s basement.” That’s not exactly the kind of language Democrats want to hear heading into a critical election cycle. But Enten wasn’t done.
He pointed out that in recent history, Democrats have always had a clear frontrunner by this stage in the race, someone polling above 25%. That’s the traditional sign of party unity around a potential nominee. But right now? No such figure exists.
“What are we talking about here?” Enten asked rhetorically. “The national early poll leader — 25% plus — normally that’s where Democrats are. Biden was at 25% plus in 2020. Hillary Clinton was in ’08 and ’16. Gore was in ’00 and ‘04. At this particular point, there is no one — no one in the Democratic race for president who’s polling at 25% plus.”
With such an open field and no consensus candidate, Enten suggested that it’s a free-for-all going into the next presidential cycle. “The water is quite warm,” he said. “If you’re a Democrat potentially thinking about running in 2028, jump right in because at this point, there is no frontrunner.”
Anchor Kate Bolduan followed up, asking the obvious question: Is this chaos a reflection of how voters view the party itself?
“Yeah, I think that that is in large part of what’s going on,” Enten responded. “One of the reasons why there is no front runner — nobody wants to put anybody up at the top of their ballot list — is because at this particular point, the Democratic brand is in the basement. It is total and complete garbage in the mind of the American public.”
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And the numbers back him up. Enten rattled off a trio of polls showing the Democratic Party’s favorability at rock-bottom levels: “The Democratic Party’s net favor rating, record lows in all three. Wall Street Journal, 30 points underwater. CNN, 26 points underwater. Gallup, 26 points underwater.”
Even more troubling for the party is the source of the discontent. It’s not just independents or Republicans souring on Democrats; it’s their own base. “That is being driven in large part by discontent within the Democratic base,” Enten noted. “The Democratic base wants something different.”
It’s a situation that leaves Democrats in dangerous territory heading into 2026 and beyond. With their brand collapsing, their base demoralized, and no clear leader emerging, they’re facing what could become a generational crisis of identity.
“We’ll ultimately end up seeing who they choose,” Enten concluded. “It will be quite the thing who ultimately gets the rose.”
🚨NEW: CNN's Harry Enten says "DEMOCRATIC BRAND IS IN THE BASEMENT"🚨
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) August 1, 2025
"It is total and complete garbage in the mind of the American public."@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/7zV62UvT4x
For a party that’s spent the better part of a decade insisting they were the adults in the room — the responsible stewards of a fragile democracy — what we’re seeing now is a portrait of disarray, not leadership.
