CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten revealed new polling that shows that more Democrats identify as liberal now than they have in decades, predicting that they will win the House in the 2026 midterm elections.“You know, when I was a kid, liberal was a four-letter word. Nobody wanted to identify as liberal. Well, guess what? The folks identifying as liberal, it has hit, get this, a 50-year high,” Enten said Tuesday, citing a new Gallup poll.Enten noted that, since 1996, there has been a 15-point shift in how Americans overall describe their political ideology, with “conservative” enjoying a 22-point advantage back in 1996 but just a seven-point advantage now.Going back to data collected since 1976, Enten said, “more folks are identifying as liberal than at any point since the Gerald Ford administration.”“A big reason why is Democrats, Democrats, Democrats,” Enten emphasized. “I remember back in 2009, I think, it was Hillary Clinton said, ‘I’m not a liberal. I’m a progressive.’ That was how much ‘liberal’ was of a four-letter word.”Now, “3 in 5 Democrats say they are liberal,” Enten continued, explaining that the party was “almost more moderate-conservative” back in the day.“No longer the case,” Enten said excitedly. “This Democratic Party is a liberal, it is a liberal party. Fifty-nine percent of Democrats now identify as liberal.”While Enten cited the shift within the Democratic Party, the Gallup poll also found that more adult Americans are increasingly rejecting both the Democratic and Republican parties, with a record-high 45% identifying themselves as political independents in 2025.Last month, NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki also pointed out that the typically unmovable right-wing MAGA movement’s strong approval for President Donald Trump is declining.Enten said the latest Gallup poll findings are “not the only good news for liberals.” “Now, get this: In the latest reading, according to Gallup last quarter, it is an eight-point advantage for Democrats. That looks nothing like what we saw going into the 2022 midterms, when Republicans had a five-point advantage, and of course, took back the House,” Enten said.“This is even better than what we saw Democrats had back in 2017 in quarter four, when they had a six-point advantage,” he continued, “and of course, Democrats easily took back the House then.” “Democrats are gonna take back the House,” Enten concluded.Close