Harry Enten Says Democrats’ Midterm Gains Could Rewrite the Record Books

CNN data analyst Harry Enten laid out a striking set of historical comparisons as he examined Democrats’ performance in the midterm elections, arguing that the party’s gains could reach levels rarely seen in modern politics. Starting with the House, Enten said Democrats had made their biggest net gain since 1948. He estimated that, once all results were counted, the party could finish with roughly 44 or 45 additional seats. He compared the scale of the shift to the era of President Harry Truman, calling the parallel astonishing. Enten then turned to the Senate, where he said Democrats were leading in nine seats: the seven they had flipped, plus Alaska and Mississippi, where results were still outstanding. The last time Democrats flipped nine seats and took control of the chamber, he noted, was also 1948, when Truman’s unexpected election victory stunned observers. The analyst highlighted another possible milestone: Democrats could pick up Senate seats in five states that had voted Republican for president in at least ten consecutive election cycles. Enten said such an outcome had never happened before, pointing to Alaska, Mississippi, South Carolina, Kansas and Texas. He cautioned that some races were still unresolved, but described the potential result as unprecedented. He also cited the party’s position in gubernatorial contests. Democrats were leading or already in control of 30 governorships, their strongest showing since the early-to-mid 1990s. If they held on in Alaska and Kansas, Enten said, it would mark the first time in decades that the party controlled that many governors’ offices. The figures remain subject to final results, but Enten’s review portrayed the election as a potentially exceptional night for Democrats across several levels of government.