In a striking political realignment, new polling data reveals that the Democratic Party in the United States has reached a historic ideological milestone. According to a recent Gallup poll, the number of Democrats identifying as liberal is now at its highest point in half a century, a shift that CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, believes will propel the party to reclaim the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.
A Historic Shift in Political Labels
Harry Enten highlighted the dramatic change during a recent segment, contrasting the current political climate with that of past decades. "You know, when I was a kid, liberal was a four-letter word. Nobody wanted to identify as liberal," Enten recalled. "Well, guess what? The folks identifying as liberal, it has hit, get this, a 50-year high."
He pointed to data stretching back to 1976, noting that more Americans now identify as liberal than at any point since the administration of President Gerald Ford. The overall ideological landscape in the U.S. has also transformed significantly since 1996. At that time, conservatives held a commanding 22-point advantage over liberals in self-identification. Today, that conservative edge has shrunk to just seven points, marking a 15-point shift over nearly three decades.
The Democratic Party's Liberal Transformation
Enten emphasized that the driving force behind this national trend is the evolution within the Democratic Party itself. "A big reason why is Democrats, Democrats, Democrats," he stated. He referenced a moment in 2009 when Hillary Clinton distanced herself from the term, calling herself a progressive instead. "That was how much 'liberal' was of a four-letter word," Enten noted.
That era is decisively over. The Gallup poll found that 59% of Democrats—nearly three in five—now describe themselves as liberal. "This Democratic Party is a liberal, it is a liberal party," Enten declared excitedly. He contrasted this with the party's past, which he described as "almost more moderate-conservative."
Broader Political Trends and 2026 Implications
While the Democratic Party consolidates around a liberal identity, the Gallup survey also captured a growing disillusionment with the two-party system. A record-high 45% of American adults identified as political independents in 2025. This trend occurs alongside other shifts, including a noted decline in strong approval for former President Donald Trump within the MAGA movement, as observed by NBC's Steve Kornacki.
For Enten, the ideological data is a powerful predictor of electoral success. He pointed to Gallup's latest party affiliation reading, which shows an eight-point advantage for Democrats. This is a stark reversal from the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, when Republicans held a five-point advantage and won control of the House. It also surpasses the six-point advantage Democrats held in late 2017, before they easily won the House in the 2018 elections.
"Democrats are gonna take back the House," Enten concluded, framing the current liberal identification surge not as a historical curiosity but as a direct harbinger of future political power. The data suggests a fundamental reshaping of the American political landscape, with the 2026 elections serving as the next major test.
