Screenshot
CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten on Monday detailed a remarkable shift among Independents as America prepares for the midterm elections in November.
Enten explained that if “you win independents, you win elections,” which is why the preferences of this demographic have been so closely monitored. He said that people in this group “have done a 180 on President Trump,” whom they largely went for in the last presidential election because they trusted him more than Kamala Harris to handle inflation.
Related
But the numbers today tell a very different story. In August 2024, independents trusted Trump more than Harris on inflation by 12 points. Today, the group’s net approval rating of Trump’s handling of the issue is a whopping negative 64.
“You don’t see changes like this,” Enten said. Polls also show Independents shifting to trust in the overall Democratic Party on inflation. In August 2022, they trusted the GOP by 27 points. Now, they trust the Democrats by 18 points.
“You just rarely see these types of switches,” Enten said again. “Clearly the independents are very perturbed.”
He pointed out that these numbers are especially meaningful because inflation is currently a top issue for Independents, followed by the economy and the war in Iran, both of which also affect inflation.
As such, Enten concluded that independents “really, really, really hate Republicans and Donald Trump right now.”