CNN’s political data wizard Harry Enten suggested that the current anti-incumbent atmosphere in the Democrat Party is reminiscent of the conservative Tea Party movement.
The results in recent primaries, including New York City, have seen sitting members ousted from their seats by newbie socialist firebrands, a trend that is likely to continue with much of the Democrat base boiling with rage at the party’s establishment and ready to throw the bums out.
Enten broke down the numbers during Thursday’s edition of “CNN News Central,” where he and anchor John Berman discussed the Dem primary season which is shaping up to be a bloodbath for incumbents.
The 2026 Dem insurgency is a new tea party on steroids.
Fewer Dems approve of Dem members of Congress (47%) than the GOP did of GOP members at this pt in 2010 (52%).
More Dem House members are going down in primaries (5 so far & likely rising) than all of 2010 for the GOP (2). pic.twitter.com/MDVuuUi4FO
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 9, 2026
“We have seen something like this before; you have to go back 16 years,” Enten began. “Remember it was that Republican Tea Party wave of 2010. I would argue the Democratic version of it is a new Tea Party, but it’s on steroids.”
“Why do I say that? Well, let’s just start off with the fact. Approve of their own party in Congress. Republicans in July of 2010, it was 52 percent, a very low percentage, but at least it was north of 50 percent,” the data guru continued. “Look at where we are now with Democrats in terms of them approving their own members of Congress. It’s actually below 50 percent. Democrats dislike their party more than Republicans did during the Tea Party wave of 2010. Just 47 percent of Democrats now approve of their own party in Congress.”
“As I said, it’s a new Tea Party, but it’s a Tea Party on steroids,” Enten added, repeating the historical reference.
The political world was caught off guard when democratic socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept their contests, ending the careers of Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), who were both thumped by their leftist opponents, establishing Mamdani as a kingmaker.
It was significant because Goldman became a hero during his role as lead counsel during the first impeachment of President Donald J. Trump and has been a fixture on television news shows, and Espaillat is the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Both were endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who also has a target on his back after socialists chanted “you’re next” during victory celebrations.
Then in Colorado, Ethiopia-born upstart Melat Kiros, a political novice, toppled 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the primary, serving notice that the socialist “Tea Party” isn’t confined to the Big Apple and its immigrant-heavy, far-left electorate.
And it “could get even worse” with Berman citing prediction markets that forecast more entitled Dem incumbents will be ousted from office.
Enten isn’t the only one who sees the specter of the Tea Party in the socialist surge. Fox News analyst and former Bush administration honcho Karl Rove also likened the anti-incumbent fervor to the Obama-era conservative rebellion.
“Can you imagine if the Democrats do take the House, they’re likely to do so only by a small margin, can you imagine having 20-some-odd of these people, 12 this year, plus AOC and Ilhan Omar and et cetera, et cetera, what bedevilment they will have with Hakeem Jeffries if he becomes speaker?” Rove recently asked. “You think the Republicans had problems with the Freedom Caucus or before them the Tea Party, it’s gonna be nothing like what the Democratic Socialists are going to create inside the Democratic caucus.”
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