CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten stunned viewers when he described the early Dem 2028 presidential field as a “clown car” with “no clear frontrunner,” an unusually blunt assessment highlighted by Mediaite on February 24, 2026. Enten pointed to national polling for the Democrat primary showing Newsom around 20 percent support with former Vice President Kamala Harris leading closer to 30 percent in aggregated early 2026 polling averages, according to RealClearPolitics data reflecting the lack of a dominant Dem candidate.
RealClearPolitics polling also shows former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez each in the single digits in early testing, reinforcing Enten’s point that no Dem contender has consolidated meaningful national backing. Enten emphasized on CNN that it is historically unusual at this stage of a presidential cycle for no candidate to exceed 25 percent support, underscoring how fragmented the Dem field currently is. Polling data cited on CNN showed that even high-profile Dems with national name recognition are struggling to separate themselves from the pack, reinforcing the impression of a wide-open and unsettled race.
The overall picture presented by CNN’s own data analyst, as summarized by Mediaite, is of a Dem Party entering the 2028 cycle without a commanding figure capable of uniting its various factions. That fragmented landscape stands in contrast to Republicans largely aligned behind President Donald Trump’s leadership and policy agenda, sharpening partisan arguments that Dems lack both cohesion and a compelling standard-bearer heading into the next presidential contest.