CNN's Harry Enten pointed to data showing Republicans are in "big, big trouble" in states where President Donald Trump is unpopular.
Democrats thumped Republicans and Trump-backed independents in Tuesday's elections, and Enten told "CNN News Central" that a polling analysis shows the president hurt the party's chances in the off-year contest.
"I think there are a lot of Republicans who saw those polls that showed Donald Trump low nationally, and theydidn't necessarily believe him,but for Democrats, those pollsare real and they arespectacular," Enten said.
During the president's first term, in 2017, 82 percent of New Jersey voters who disapproved of Trump at the time backed the Democratic nominee for governor, while 87 percent of disapprovers backed the Democratic nominee in Virginia – and that share grew even higher in this year's elections.
"If there is any idea that Republicans are going to be ableto outrun Donald Trump's lowapproval ratings, this says not," Enten said. "They're going to be likeimpalas getting chased down inthe African desert by a biglion. Look at this: 93 percent of Trumpdisapprovals voted for the Democratic nominee in New Jersey, and 92 percent voted for themin the great commonwealth of Virginia. The bottom line isthis: What those results on Tuesday night showed us is that Donald Trump is absolutely adrag on Republican candidates in New Jersey and Virginia, likelynationwide there."
"If you are ina state where Donald Trump isunderwater, you are in big, bigtrouble," he added.
Trump is at personal all-time lows in approval rating, and Enten said that trend does not bode well for Republican congressional candidates next year.
"These are polls that areout this week," Enten said. "Look, CNN, hewas 26 points underwater, CBS, 18points underwater, ABC, 18 pointsunderwater. The NBC/Hart Public Opinion Strategies poll, he was12 points underwater. Mygoodness gracious, he's downthere with the Titanic, and thisis what is turning in for the Republican Party. That result on Tuesday night was a titanicproportion, just absolutelyawful result. New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, in termsof those judgeships, those Supreme Court judgeships,essentially, you know, retainingthose judges, all the Democraticcandidates won. Democrats wontheir first statewide races thatweren't federal in Georgia forthe first time in a generation.What we are talking about atthis particular point is Donald Trump is absolutely a drag."