CNN’s data expert Harry Enten looked visibly floored at polling which shows Democratic voters are going all-in on a government shutdown.
He showed polling data which suggests a dramatic shift in how Democratic supporters view a shutdown, a number which suggests that party leader are less likely to seek a deal on Republicans’ terms.
The shutdown began at midnight Wednesday after dueling Republican and Democratic proposals failed to secure the 60 votes needed in the Senate. With no government funding deal in place, hundreds of thousands of federal employees deemed nonessential by the White House were told they would work without pay.
Donald Trump held talks in the Oval Office with the Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Congress but no deal emerged. Instead he published photos showing how he taunted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with “Trump 2028″ hats on his desk, then memes of Jeffries wearing a sombrero.
For years, polls showed Americans favored compromise over a potential government shutdown. But Enten said the latest numbers show a dramatic break from that trend.
“This is an American public that more so than ever before—I’ve looked at the polling—is willing to go to a shutdown,” the statistician said.
In 2013, only 33 percent of Americans said they wanted their side to “stand on principle” even if it triggered a shutdown, compared to 57 percent who demanded compromise, he said. Now, Enten explained, the nation is nearly evenly split—50 percent wanting compromise and 49 percent backing a shutdown.
“Traditionally, the majority of Americans want compromise, not shutdown. If you go back to 2013, just 33 percent said ‘stand on principle,’” Enten said. “Come to [2025], we see an even split, 50 percent of Americans say they want a compromise, no shutdown, but up like a rocket, we see now 49 percent of Americans either wanting a shutdown, or saying they want their side to stand on principle.”
The sharpest shift came from Democrats, Enten added. Twelve years ago, only 18 percent of Democrats favored standing on principle at the cost of a shutdown, while 76 percent preferred compromise. Today, nearly half of Democrats—47 percent—support holding the line even if it means bringing the government to a standstill.
“More than double, in fact, nearly triple the percentage of Democrats now say stand on principle as compared to 2013,” Enten said. “What we’re seeing is a Democratic Party that is much more so than ever before saying, you know what, let’s shut down the government, even if it means no compromise, so that we can stand on principle.”
The shutdown centers on healthcare funding, with Democrats pushing back against a Republican bill they argue would raise costs for Americans. They are pressing for an extension of expiring tax credits that lower health insurance premiums, reversal of Medicaid cuts enacted under Trump, and protections for federal health agencies.
The shutdown will continue until Congress reaches a deal on a funding bill. The last shutdown, during Trump’s first term in 2018, lasted for 35 days—the longest in U.S. history.
