CNN political analyst Harry Enten issued a serious warning to Democrats who are feeling overly confident about their chances in the upcoming midterms this November. While the party has ambitious goals, Enten emphasized that Republicans are likely to retain control of the majority of governorships and state legislatures—a trend that has endured for almost a century. He pointed out that even if Democrats succeed at the federal level, much of the policymaking happens at the state level, which could leave them largely out of the loop.
?CNN just ADMITTED the gubernatorial races are a MASSIVE WAKE UP CALL for Democrats!
“At least tilting to the Republicans; a MAJORITY, 26.”
“That is the number of governors that are even expected at least tilting towards the Republican party.”pic.twitter.com/tXukyiHx9W
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 18, 2026
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“Governors have a whole lot of power, and there’s all this talk of a democratic wave, but the gubernatorial races nationwide should stand as a wake-up call for Democrats,” Enten said, as he went on to note that Republicans are projected to hold 26 governorships and possibly more when toss-up races are added in to the mix:
Because take a look here, the race raiders, governors post-2026 election, at least tilting to the Republicans. Look at this, a majority, a majority, 26. That is, at this point, the number of governors that are expected, at least tilting towards the Republican Party at this point. Democrats come in at just 20. The rest of the races are a toss-up. Of course, you sum up to 50. And I will note that the Republicans right now hold a 26 to 24 gubernatorial seat advantage.
So at this point, it doesn’t look like Republicans on the net and the aggregate are actually going to lose any governorships. In fact, when you add in those toss-ups, they may gain. So this should stand as a major wake-up call to Democrats, because if there’s a wave building, it has not, at least at this point, hit the state level when it comes to governorships.
“And add to that, you point out that when it comes to governor’s races, Democrats have had a bit of a problem over recent years,” the CNN host, Kate Bolduan, added.
That led Enten to respond:
Yeah, they have had a big problem recently. If you go back, the last time, the last time that Democrats held a majority of governorships was all the way back in 2010, and that streak is expected to continue. And I will note I went all the way back through the record books. This is now the longest streak in which Democrats did not hold a majority of governorships in at least a century, in at least a century.
This is a massive problem for Democrats, because as we mentioned at the top, a lot of the policy is determined on the state level. And if all of a sudden you can’t actually lead a majority of governorships, the executive branch on the state level, that means Republicans are in fact forming and implementing most of the policies in the states, and therefore a lot of the policies nationwide.
“Well, and the power of the governor also depends on the makeup of the state legislature. What are you seeing?” Bolduan asked.
While governors wield considerable power, their agendas can be effectively hindered by a legislature dominated by the opposing party. For instance, if California were to elect a Republican governor, a Democratic supermajority in the legislature would likely block many of their initiatives, limiting their ability to enact change.
“Yeah, okay. So it’s not just the governorships. How about those state legislatures, right? Okay, take a look here. Republicans have held a majority of state legislatures since 2012,” Enten said. “And again, this is the longest such streak dating back at least a century in which Republicans have held the majority of the state legislatures. And if you go state legislature by state legislature at this point, it seems likely, of course, still uncertain, since we have a number of months until November elections, that Republicans will continue the streak of holding the majority of state legislatures, continue their streak of holding the majority of governorships.”
Enten pointed out that while Democrats focus on gaining federal power, they often find themselves sidelined in crucial state-level policymaking. This level of government frequently has a more immediate and significant impact on the daily lives of citizens, affecting areas like education, healthcare, taxation, and local infrastructure. He highlighted that controlling the White House or Congress doesn’t necessarily ensure comprehensive influence across the country if state governments remain under the control of the opposition.
“And therefore, Democrats will be locked out of holding a power in positions that really do determine a lot,” he added. “A lot of the policy nationwide, as I said, this should stand as a wake-up call for Democrats, because at this point, Republicans look like they’re going to continue to hold the majority of governorships.”
