CNN senior data correspondent Harry Enten reported on Friday on what he called one of the most “stunning” trends he’s “seen in covering politics over the last 15, 16 years” – the rise of democratic socialists inside the Democratic Party.

Anchor John Berman kicked off the segment, asking, “So when we talk about democratic socialists, how are they viewed inside the Democratic Party?”

Enten replied, “Yeah, you know, you mention New York, you mentioned Vermont, obviously, there’s the D.C. mayor. We’ve seen it in Pennsylvania as well. The Democratic Socialists seem to be doing considerably better than they used to be, and they have the chance to knock off, in fact, Democratic incumbents in Congress.”

“And part of the reason for that, why we’re seeing these Democratic Socialists having such good chances, or downright outright winning nominations, is — take a look here. Net favorability among Dems, Democratic Socialists of America — look at that, a plus-17-point net favorability rating among Democrats,” Enten explained, adding:

That is actually better — that is better than how congressional Democrats are viewed by Democrats, at just plus four points. So, no wonder Democratic socialists have such a good chance, because, simply put, they are a better brand at this point than Democrats in Congress.

Berman followed up, “Among Democrats, it’s interesting to see who they like more. All right, and you’ve used this number before. I always find this fascinating: when you compare socialism to capitalism, how are they doing right now?”

“Yeah, how are they doing right now among Democrats? You see this — Democratic Socialists of America more positive than congressional Democrats. And I’ll tell you, take a look at the trend line, the favorable rating among Democrats on socialism. Thank you. Look at this: in 2010, they were about equal — 50% had a favorable view of socialism, 51% said the same about capitalism,” Enten replied, adding:

But capitalism has absolutely fallen through the floor. Look at this: it’s now just 42% of Democrats who have a favorable view of capitalism. Socialism, on the other hand, up like a rocket — look at this, two in three Democrats have a favorable view of socialism. So socialism is on the rise among Democrats, capitalism is on a decline among Democrats. And again, this is part of the longer-term trend in which we are seeing Democratic Socialists doing considerably better among Democrats — electing a mayor right here.

“New York City, for example. And as we said, there are primaries next week with Democratic socialists, self-proclaimed, on the ballot. What are the prediction markets saying about how they may do?” Berman pressed.

“Yeah, this to me is one of the more stunning trends, right, that I have seen in covering politics over the last 15, 16 years,” Enten replied, adding:

And if you believe the prediction markets, it’s not going to just stop suddenly — it may extend into next week, because just take a look at the chance that Democratic socialists win in Dem primaries, House primaries here in New York. You go to New York’s 7th district, right?

You’ve got a Brooklyn borough president who, at this point, looks like an underdog compared to a Democratic socialist. And then you may get a Democratic incumbent in northern Manhattan get knocked off — that’s closer to a 50-50 race. But the bottom line is this: next week in New York may be a very good one for Democratic Socialists. Mayor Mamdani is endorsing them, his political star is rising, and he may bring a few Democratic Socialists along with him and put them in Congress.

“A preview, perhaps, of coming attractions. Certainly, we’ll be watching these primaries closely next week. Yes, we will. Harry, thank you very much. Thank you. We’ve got a lot of news, we’ll be right back,” Berman concluded.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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