Americans 'not buying what Democrats are selling on Iran,' new polling shows

Harry Enten showing Republicans lead Democrats on Iran policy.

Republicans are more trusted on Iran policy than Democrats are, according to new polling released this month. In fact, Democrats are actually losing ground to Republicans on Iran among the American electorate with the war now in its fifth month and just about three months from the midterm elections.

CNN polling guru Harry Enten broke down the latest polling on the matter Monday, walking through how the numbers show Democrats actually enjoyed a two-point edge on Iran policy as recently as April, just over a month into the war. The latest polling conducted this month, including multiple surveys, shows that lead has flipped, and it's now Republicans who have a two-point edge. 

For one thing, Enten said, "Americans are just not buying what Democrats are selling on Iran." But Enten pointed out that something deeper is at play. Congressional Democrats' approval ratings have barely budged since the war began. In late February, when the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran, the approval rating for Democrats stood at -41. As of May, that number inched down to -39, and that's where it remains as of late July. 

"The Democrats in Congress, simply put, are not well liked," Enten said, explaining why the party has not been able to capitalize on polling showing that Trump's approval rating has sagged since the war started. The polling data Enten cited is historically bad for Democrats, whom Enten declared "are really hated."

In a separate segment on CNN, Enten highlighted some polling showing that the majority of Americans don't trust Democrats to address cost of living concerns. Both of these issues could figure prominently in how the midterm elections in November play out. Watch the clip of Enten explaining how Republicans are more trusted on Iran than Democrats are.