CNN's Harry Enten dubs Elon Musk 'political poison', blames him for hurting Republicans in Wisconsin race

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: CNN senior data correspondent Harry Enten didn't hold back in criticizing Elon Musk after his and President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to sway a Wisconsin judicial election. 

Additionally, Enten called Musk "political poison" and highlighted the billionaire’s poor approval ratings both in Wisconsin and nationally on 'CNN News Central' on April 2.

With Musk's $19 million investment and Trump’s strong backing of Judge Brad Schimel, the race ended with a decisive win for Judge Susan Crawford. 

The result is seen by many as a major backlash against the Trump-Musk alliance, and Enten warned Republicans to steer clear of Musk if they hope to win in future swing state elections.

CNN's Harry Enten says Elon Musk is 'an unpopular guy' and that he hurts Republicans

On Wednesday’s edition of 'CNN News Central', Harry Enten joined co-anchor John Berman to analyze the numbers, and the results were far from favorable for Elon Musk.

Berman kicked off the conversation, saying, "Data analyst Harry Enten is here. Let’s start with a little bit of Wisconsin, right? An amuse bouche on Wisconsin."

He continued, “This was a race – Elon Musk spent big in this race to sway the Supreme Court race. He also went to Wisconsin, which may honestly have backfired."

Enten agreed, responding, “Yeah, I think it may have backfired. Look, I think if there’s one thing we should be taking away from the results in Wisconsin and the polling that we have from Wisconsin and national, if you are a Republican candidate running in a swing state, you don’t want Elon Musk anywhere near you!"

Enten then went on to describe Musk as highly unpopular, saying, "Yes, maybe you like the money, but you do not want his presence in your state. Why is that? Elon Musk, simply put, is an unpopular guy. He is political poison!"

He added, "Look in Wisconsin, his net favorable rating minus 12 points, 12 points underwater. That is an even worse number when you look nationally. Look at that. It’s minus 17 points."

Enten emphasized that Musk's involvement hurt Republicans in the race.

He added, “So if there’s one big lesson to take away from Wisconsin is Elon Musk does not help Republicans when he shows up. If anything, the data suggests that he hurts them. Republicans, stay clear of Elon Musk if you want to win in a swing state, at least in terms of his physical appearance in your state."

Internet divided after Harry says Elon Musk is 'political poison' amid election disaster

CNN's Harry Enten's comments about Elon Musk's involvement with President Trump in Wisconsin's judicial election sparked debate online, with some agreeing with Enten and others disagreeing.

One user said, "Yeah right lol"

Another added, "It seems like most of the public supports what Elon and DOGE is doing. However, many people are worried about Social Security."

A commenter shared, "The lesson: Musk should buy elections quietly and keep his face out of it. You can bank on it."

A person disagreed, "No but funny take."

A speaker tweeted, "Republicans should actually hug Elon even tighter. I wanna see him everywhere!"

A comment read, "Not true. Elon is the Republican Party!!!!"

A user mocked, "Very animated report Harry. Extremely entertaining and informative!"

The last user simply wrote, "No Harry, we need more Elon, not less. He has an electric personality that resonates with voters."

CNN's Harry Enten shifts discussion to the swings in Florida

The conversation then shifted to the situation in Florida, where John Berman asked, "Alright, what do we see in terms in swings in Florida?" as per Mediaite.

Harry Enten responded, “What do we in the terms of swings in the Florida? You know, we were talking about Florida 6, and you can see it here. The election margins in the US House District. You know, Donald Trump won the sixth by 30 points. Last night, what did we see? We saw the Republican, Randy Fine, win by 14. That’s a swing of 16 points.”

Enten further explained, "But that’s not anywhere near the swing we saw in Florida 1. Look at that. Donald Trump went up by 37 points. The Republican won last night, but only by 15. That’s 22 point swing! We’re talking about an average 19 point swing from the baseline back in 2024, in just a matter of four or five months. These are massive shifts! These are a massive shifts to the left."

Enten concluded, "Democrats really have to like this even the Republicans added to the majority in terms of what this potentially means down the road. You take this type of swing, you put it on some swing districts, that’s very good news for Democrats."

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