October 5, 2024

It's October 5th, so that means 1 month until Election Day.

And maybe you think the race is really tight, almost exactly tied. But I'm looking at this...

Biden was up 6.0 points in Wisconsin in 2020 on October 5th, but he won the state with only a 0.63 margin. Clinton was up 5.5 in Wisconsin in 2016 on October 5th, but Trump won, with a 0.77 margin. How can Harris be looking at a win, when she's only up by 0.8? To believe the candidates are truly tied, you ought to see Harris up by something closer to 5 points.

Note that Harris needs Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump only needs to pick off one of those states. In all 3, Harris is far behind where Biden and Clinton were on October 5th. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 with a 0.72 margin. In 2020, Biden won it, but he had only a 1.17 margin, when the polling on October 5th showed him with a 6.6 point lead. As for Michigan, Biden won by 2.78 points, after showing a 5.8 lead on October 5th. And in 2016, Trump won Michigan — by 0.23 — after Clinton was up by 5.7 on October 5th.

Imagine if Harris were up by 5.7 in Michigan right now, 5.5 in Wisconsin, and 7.5 in Pennsylvania. The media would portray her as absolutely crushing Trump. That's what Clinton had on October 5th. Her supporters were very confident, calling those 3 states the "blue wall." And then Trump won them all.

Of course, Harris's advisers must see this. I presume that behind the scenes, there is panic, if not despair.

She boasts more staff, more volunteers, a larger surrogate operation, more digital advertising, a more sophisticated smartphone-based organizing program and extra money for extraneous bells and whistles typically reserved for corporate product launches and professional sports championships. A Harris drone light show recently flew over Philadelphia. Her rally attendees often get light-up pop-concert bracelets. There are even plans in the works for a late October infomercial to air on swing-state broadcast networks.

Oh, no! Not the late October infomercial on broadcast networks! At some point, you've bought everything that's buyable. You've hired everyone possible....

“We always knew this would be a neck-and-neck race, so we built a campaign that can win a neck-and-neck race,” Harris campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said. “Our strategy seems a lot more likely to be successful than the Trump plan to send a stranger to your door the month before Election Day. Voters can tell the difference between someone trying to earn their vote, and someone who takes them for granted.”

A stranger at my door. Thanks, but I don't answer the door. And I don't have broadcast TV either. But that's just me, an undecided Wisconsin voter.

81 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

A good point by Scott Adams yesterday. We know that the candidates produce their own “internal polls.” This can only mean that they don’t believe the public polls. They’re rigged.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

It appears to show Clinton up 5.5 in 2016 in WI, making Althouse’s point more emphatically.

rehajm said...

They fully expect to cook the vote again and get away with it again. The hanging the other day is a warning for anyone trying to grab receipts…

rehajm said...

Statistical evidence public polling is bad to useless is what I see, and yet…

rehajm said...

In 2016 the brilliant mathematicians made a fatal error in assuming Obama voters were Democrat voters. They oversampled Ds while enough of the Obama voters showed how much they loathed the Clintons…though not all of them stayed home. Weird…

Ann Althouse said...

"It appears to show Clinton up 5.5 in 2016 in WI, making Althouse’s point more emphatically."

Thanks for the proofreading. I'm typing in the dark at 6 a.m. Fixed.

Shouting Thomas said...

Now, will the DNC/Intel cartel allow Trump to enter office? How long till the next cartel assassination attempt? Trump returned with Elon Musk yesterday to Butler, OH, the site of one of the attempts.

rehajm said...

Just like the WNBA pollsters really are a disaster of ignorance and incompetence and bias.

Todd said...

Well when the party candidate is a crash-test dummy but less articulate with a door-stop for a running mate, you have to out-spend and out personnel your opponent cause this election is not going to steel its self. You need cash to buy votes and bodies on the ground to stuff ballot boxes!

Breezy said...

Umm, the rally is later today, and is in Butler, PA.

MartyH said...

Trump is the living embodiment of the First Amendment. That is why I am voting for him.

Ralph L said...

At some point, I suspect political advertising becomes counter-productive for some undecided voters, particularly when candidates deliberately ignore major issues. We'll see if turnout is down in the battleground states--if the boxes aren't stuffed. No Repub had better go home at 2 am.

john mosby said...

The D’s learned from 2020.It’s better prep for the cheat if you go around saying how close it’s going to be than if you go around saying how you’ve got it in the bag. Then a miraculous tiny margin at 4 am the day after election day seems more plausible.

They dont have to convince the hardcore cheating theorists. They just have to convince the ‘reasonable people:’ judges, GOP congress members, anyone who might otherwise at least consider listening to the cheating theorists.

JSM

Shouting Thomas said...

Thanks for the correction. For once, I might watch.

Breezy said...

She is incapable of answering unscripted questions! We can’t have a president who can’t answer our questions, no matter how many people she’s hired to cover for her. That’d be insane.

Skeptical Voter said...

All that money--all that advertising--is iipstick on a pig. But which pig will you vote for?

rehajm said...

She has to spend three times as much to make a tie…

The implication of the headline is that money buys elections. More of that incompetence…or is the arrogance a residual of getting away with the frequency and magnitude of the whoppers they get away with?

Saint Croix said...

If you try to scare people away from Trump, all you might really be doing is scaring them underground.

See also free speakers.

Dave Begley said...

Undecided voter? What can we do to persuade you to vote for Trump? My pitch is this: If you think inflation was bad before, it will be much worse under Harris. Spending and the money supply will be turbocharged. Goldman Sachs says there is $1.2t in free money through 2032 with the IRA. Trump will stop that.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

There’s a pollster who is a frequent guest on Charlie Kirk’s podcast who explained awhile back that the turnout models are totally chaotic in the Trump era, making polling of “likely voters” extremely difficult to predict. Then there’s the persistent bias of who responds to polls, which is white liberal women who love to tell you who they are voting for (unlike our host). Trump voters, when they answer the phone, are reluctant to. And historical models are useless so far as race is concerned because so many black and Latino voters have shifted to Trump. The sum of all the problems facing pollsters is that they will be wrong, how wrong is the unknown question. Which is why enthusiasm and turnout are extremely important this year. The goal for Trump is to exceed the margin of cheat in the battleground states, especially PA.

Dave Begley said...

And then, of course, there is foreign policy. The Ukraine war will grind on. China will take over Taiwan. Iran might try to nuke Israel. You get the idea. War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

Money Manger said...

The pollsters lose significant credibility if they systemically mis-estimate the support for one side or the other. One would think (I know, a leap) that they would recalibrate their methodology to reflect the biases of 2020 and 2016. They've had several chances to get it right.

MartyH said...

“Our strategy seems a lot more likely to be successful than the Trump plan to send a stranger to your door the month before Election Day..."

Harris is the stranger showing up at your door a month before election day.

Dave Begley said...

Smart point.

Oso Negro said...

"me, an undecided Wisconsin voter". It is entirely remarkable to me that you can profess "undecided" at this point in time. I would be very interested to know what argument you would make for the election of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz? What good things do you imagine for the United States should she be elected?

Jersey Fled said...

In a fair election, I think Trump would win. But I worry that he’s not outside the margin of fraud.

I’ve said this here before. Many times. My family was involved in Philadelphia Democrat politics for decades, from the 60’s until well into the 90’s. The only thing that’s different now is that it’s worse.

Believe me when I tell you Philadelphia can produce as many votes as they need to make Harris the winner in Pennsylvania.

Butkus51 said...

On Tuesday November 5th time will stand still in most if not all the states.

Its not fiction.

Breezy said...

Reminder, Althouse has touted cruel neutrality in her blog.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Philadelphia: corrupt and content.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Although not as content as it used to be, the Great Hollowing continuing apace.

Mikey NTH said...

Ralph L. has a good point about the ads. At what point do they become counterproductive? I am at the point where I am thinking "You are annoying the duck out of me, just stop it already." Like harping on January 6th. That is almost 4 years ago. It's already factored in, I doubt many will be persuaded by anything else said about it.

narciso said...

So like driver in megacropolis

Breezy said...

Unexpected events can/will have an impact. The horrific Fed response to Helene in NC is blowing up the web here in NC and other areas I imagine. Particularly as Blinken sends $157m to Lebanon, the purported dwindling funds for FEMA, just 5 days into this fiscal year is unconscionable. Plus, Elon has had to intervene to try to unblock aid to affected regions. Unacceptable, and it’s on Harris at this point.

Birches said...

My brother sent this to me last night. If the Blue Wall is down, they're looking at other states to help. I'm shocked a local news station did actual journalism. Non citizens given voter identification cards in AZ.

https://youtu.be/3LeCXPwiTss?si=iP9fj0dso83BtNs_

Jersey Fled said...

Kamala is running two kinds of radio ads on a continuous loop. In one she lists transparent lies about what Trump will do in a second term. My personal favorite is that he will make women register their pregnancies so he can put them in jail if they get their abortion one day past their state’s limit.

The second is her sunshine and lollipops ad wherein she tells us what she “believes”. The list includes everything up to but not including the Easter Bunny. I guess she forgot about him/her/they.

Both are retch inducing but apparently liberal women respond well to them.



wild chicken said...

I answer polls but I admit if they ask which one I'm voting for and I have to say the name out loud with my TDS husband sitting next to me, I'm going to prevaricate. He's old and sick and very excitable.

Iirc Rasmussen polls are automated and don't put you in this position. Same with Public Policy Polling.

RMc said...

Of course, Harris's advisers must see this. I presume that behind the scenes, there is panic, if not despair.

They're not panicking or despairing, and we all know why.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Your comment strongly reinforces Mosby's above.

Marcus Bressler said...

Perhaps Althouse is undecided between Trump and not voting at all.

Rusty said...

To any legitimate voter. You got kids? Grandkids? The Democrat party is the party of war. So if you vote for Harris be prepared to has your sons and daughters conscripted.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Harris freezing up and repeating the phrase "32 days" over and over when her teleprompter broke yesterday is hilarious. She is truly unable to think on her feet. I'm starting to come around to the idea that she might actually be dumber than Biden. It seems farfetched but she has not done one thing in her campaign to dispel the notion. Not one.

Rusty said...

Well. Except for our current Democrat betters. They are relying on more war.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

But they still require someone answering the phone.

Kai Akker said...

If Harris-Walz "win," there are sure to be serious secession efforts. Starting in western NC.

If Trump wins, there are sure to be serious assassination efforts. Starting in Tehran.

Rusty said...

"Why are you voting for Kamala Harris?"
"Because she's a woman!"
See what we're dealing with here.

chuck said...

If Trump wins, he is going to get stuck with all the fiscal bombs the Democrats set to detonate after the election. Buckle up.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Five times! Then as filler she blurts out "we are the underdog." LOL

Dixcus said...

And I believe that Elon Musk is positioning himself to run in 2028.

Dixcus said...

We've had a President for the last 4 years who can't answer our questions. It's possible to do that. Since Biden really isn't the President. They built him a fake White House Oval Office. Did you miss that?

Mr. T. said...

Math and facts that are not in favor of the Left/denocrats are white supremacy and facist.

Dixcus said...

WOLVERINES! That's what they're making by trying to murder Trump.

Mr. T. said...

Musk was born in South Africa. He cannot run for President.

Oso Negro said...

@ Breezy - Cruel neutrality is not a suicide pact

Kai Akker said...

--- She boasts more staff, more volunteers, a larger surrogate operation, more digital advertising, a more sophisticated smartphone-based organizing program and extra money for extraneous bells and whistles typically reserved for corporate product launches and professional sports championships. A Harris drone light show recently flew over Philadelphia.

If the electorate -- hell, we all know it's now the "electorate" -- is this dumb, the nation deserves what it gets from these people. Then a real Resistance will arise. But if they are so dumb as to waste it on super-D Philadelphia, there may yet be hope.

Oso Negro said...

Yes. But every once in a while she is forced to speak extemporaneously

James K said...

They need to get 120% in Philly to offset the rest of the state.

Oso Negro said...

Maybe she is trying to cipher out which vote leads to less chaos. Locally for her, probably Harris. Nationally, if there is to be a recognizable nation in the future, it can't be left to Harris and Walz. Unless she thinks they are puppets for the Obama Gang.

Dixcus said...

Kennedy won in 60. Then crossed the CIA and tried to pull out of Viet Nam. Got his brains spurted onto Dealey Plaza and his young wife's pretty pink dress.

Dixcus said...

Didn't stop Kenya's Barack Obama.

Kate said...

Yes! Please have Kamala's nasal, annoying voice say, "I approved this message," over and over in the last weeks. And use Hillary, too. #winning

Dixcus said...

Trump will not be signing any budgets.

AMDG said...

Here in the North Atlanta suburbs we are being carpet bombed with ads. There are more Kamala ads but not more than one would think. There are some Kamala ads that are positive telling us she is going to give the middle class a tax cut and build 3 million houses. Trump has one positive ad about not taxing tips, overtime, and social security.

The interesting thing is that outside of the ads there is little indication that there is an election happening. I almost never see bumper stickers or yard signs which is not normal for elections around here.

The election is not discussed among normal people. The vast majority of people I know are not happy with the choices they have. Most of the Democrats I know will be voting for Harris. Most Republicans I know will be voting for Trump. In both cases most voters feel like they are being forced to Scott their ugly cousin to the prom.They will not actually be voting for a candidate, instead they will be voting against a candidate.

Ralph L said...

Even the courts might notice if big cities count more votes than there are voters.

rehajm said...

I only have to watch the Savannah stations for an occasional sport but the ads are split fairly even with Trump +/- ads and Kamala +/- ads. Once in a while the Miss Lindsay ad with the one rehearsed sound bite the uttered with the intent of putting it in his reelection ad…

…I watch the Boston channels and see only a few President ads. Mostly ads for Kelly Ayotte for Governor and her opponent stealing Ayotte’s tax policy for her/them ad…

Ralph L said...

Next time, her left and right teleprompters will be independent, which should be fun if they can't get them in sync.

Leland said...

I think Trump leads by .5 at the Meadhouse.

Kay said...

The election is not discussed among normal people. The vast majority of people I know are not happy with the choices they have. Most of the Democrats I know will be voting for Harris. Most Republicans I know will be voting for Trump. In both cases most voters feel like they are being forced to Scott their ugly cousin to the prom.They will not actually be voting for a candidate, instead they will be voting against a candidate.

100%. I would also argue that the issues that matter most to me are not even up for discussion from either candidate, sad really, but not unprecedented.

TaeJohnDo said...

"Harris is the stranger showing up at your door a month before election day."

If harris wins, there is a good chance armed strangers will be showing up at your door - and they won't be 'asking', they will be taking.

Spiros said...

The polls overestimated Democrats in 2008, 2016 and 2020. The polls overestimated Republicans in 2012. There was very little polling bias in 2004, 2000 and 1996. And in our most recent election, in 2022, the polls were very accurate with just a bit of Democratic bias. So will this election be like 2022 or more like 2016 and 2020 when pollsters were anti-Trump?

Jersey Fled said...

“ Even the courts might notice if big cities count more votes than there are voters.”

The problem is the limited time between Election Day and the date that the election gets certified. And the lack of any clear remedies even in the face of clear and pervasive fraud.

Jersey Fled said...

The one thing that gives me hope is that some Democrats are beginning to act like Harris is losing. Bob Casey is running ads in PA touting his “working with Trump” on tariffs on China. No mention of Harris. Aligning himself with Trump.

Spiros said...

But even if the polls are accurate, a one point polling miss (in Trump's direction) and he wins.

MadTownGuy said...

Our strategy seems a lot more likely to be successful than the Trump plan to send a stranger to your door the month before Election Day. Voters can tell the difference between someone trying to earn their vote, and someone who takes them for granted.

Confession by projection. Also, 'How dare the Republicans use our strategy for their cause?'

(D) Party canvassers have been circulating through neighborhoods since 2008, offering to assist people on choosing a candidate, and more recently, providing absentee ballot applications to be filled ion the spot.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne aka Doug Emhoff's Pimp Hand said...

Of course, Harris's advisers must see this. I presume that behind the scenes, there is panic, if not despair.

James Carville was on Smerconish this morning. Never heard any campaign operative talk as nasty and bitter. He even claimed that Melania's memoir as released just to cause divisiveness and chaos. Their internal polling must just not be in the toilet, it's got to be circling the bowl and about to head down the drain.

JK Brown said...

They are trying to create a. buzz for Kamala without substance. But most already have a hangover from the mistake of 2020 election of Harris/Biden.

Harris is running to be president of the college edumedicated women with economically useless degrees. Trump is running to lead America back to productivity and progress for the sovereign people.

William said...

Kamala has the support of Bruce Springsteen, the late night comedians, and the coveted endorsement of Taylor Swift. I don't know if such support changes anyone's mind, but Kamala is definitely the respectable choice, the one whose name you can say aloud. Trump is like the teen age lesbian category on Porn Hub. It's a popular category, but no one goes around bragging about how much they like the genre.

mindnumbrobot said...

But that's just me, an undecided Wisconsin voter.

A luxury not everybody can afford. More power to you, Professor, but please consider your fellow Americans who can't weather another 4-years of this.

Amadeus 48 said...

Here is a curiosity: my Dem friends believe everything the Harris campaign says about Trump (Project 2025!) and nothing about Harris (she doesn’t really believe that and she won’t do it). I suppose it goes the other way, too.

MadTownGuy said...

Lots of Trump/Vance yard signs here in the hinterlands, one Trump/Kennedy sign out by Gettysburg, and here in our university town, a few Harris/Walz signs including two almost billboard-sized ones in a corner house yard proclaiming "Patriots for Harris-Walz," and "Patriots for Bob Casey."

I'll be interested in how the voting goes in Pittsburgh and Philly this year.

Democratic Paychecks for Perks/ Dems for Demolition of Democracy/ fake-cares 4-U said...

32 Days until Kamala and her husband Q-up for vast political-based wealth and lucrative book deals... Plus many mansions.

mindnumbrobot said...

Abortion.