The Strange Origin Story Of Data Science & Elections

Harvard historian and ‘New Yorker’ writer Jill Lepore tells the story of the Simulmatics Corporation. Founded in 1959, it used a so-called “people machine,” a computer program it claimed could predict the impact of political messages or advertising pitches. At the time, Simulmatics drew condemnation from scholars and political leaders […] Read more »

Farming Rises, Sports Tumbles in Industry Ratings

For the first time in Gallup’s 20 years of tracking Americans’ views of various business and industry sectors, farming and agriculture is the clear leader. The former top-ranking industries — restaurants and computers — remain in the top four, with the grocery industry rounding out the group. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical […] Read more »

Summer ad spending shows Trump in retreat, defense in key states

If you want to know what a campaign really thinks about its chances, you don’t listen to what it says, you watch where it puts its money. This week’s Data Download is looking at how the President Donald Trump and Joe Biden teams (and their main affiliated outside groups) have […] Read more »

Down In The Polls, Trump Pitches Fear: ‘They Want To Destroy Our Suburbs’

President Trump has a message for suburban voters. And it’s not a subtle one. “They want to destroy our suburbs,” Trump recently warned in a call with supporters. “People have worked all their lives to get into a community, and now they’re going to watch it go to hell,” he […] Read more »