When the polls close on the midterm elections this coming Tuesday night, the country will turn its temporary attention towards understanding what happened. The winning and losing candidates will likely be clear. However, the “how” a candidate won, or the “why” a candidate lost will not be. Analysts and pundits […] Read more »
Can voters tell us whether they’ll turn out?
It’s that point in the cycle when everyone lowers their voice, along with their head, and knowingly suggests, “It’s all about turnout.” Leaving aside the veracity of the statement itself, it certainly puts pressure on pollsters to correctly predict the likely electorate. Many employ straightforward questions to ascertain whether an […] Read more »
No One Really Knows What Americans Think About Abortion
… Abortion is such a complex and sensitive issue that few polls accurately capture how Americans really feel about abortion, but many easily manipulate the answers to support their cause. BuzzFeed News analyzed 14 polls on the public’s opinion on abortion from the past four years conducted by a range […] Read more »
A conversation with pollster Ann Selzer
On this edition of Iowa Press, noted public opinion pollster and analyst Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Company, joins reporters to talk about the upcoming midterm elections. Iowa Public Television Read more »
What I learned from The New York Times
When The New York Times’s Upshot announced it was “live polling” this year’s hottest races, I wasn’t a fan. But my worst fears weren’t realized and I learned some things watching the interviews roll in. CONT. Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), The Hill Read more »
Trump’s Approval Rating Is Up. Republican House Chances Are Down. Does That Make Any Sense?
Just in time for the Nov. 6 election, President Trump is posting some of the best job approval numbers of his presidency. His approval rating is currently 43.1 percent, according to the FiveThirtyEight average, the highest it’s been since March 2017. His disapproval rating is 52.0 percent, so let’s not […] Read more »