JD Vance: ‘Polls Radically Overstate Democrats’ in Presidential Race
By Jake Beardslee ·
August 18, 2024
Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance has cast doubt on recent polls showing Vice President Kamala Harris leading in the presidential race, arguing that such surveys have historically overstated Democratic support. Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
During an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Vance addressed the polling data, stating, "The polls tend to radically overstate Democrats, we certainly saw that during the summer of 2020 and summer of 2016 and, of course, a lot of those polls were wrong when it came to Election Day." JASON BEAN/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK
Vance's comments came in response to host Shannon Bream's mention of a New York Times poll indicating Harris' lead over former President Trump in Arizona and North Carolina, as well as her narrowing gap in Georgia and Nevada. Destini Ambus | Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Ohio Senator suggested that Harris' recent surge in popularity might be short-lived. "What we have certainly seen is that Kamala Harris got a bit of a sugar high a couple of weeks ago, but what we've actually seen from our own internal data is that Kamala Harris has already leveled off," Vance explained. JOVANNY HERNANDEZ/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
He further claimed that Harris campaign insiders are concerned about their position, asserting that the public is skeptical of Harris' ability to address inflation given her tenure as vice president. Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
When confronted with an ABC News/Washington Post poll showing Harris with a 4-5 point national lead, Vance questioned the poll's reliability, citing past inaccuracies. "ABC/Washington Post was a wildly inaccurate polster in the summer of 2020," he stated. David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK
Despite the Real Clear Politics polling average indicating Harris' slim lead nationally and in key battleground states, Vance remained confident in the Trump campaign's prospects.
"If you see the numbers that we're seeing, and you actually talk to the American people, I feel extremely confident we're going to be in the right place come November," he said. David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK
Vance emphasized the importance of focusing on campaign strategy rather than poll numbers, concluding, "We can't worry about polls, we have to run through the finish line, and encourage everybody to get out there and vote." Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
