Vice President Kamala Harris’ senior campaign advisor David Plouffe said Sunday the Democratic Party’s panic over the close race with former President Donald Trump is a result of polling that showed a false lead.
Pollsters and pundits have warned about the tightening polls as November approaches, with reports claiming people within the party are growing “nervous,” according to CNN. Co-host Dan Pfeiffer asked Plouffe on “Pod Save America” if he was concerned about the race and whether it had “changed” in recent weeks, to which Plouffe responded that Harris has consistently been tied with Trump in the polls.
“So I know for all of us that want to see Kamala Harris win, we wish there was an easy pathway — that pathway does not exist. This is basically going to come down to, you know, history would suggest it’s not going to come down to several thousand votes in seven states, but it’s going to come down to a very narrow margin,” Plouffe said.
“I think the freakout is because there were a bunch of polls, I’d say in the last month, that showed a lead for Kamala Harris that was not real. It’s not what we were seeing — we’ve seen this thing basically be tied let’s say since mid-September,” Plouffe added. “This is the race we have, it’s the race we expected. I don’t think it’s going to open up for either candidate, I think it’s going to be close all the way in. I would just remind everybody, whether it’s internal data or public data, a poll that shows Donald Trump up 48, 47 that then shows us up 48, 47 is essentially the same thing. This thing’s going to be decided on the margins in these few number of states.”
Plouffe previously stated he believes Trump and Harris will remain tied until Election Day, but warned that Trump appears strong in this race.
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“I think from the time Kamala Harris became the nominee we saw a lot of movement — five, six points depending on the state. But what we’ve seen for the last few weeks, and the data is consistent this week, is basically a tied race in seven states and I don’t think that’s going to change. So I think it’s 47, 48 for each of us. I’d still rather be Kamala Harris than Donald Trump because I think she’s got a slightly higher ceiling,” Plouffe said. “But the reality is Donald Trump barely won in [20]16, but barely lost in 20[20]. He’s a little stronger this time than he was last time, so he’s going to get 48% of the vote.”
Harris’ support among Hispanic and black voters has slipped in recent weeks compared to previous Democratic presidential candidates. A New York Times poll shows Harris trailing by six points among Hispanic voters compared to President Joe Biden’s 2020 numbers.
Trump has also gained ground with black voters, receiving 15% support, up from 9% in 2020, according to the same poll.
NBC News’ latest national poll, released Sunday, shows the two candidates deadlocked at 48% support, just three weeks from Election Day. RealClearPolling averages also show Trump with a narrow lead in swing states Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, while Harris only holds a slim lead in Wisconsin.
Featured Image Credit: The White House
