Pollster Frank Luntz told CNN anchor Sara Sidner on Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris is responsible for voter uncertainty about her policy priorities if she becomes president.
During an August interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Harris was first asked about what she would accomplish on her first day if elected, to which she responded she would “strengthen the middle class,” without offering much detail — a response Luntz criticized at the time. Sidner, on “CNN News Central,” said Harris has repeatedly “explained” her presidential priorities, but Luntz argued she hasn’t provided enough clarity, leaving voters still unsure of her agenda.
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“The momentum is clearly, in what I see and what I hear, is in [former President Donald Trump’s] favor and so every word, every phrase, every misstep, every gaffe, matters as those last remaining persuadables make their decision,” Luntz said. “I don’t believe in the undecided anymore, I don’t believe there is undecided, I think the only question is do you actually come out and vote if you don’t like either candidate? Because that is the vast majority of persuadables. People who don’t like Trump’s attitude, don’t like his persona. People who aren’t still sure what Harris will do in the first day, first week, first month, first year.”
Sidner asserted Harris “has explained that over and over,” which Luntz said was “correct,” but her message has not gotten through to voters.
“If voters haven’t heard it, that’s what matters. It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear. And if they’re still asking the same questions, then she hasn’t said that enough or she hasn’t said it clearly,” the pollster said. “In Donald Trump‘s case, you and I may feel that it’s offensive, you may feel that the things that he says is wrong but in the end, if voters are willing to put up with that because they like what he did on inflation, they like what he did on immigration, that’s what matters.”
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“The bar is higher for Harris because they don’t know her. The bar is lower for Trump because they saw him for four years and what he did, all the good the bad, everything and that’s the challenge for her,” he continued. “In the end, I think she controls her destiny more than he does. We’ve decided what we think about him, we have still not decided when we think about her.”
Luntz asserted Wednesday that President Joe Biden calling Trump supporters “garbage” could influence the few remaining persuadable voters.
“The basket of deplorables was significant, was meaningful in 2016. In 2024, I can promise you that this is gonna drive Trump turnout,” he said. “He’s doing it already … I’m sure there’s going to be ads on as soon as tonight about this. This may be a turning point for those final 3%, and that’s all it is, who still need to be persuaded.”
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Trump currently holds narrow leads over Harris in five of the top seven battleground states, while the vice president is slightly ahead in Michigan and Wisconsin, according to RealClearPolling averages.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.