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What Americans Think Of Kamala Harris

What Americans Think Of Kamala Harris

Update: 2024-08-121
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Digest

The podcast delves into the early stages of the Harris-Trump presidential race, analyzing recent polls and their implications. Harris is currently leading in key battleground states, with Democrats showing greater enthusiasm than Republicans. The discussion then shifts to the use of polling in the campaign, specifically addressing the Trump campaign's attempts to discredit polls showing Harris ahead. The panelists discuss the validity of these claims, the potential for bias in polling, and the role of poll denialism as an indicator of a losing campaign. The podcast concludes with a fun and informative game where the panelists guess the results of various polling questions related to the Harris-Trump race, covering issues like immigration, the economy, abortion policy, and public perception of the candidates' ideologies.

Outlines

00:00:14
The Harris-Trump Race: Early Insights and Polling Dynamics

This chapter analyzes the early stages of the Harris-Trump presidential race, examining recent polls and their implications. Harris is currently leading in key battleground states, with Democrats showing greater enthusiasm than Republicans. The discussion also explores the potential impact of demographic shifts on the election.

00:01:13
The Validity of Polling and the Trump Campaign's Response

The conversation shifts to the use of polling in the campaign, specifically addressing the Trump campaign's attempts to discredit polls showing Harris ahead. The panelists discuss the validity of these claims, the potential for bias in polling, and the role of poll denialism as an indicator of a losing campaign.

00:22:07
A Polling Game: Understanding Voter Sentiment

This chapter features a fun and informative game where the panelists guess the results of various polling questions related to the Harris-Trump race. The questions cover issues like immigration, the economy, abortion policy, and public perception of the candidates' ideologies.

Keywords

Kamala Harris


Kamala Harris is the current Vice President of the United States and the Democratic nominee for president in the upcoming election. She is the first woman and first African American to hold the vice presidency.

Donald Trump


Donald Trump is the former president of the United States and the Republican nominee for president in the upcoming election. He is known for his controversial policies and rhetoric.

Battleground States


Battleground states are states that are considered to be competitive in presidential elections. They are often targeted by both campaigns because they can determine the outcome of the election.

Polling


Polling is a method of collecting data from a sample of people to gauge public opinion on a particular issue or candidate. It is often used to predict the outcome of elections.

Poll Denialism


Poll denialism is the practice of dismissing or discrediting polls that show a candidate or party losing. It is often used by campaigns to try to maintain momentum and discourage voters from supporting the opposition.

Median Voter Theory


Median voter theory is a political theory that suggests that candidates will try to appeal to the median voter, or the voter who is in the middle of the political spectrum. This is because the candidate who can win over the median voter is most likely to win the election.

Q&A

  • What are some of the key takeaways from the early stages of the Harris-Trump presidential race?

    Early polls suggest Harris is leading in key battleground states, with Democrats showing greater enthusiasm than Republicans. Harris's campaign strategy appears to focus on appealing to the median voter, while Trump's campaign has been less disciplined and focused on attacking Harris's perceived liberalism.

  • How valid are the Trump campaign's claims that polls are oversampling Democrats and are being manipulated to favor Harris?

    While it's important to be critical of polls and acknowledge potential biases, the Trump campaign's accusations of \"national gaslighting\" are unfounded. Pollsters strive for accuracy and transparency, and the claims of manipulation are unsubstantiated.

  • What does the \"poll denialism indicator\" suggest about the current state of the Harris-Trump race?

    The fact that the Trump campaign is actively discrediting polls showing Harris ahead suggests they are losing ground. This pattern of poll denialism is often observed in campaigns that are trailing in the polls.

  • What are some of the key issues that voters are considering in this election, and how do the candidates stand on these issues?

    Voters are concerned about issues like immigration, the economy, and abortion policy. Trump is seen as stronger on immigration and the economy, while Harris is seen as stronger on abortion policy. However, voters are complex and may not always vote for the candidate who aligns with their views on every issue.

Show Notes

The contours of the Harris-Trump race are coming further into focus. Vice President Kamala Harris just wrapped up a weeklong tour of the battleground states with her newly minted running mate and former President Donald Trump has been weighing in on all matter of topics on social media and in a lengthy press conference.

In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen speaks with senior elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich and New York Times polling editor Ruth Igielnik about the latest polling of the race, perceptions of the candidates and why some on the right are now taking issue with the polls.

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What Americans Think Of Kamala Harris

What Americans Think Of Kamala Harris

ABC News, 538, FiveThirtyEight, Galen Druke