Kellyanne Conway, during a tele-town hall with U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty and other Tennesseans Thursday, dissected how and why they shouldn’t put a lot of stock in current presidential polls right now.
Conway, the first woman to run a successful U.S. presidential campaign — for Donald Trump — said one must look at a variety of factors.
Conway said not all of the polls are wrong. But she also said some are useless.
“If you’re too far away from the election, and you are talking to adults or registered voters, not even likely voters, I think likely voters can be screened in very subtle ways,” Conway said.
“The worst way to find out if someone is a likely voter is to ask them if they are likely to vote. ‘Oh yes, absolutely, and I just get up every morning, and I never cheat on my spouse or my taxes, and I always go to church on Sunday. And, yes, I’ll be there,’ they might say.”
Conway went on to say that nationwide polls for the presidential race are not at all relevant.
“This comes down to the Electoral College,” Conway said.
“The statewide polls are pretty much where I think they would be at this point, which is both with Biden and Trump under 50 percent and within a few points of each other in most of the polls. But they will fluctuate.”
Among voters, Conway said that Trump has an enthusiasm advantage over Biden.
During the call Conway said Hagerty’s professional accomplishments and personal qualities make him an ideal fit to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. Conway cited Hagerty’s past experience as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and his time as U.S. ambassador to Japan.
As The Tennessee Star reported this week, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) endorsed Hagerty, citing the former ambassador’s business acumen among the reasons for his support. As The Star also reported, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, and U.S. President Donald Trump have endorsed Hagerty.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
