The Pollster Who Thinks Trump Is Winning in Wisconsin and Michigan

The Trafalgar Group got key races right when others were wrong in 2016 and 2018. Will the Republican pollster do it again in 2020?

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President Trump visits nearby areas damaged by Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, La., August 29, 2020.

Tom Brenner/Reuters

In 2016, every poll of the presidential race in Michigan, except one, showed Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump. While other polls conducted in November 2016 showed Clinton ahead by about five percentage points, the Trafalgar Group showed Trump leading by two points. On Election Day, Trump won Michigan by 0.3 points, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since 1988.

A similar story played out in Pennsylvania in 2016: Non-partisan public polls showed Clinton leading Trump by two to six points in the run-up to the election. Trafalgar showed Trump ahead by one point (the only poll showing Trump ahead), and he carried Pennsylvania by 0.7 points on Election Day.

John McCormack

About the Author

John McCormack

John McCormack is a former Washington correspondent for National Review and was a fellow at the National Review Institute.

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