‘Can We Catch a Break?’ CNN Data Guru Breaks Down Why Polling May Be Overestimating ‘Lefties’

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten sounded the alarm Wednesday on pre-election polls overstating the popularity of progressive candidates.

The CNN News Central segment came hours after Francesca Hong’s defeat in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race.

Leading up to Tuesday’s primary, Hong consistently polled way ahead of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

“I mean, my God, can we catch a break here?” Enten said. “Look at this: ‘Polls Overstate Lefties in Dem Primaries.’ You know, last week it was 10 points. You think 10 points is a lot? How about 20 points in Wisconsin? Now, I will note that in this case, Wisconsin had some light candidate switches, candidates coming out, candidates leaving the race. I was suspect, after what happened in Michigan, that the polling that showed Francesca Hong up by about 20 points was actually going to come to fruition; but it did happen again. The polls overstated the lefties in Wisconsin just like they did in another Great Lakes battleground state of Michigan.”

Asked by John Berman why the polling has been so off, Enten speculated that it may have something to do with younger voters. He pointed out that both Hong and Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed both won the five counties in their respective states with the highest share of under-40 voters. The polling, he argued, may have “too many” young progressives participating, and giving an exaggerated sense of the candidates’ popularity.

“You’ve got to look at these results and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, maybe Johnny, maybe these polls are overestimating how much that Democratic socialism is rising within the Democratic Party,'” Enten continued, “because in two key statewide races in a row, what we’ve seen is the left is being vastly overestimated; and in the case of Wisconsin, the Democratic Socialist being vastly overestimated by 20 points.”

Watch above via CNN.

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