Long-time GOP strategist Margaret Hoover claimed former President Donald Trump's campaign could be scrambling due to concerning internal polling and early voting data, which she says may suggest missed turnout targets.
In a Wednesday evening panel on "The Source" hosted by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, the GOP campaign strategist wondered whether the campaign’s own detailed internals were spelling doom.
“I think if you’re the Trump campaign, you’re not looking at CNN’s numbers, you’re looking at your own internals,” Hoover said. “And I honestly think their internals are actually giving them pause.”
Hoover noted that campaigns have the resources for more sophisticated polling operations than media outlets, but trends like turnout and enthusiasm were already easy to glimpse.
“They’re probably seeing the same things that you guys are talking about, which is that there is a real groundswell in the early vote, there is real enthusiasm, which is hard to measure,” Hoover noted.
Since early voting began, women have cast ballots at a much higher rate than men, a signal Kamala Harris's campaign is optimistic about, per Politico. Harris polled roughly 14 points better than Trump among women in a recent ABC/Ipsos poll.
“I have heard from Republicans that there is concern at the Trump campaign, amongst the operatives that actually do know the political wherewithal that the turnout and enthusiasm numbers are not where they need to be,” the Bush-era operative said.
The Trump campaign, seemingly optimistic about its chances in the crucial swing states, is spending the final stretch of the race rallying in New Mexico and Virginia, states the ex-president lost by at least 10-point margins in 2020.
Watch the full segment here:
