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Former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina warns that the early voting data for Harris is “a little scary.”
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Former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina warns that the early voting data for Harris is “a little scary.”

Early voting data looks “a little scary” for Vice President Kamala Harris, former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina admitted Sunday.

Messina said the data — which showed an increase in turnout among GOP early voters — caused several of my “friends to describe me as panicking.”

“The early voting numbers are a little scary,” the 2012 Obama adviser admitted on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.” “The Republicans didn’t do what they did last time.

“Last time (Donald) Trump said, 'Don't vote early,' so they didn't. Republicans have an advantage (this time) in the number of early voters. When the first votes come in, it's going to look a little different than 2020, and that's scary,” he said.


Jim Messina said it's going to be
Jim Messina said it's going to be “a little scary” for Kamala Harris. AFP via Getty Images

Republican early turnout has surged in four battleground states, signaling a collapse in the party, according to a series of data a source close to the Trump campaign previously shared with The Post.

This data includes an increase of 9 points in Arizona, 9 points in North Carolina, 4 points in Nevada and 22 points in Pennsylvania compared to 2020 in returned mail and early voting by registered Republicans.

But Messina emphasized that he also sees some bright spots for Harris – most notably the high turnout of female voters.


In this 2010 photo from the West Wing, President Obama speaks with Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina. Pete Souza – White House via CNP

“Female voters make up 55% of early voters, and over the past 10 days, young voters in these battleground states have turned in what appear to be historic early voting numbers,” he said.

That could be good news for Harris because virtually all polls show Democrats doing significantly better with female voters than Republicans. Harris' campaign also sought to win over women, including by highlighting abortion rights.

But the Trump campaign has privately relied on data from Democratic pundit Tom Bonier's website showing that women's turnout increased by about 170,011 in Arizona, 46,732 in Georgia, 204,856 in Michigan, 154,459 in North Carolina, in Nevada by 126,112, in Pennsylvania by 450,802 and by 238,452 in Wisconsin, relative to this point in the 2020 cycle.

Additionally, compared to this point in the 2020 cycle, urban voter turnout is down 385,285 in Arizona, 153,846 in Georgia, 321,523 in Michigan, 175,470 in North Carolina, 191,199 in Nevada, 381,519 in Pennsylvania, and 100,733 in Wisconsin . Democrats traditionally take over urban areas.

In the 2024 cycle, the Trump-Vance campaign and Republicans in general have made something of a concerted effort to urge their voters to show up early to close the early voting loophole that vexed them four years ago.

Ultimately, most polls see the presidential contest between Trump and Harris as a deadlock, and both sides expect the race to be very close.

“When the polls are so close, you're not really sure about anything,” former Obama adviser David Axelrod told CNN over the weekend. “And it really matters who shows up because these polls are not accurate.

“This race today is full of uncertainty.”

Axelrod also claimed that Trump is “not finishing well” and alluded to recent controversies that have surfaced in the final days of the 2024 cycle, such as the GOP nominee's joke on Sunday that he “wouldn't mind.” , if a sniper had to shoot through “the fake news” to get to him, and controversy over the Puerto Rico remark he made at his Madison Square Garden rally.

“He actually supports their message last week, which is going to make Republicans uncomfortable,” Axelrod said. “I'm sure (Republicans) would like to see him stick with that prompter a little bit more and deliver the message that they believe will help him win this election.”

“But he doesn’t finish well. She finishes in a much more disciplined manner.”

“The Republicans didn’t do what they did last time,” Messina continued. “Last time Trump said not to vote early, so they didn’t. Republicans actually have an advantage in early voting numbers. When the first votes come in, it’s going to look a little different than 2020, and that’s scary.”

Still, Messina emphasized that a bright spot for Democrats was the large turnout from female voters and other key groups.

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