A top aide to Kamala Harris said that internal surveys revealed the VP was never ahead of Trump in the swing states, and that the campaign was relying on hope leading up to the election.
Harris was "surprised" to see herself in the lead according to public polls, according to David Plouffe, who had previously stated that she began the race trailing Trump, as Breitbart News reported.
When asked about the surprise, he attributed it to the release of public surveys in late September and early October that revealed leads that had previously been invisible.
Plouffe, who advised President Barack Obama's successful campaigns in 2008 and 2012 spoke about the race on the Pod Save America podcast on Tuesday.
Internal analytics, Plouffe said, showed Harris tied with Trump in Wisconsin 47-47 and Trump leading in Pennsylvania 48-47.
"I think we were, you know, we were hopeful. I don't know how optimistic we were, but we thought, okay, this is tied," he said.
Also, Plouffe conceded that Harris's debate performance, which they deemed excellent, did not have the desired impact on the margins.
"I think even after the debate, we might have gained what, 0.51. It wasn't a race that moved a lot," he said.
He conceded that turnout was lower than anticipated in some areas but said the campaign had hoped that undecided voters would switch to Harris.
"You know, you've got to have undecided break your way more than your opponents, and you've got to get a little benefit from turnout, which we weren't able to do," he said.
Plouffe conceded there was no progress in the race after spending more than $1 billion on the campaign.
There was a discussion on the reliability of polls after Plouffe made his remarks, considering that the reporting on the polls was so wildly different in a number of outlets and from a number of pollsters leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
Despite repeated criticism from Democrats who felt the polls were too optimistic for Trump, pollster Rasmussen Reports used the news to bolster their claims that their polls were the most accurate.
"Plouffe said the campaign’s internal polling NEVER HAD HER AHEAD OF TRUMP," the poll company wrote on X, highlighting results. "You mean, internally, it looked something like - this?"
"Plouffe said the campaign’s internal polling NEVER HAD HER AHEAD OF TRUMP."
You mean, internally, it looked something like - this? https://t.co/iGKub3d6iE pic.twitter.com/2dbmP92Es1
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) November 27, 2024
