Some pollsters think their results are exaggerating Democrats’ support, and angry ex-Trumpers are the cause

Published October 14, 2026 11:48am ET | Updated October 15, 2026 8:39am ET



Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of Washington Secrets. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, CLICK HERE. Today we go full-on polling nerd to look at one issue that could be overestimating support for Democrats. But don’t get carried away — Republicans are still likely to take a beating. Plus, the bookmakers are coming for Katie Zacharia after her first White House briefing.

In 2024, a rash of cheap online polls skewed forecasts, underestimating Donald Trump’s eventual margin of victory.

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