NEW BERN, North Carolina — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) isn’t buying the flurry of polls forecasting a potential blue wave in next month’s midterm elections, instead attributing the GOP’s standing to difficulty in reaching their own voters.
In a brief interview with the Washington Examiner after a campaign stop with North Carolina GOP candidate Laurie Buckhout, Johnson said low Republican participation is an issue with “polling across the board, even with our own polling.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to get Republicans to respond because they have a tendency to just distrust polling in general, and they’re not sure who’s making that call, so they don’t want to participate,” the speaker said.
“The polling organizations are acknowledging this,” Johnson said.
The Pew Research Center wrote in an article published on Sept. 16 that there is “growing evidence that Republicans have become slightly less likely than Democrats to take part in polls — especially in presidential elections — which may have led to underestimates of the strength of Donald Trump and other Republican candidates in 2016, 2020 and 2024.”
The nonpartisan research organization said while the issue appears to be less of a problem during midterm cycles, “even in 2022 some polls underestimated support for Republican candidates.”
“So we don’t pay attention to polls,” Johnson said. “We haven’t for the last few cycles, and I think that the Democrats are trying to use the polls to make this self-fulfilling prophecy that our turnout will be dampened.”
He continued, “But we have to keep telling people — keep their eye on the prize and don’t — just disregard that. It’s false.”
Republicans are facing significant headwinds heading into the November elections, as polling shows them losing ground in several House races across the country amid anger over the rising cost of living due to tariffs and the Iran war. An AARP poll released on Thursday shows Democrats leading Republicans by 3 points on the generic ballot, with 49% of respondents backing Democrats compared to 46% supporting Republicans.
TRUMP AND DEMOCRATS MAKE THE ELECTION ABOUT TRUMP
Still, Johnson urged attendees at the Buckhout rally at the Copper Ridge barn not to “buy” what polls are saying.
“They are oversampling Democrats,” Johnson said. “You know why? Because Republicans don’t trust pollsters anymore. We don’t. So what they’re trying to do is get us dispirited. They’re trying to discourage turnout.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
