Pollster John McLaughlin: GOP will outperform phony polls

Pollster John McLaughlin told Newsmax on Saturday that Republicans will outperform what he called "phony polls" in Tuesday's midterm elections, singling out New York House races where he said GOP candidates are running strong. Appearing on "America Right Now", the co-founder of McLaughlin & Associates urged Republicans to keep voting through Election Day. "Republicans are coming out, but they got to keep coming out because the election is on Tuesday," he said. "You can't believe the phony polls," McLaughlin said. "Remember that at this time two years ago, Kamala Harris was going to be president?" He took aim at the Siena Research Institute, whose Oct. 19-22 survey of 807 likely voters put New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, ahead of Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman 54% to 40%, with an 11-percentage-point lead among independents. The poll, conducted by phone and text-to-web and weighted to the state voter file, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points; subgroup margins are larger. "Siena has them losing independents. Every other pollster has them winning independents in New York," McLaughlin said. A Marist poll conducted Oct. 22-25 showed Blakeman leading among self-identified independent likely voters 49% to 39%, though it also had Hochul ahead overall among likely voters, 53% to 42%. The statewide likely voter results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. McLaughlin said Blakeman is leading in Nassau County and in New York's 3rd and 4th congressional districts, which he said could help Republican challengers Mike LiPetri and Jeanine Driscoll defeat Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, respectively, both D-N.Y. Siena, by contrast, found Hochul and Blakeman running virtually even in the downstate suburbs. Democrats, McLaughlin said, are "running heavy, heavy, negative ads." He also said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is "doing very well" in a district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 211,870 to 137,909 as of February, though City & State reported the most recent independent poll showed Democrat Cait Conley ahead by 2 percentage points. McLaughlin predicted Republicans would hold the upper chamber. "But we keep the Senate, and we're going to be upset that we move some money out of the congressional races into the red states to keep the Senate," he said. "But we'll come closer than people expect, and it'll give President Trump a lot to work with for the next two years." Read more here: NewsMax