Strategists debate: Does Donald Trump still have a shot?
With Election Day quickly approaching, does Donald Trump still have a shot on Election Day? On CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday morning, strategists from both parties weighed in.
“I don’t know any consultant on either side, any strategist, who privately believes that Donald Trump is going to win this election,” said Democratic strategist David Axelrod. “I think Hillary Clinton’s in a very strong position right now.”
Axelrod went on to say that, with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s lead in the polls widening, the focus of the election will shift to down-ballot races like the battle for the Senate.
“The question now that you hear is what impact will it have down the ballot,” he said. “And I think that’s where the focus is going to be.”
Frank Luntz, a longtime Republican pollster, said Trump’s slide is due to the fact that his campaign is in large part because of a campaign “discipline” problem: his message plays well with voters, but he can’t seem to stay on message long enough for that to stick.
“I have never seen a campaign that has less discipline, less focus, less of an effective vision at a time when more Americans are demanding a change in their government works,” Luntz said. “This should have been a slam dunk for the GOP.”
“If he had stayed the voice and the vision for those people who’ve been left behind, this race would be a lot different than it is right now,” he added.
Axelrod agreed, saying Trump has made himself “the issue” at every turn in the campaign.
“Donald Trump has become the issue in this campaign. He has made himself that, he has made himself the center of discussion and that has overwhelmed every other issue,” he said. “So even though she’s going into this election with historically high liabilities, in comparison to Trump she’s doing quite well.”
As for Trump’s claims that the election is “rigged” against him, and that he will not promise to respect the results on Election Day, Luntz said the rhetoric Trump is using is “toxic” for faith in the democratic system.
“There’s always been the concern that, particularly in urban America, people that shouldn’t be voting are,” Luntz said. “The problem ... is that it is a poison, it’s toxic.”
And it will make it harder for whoever wins to govern next year, Luntz added.
“The more that that grows, the more impossible it will be after this election to govern,” he said.
