Politics
‘UNMISTAKABLE’: Pollster Nate Silver Reveals MAJOR Shift To Trump Over Past Week
The latest from renowned pollster Nate Silver has given an update on the political landscape in the ever-unpredictable world of American politics. With just over a few months until the 2024 presidential election, Silver’s newest forecast unveiled a potentially game-changing shift in the race.
For those closely monitoring the polls, the latest update from Silver Bulletin, the successor to Silver’s famed FiveThirtyEight election forecast, presented a startling picture. According to Silver, this week has brought on a dramatic surge in support for former President Donald Trump, a trend that could redefine the dynamics of the upcoming election.
As Silver succinctly put it, “We’re seeing a lot of bad polling numbers for Joe Biden over the past 24 hours — although to be more precise, what we’re really seeing is Trump’s numbers spiking while Biden’s remain depressed.”
With Trump now enjoying a renewed wave of support, Joe Biden finds himself at a critical juncture. The latest data from Silver’s model shows Biden’s chances of winning the Electoral College have plummeted to 26 percent.
Today's model update. A lot of polling in since yesterday, and we're seeing an unmistakable spike for Trump, who is now up almost 4 points in our national polling average. https://t.co/vsGVG189Sa pic.twitter.com/6o8L3VKWSI
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 19, 2024
Silver’s model, which has earned a reputation for its accuracy and thoroughness, takes into account a multitude of factors. The methodology, largely unchanged from its FiveThirtyEight origins, excludes COVID-19 provisions introduced in 2020 but retains its comprehensive approach.
Silver stated that the polling averages are “a little fancy,” adjusting for whether polls are conducted among registered or likely voters, the presence or absence of other candidates like RFK Jr., and various “house effects.” These refinements ensure that the model weighs more reliable polls more heavily and uses national polls to make inferences about state polls and vice versa.
However, Silver also noted a degree of caution in the model, especially around party conventions. He explained, “The model is designed to be cautious around the party conventions: it’s shaving a little bit off Trump’s numbers and also hedging toward its pre-convention forecast. If Trump sustains these numbers, the forecast will continue to get worse for Biden.”
The recent uptick in Trump’s polling coincides with the GOP Convention and the assassination attempt against him. These factors seem to have galvanized his base, propelling his numbers upward. Silver described this moment as “something of an inflection point.”
At the spirited RNC Thursday night, Trump stepped into the spotlight once again, accepting the GOP presidential nomination for an unprecedented third time. The event marked Trump’s return to the public stage. As Biden recuperates in Delaware from a positive COVID-19 test, his absence has amplified whispers of dissent within Democratic ranks. Questions are intensifying over whether he should persevere in his reelection bid amidst growing isolation from party allies.
“Needless to say, stranger things have happened than a candidate who was behind in the polls winning. And in America’s polarized political climate, most elections are close and a candidate is rarely out of the running,” Silver finished.
“So here is how our model translates polls and the other inputs it uses into probabilities in the Electoral College and the popular vote in every state — plus some nightmare scenarios like a repeat of the 2000 Florida recount. (It’s more likely than you might think, alas.) We’re not afraid of playing the percentages here — even to the decimal place.”
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