‘You Don’t Know That’: Scott Jennings Cautions GOP Against Banking On Trump To ‘Overperform’ As Race Tightens

CNN’s Scott Jennings warned Republicans on Tuesday against banking on former President Donald Trump to overperform the polls in the upcoming election, as he has done in the past.

Polls between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump have tightened over the last few weeks, with data showing a tug-of-war battle between the two for the key swing states that could decide the outcome of the election. On “Anderson Cooper 360,” CNN host Anderson Cooper asked Jennings for his thoughts on the polls, to which the political commentator questioned how many undecided voters are truly polled.

“I think it’s close. I‘ve wondered if all media outlets had just not taken any polls for the last six months, what will we do with all the money? We’d have an amazing Christmas party, you know? I mean, it‘s a tied race — it’s tied nationally, it‘s tied in these swing states,” Jennings said.

“I think some of these people who are undecided tell pollsters that because they want to seem like they‘re discerning. But they have a gut feeling about how they feel about, certainly, Donald Trump. They may not have as much of a gut about Kamala Harris because she‘s come into the race lesser known. I agree with Ashley, I think some people are deciding whether to vote at all,” Jennings added.

Jennings went on to state how both Trump and Harris need voters to head to the polls with less than seven days to go, cautioning Republicans after highlighting their feelings of confidence.

“I think for Trump, it’s this low propensity play — low propensity men. People who have little engagement with the news, little engagement with our civic affairs in this country. Maybe they never vote, maybe they only voted once or twice in their lives,” Jennings said. “Getting them out is obviously vital. For Harris, she has her own cohort of voters that are in the same boat, like people who need to be given a vibe about this is going to manifestly impact my life if I don‘t get out and do this.”

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“I think ultimately, at the end of the race, I agree with Gretchen. There is something about these events and the news cycles that give you a certain kind of energy or a vibe about a campaign. I’ll just say Republicans feel confident,” Jennings continued. “Some people are taking it as an article of faith that he will overperform because he did in the last two elections. I would just caution everyone to say, you don‘t know that. He might, but you don‘t really know that. You cannot take that to the bank. So if you’re expecting that on election night, just know it’s not something you can necessarily bank.”

Since Friday, political pundits have pointed out Republicans are performing better than they have in past elections in early voting in states like Nevada, Georgia and New Jersey. While concerns have risen among Democrats about Harris losing ground with key voting blocs, including Hispanic and black men, the vice president regained a slight lead in Michigan and Wisconsin following Trump’s previous advantage across the seven main swing states on Oct. 18, according to RealClearPolitics polling averages.