Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster, shared on Sunday with Jonathan Karl of ABC News that whoever advised Vice President Harris to center her campaign around former President Trump made a serious strategic error.
“We’ve all seen what Trump represents; we experienced it for four years. Whoever pushed her to focus on him miscalculated, because opinions on Trump are set, and the focus needed to be on her,” Luntz remarked on This Week.
This past week, Harris was defeated in the presidential race by President-elect Trump, who secured victories in seven key battleground states, including six that President Biden had won in 2020.
Luntz further highlighted how Trump resonated strongly with male voters this election, describing him as “their voice.” He explained, “Men felt sidelined, overlooked, as if they didn’t matter anymore.” He stressed that Democrats cannot rely solely on female voters and must engage men as well.
“These moderate, middle-income, middle-class men—what I call ‘M cubed’—are crucial for winning any election, and they felt let down by Harris,” Luntz added. Exit polls from ABC News revealed that Trump held a considerable lead over Harris among voters who prioritized leadership and the promise of change in a candidate.
Trump also saw an increase in support among Latino men, with 55 percent favoring him this year, compared to 59 percent for Biden in 2020, according to CNN exit polls.