Staff Reports
Dana Perino told viewers on Jesse Watters Primetime, “I don’t think the polls matter at all,” and that little dismissal is worth watching. When a Fox News co-anchor says polls don’t matter on the eve of the midterms, she’s not just questioning methodology — she’s handing the GOP a message strategy and telling millions how to think about election day. That matters to voters, volunteers, and campaigns on the ground.
Perino blows off the polls — and that’s a choice, not an accident
Her line was blunt and unequivocal: polls don’t matter. Said on primetime, heard by millions, it’s less analysis and more pep talk — the kind of rhetoric meant to tamp down panic and stoke action. In practice, it’s a two-part play: deny the bad headlines, and push the base to the polls.
Why the GOP likes the “ignore the polls” script
Campaigns have been laying the groundwork for this for weeks. If polls are unreliable, you’re not supposed to stay home because a headline says your side’s behind; you’re supposed to knock doors, drop off ballots, and make your presence felt. That message lands in county halls, local campaign offices, and among volunteers whose phone banks and text lists suddenly light up with “don’t trust the polls — vote.” It’s practical politics, not intellectual honesty.
Analysts and modelers, meanwhile, are rolling their eyes. Data shops that build forecasts still treat polls as useful signals — imperfect, adjustable, and always in need of context — not dead-on-arrival. Saying polls “don’t matter at all” throws out useful tools for measuring turnout and trends, and risks leaving campaigns blind to genuine shifts where they should be reallocating resources.
There’s also a real-world cost. When elected officials are chosen because turnout outmaneuvered polling expectations, policy changes follow — taxes, court picks, regulation, school boards. For the small-business owner worried about red tape, or the parent watching curriculum fights in their local district, how people interpret polling isn’t abstract; it helps decide whether they pull a ballot or scroll past the election notice.
If polls are meaningless, why do campaigns pour millions into polling firms and private models? If they matter, why broadcast doubt as a strategy? Either way, one thing’s clear: voters will decide whether they let a TV anchor tell them how seriously to take democracy — or whether they show up anyway. Which will you choose?
