Steve Kornacki keeps his preparation simple, relying on the excitement of the event to keep him going. He carves out two hours in the afternoon to take a walk and clear his head, ignoring anecdotal turnout reports that he considers useless.
Kornacki is cautiously optimistic that results will come quicker due to a significant decrease in vote-by-mail volume, which caused delays in 2020. Additionally, some states have improved their vote-counting procedures, and others have gained more experience with handling mail-in ballots.
Kornacki is closely monitoring the Atlanta metro area, particularly Fayette County, to see if Democrats are expanding their support in the suburbs. He’s also watching Cherokee and Forsyth Counties to assess whether Trump has arrested the Republican slide in these areas. Additionally, he’s looking at rural counties with significant Black populations to gauge Democratic turnout.
Osceola County, just south of Orlando, is a majority Hispanic county with a high concentration of Puerto Rican voters. It’s a key indicator of Trump’s gains with Hispanic voters, as he improved his margin there by 11 points in 2020. A strong performance by Trump in Osceola could signal broader success with Hispanic voters.
In Michigan and Wisconsin, the share of white, non-college-educated voters—a key part of Trump’s base—has shrunk by two points since 2020. This demographic shift makes it harder for Trump to replicate his previous success, potentially benefiting Harris if she maximizes support from her core coalition.
First, Democratic enthusiasm for Harris is at the same level as it was for Barack Obama in 2008. Second, Harris has narrowed Trump’s lead on the economy, a top issue for voters. Third, demographic shifts in key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin have moved in the Democrats’ favor, making it harder for Trump to win.
Introducing Election Night Cheat Sheet (feat. Steve Kornacki) from Pod Save America.
Follow the show: Pod Save America)
With just two days to go, Dan sits down with Election Night guru and NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki for a pre-election deep dive. Steve breaks down the state of the race, shares insights on key battleground states, trends among key voter groups, and which counties he's watching to signal election night outcomes. Then, Steve and Dan dig into close Senate and House races, plus some quirks in ballot-counting that could affect how quickly we get results.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here). For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.
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