House Speaker Johnson dismisses poll forecasts as fundamentally flawed

On a Sunday news program, House Speaker Mike Johnson asserted that one outlet's polls projecting a Democratic edge in the forthcoming midterm elections are wrong due to faulty analysis. He pointed to recent revelations that two polling organizations produced fraudulent results and cited a report indicating that 14 of the last 16 October polls under-sampled Republicans by about four points. Johnson said traditional pollsters are now missing Republican respondents, who are increasingly reluctant to answer surveys.

He described his recent visits to 21 states and 39 districts, emphasizing large crowds and high enthusiasm comparable to the 2024 presidential campaign. In a live audience, he asked attendees who had taken a poll in the past six months, noting only a few hands were raised, which he used to illustrate his claim that polls are broadly off-base.