Trump Files Lawsuit Against Iowa Polling Firm Over Survey Indicating Harris in the Lead
Despite winning Iowa by more than 13 points, the president-elect has initiated legal action against pollster J. Ann Selzer.
TroibNews 
President-elect Donald Trump is taking legal action against retired Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer over a pre-election survey that indicated Vice President Kamala Harris was ahead in the state, labeling it as “brazen election interference.”
The unexpected poll, which gained national attention due to Selzer’s established success in Iowa, was ultimately proven inaccurate as Trump secured the state by over 13 points. Nonetheless, Trump continues to assert that the poll was designed to sway the election results.
"While Selzer is not the only pollster to engage in this corrupt practice, she had a huge platform and following and, thus, a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters," the lawsuit contends.
This legal action signals an intensification of Trump’s commitment to pursue litigation against media outlets he deems biased. The lawsuit against Selzer follows Trump’s recent settlement of a separate lawsuit involving ABC News and its political anchor George Stephanopoulos for $15 million.
The lawsuit was lodged in Polk County, Iowa, citing the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. Trump’s legal team argues that erroneous polls compel Republicans to “divert campaign time and money to areas in which they are ahead” and “deceives the public into believing that Democrat candidates are performing better than they really are.”
In an interview with a local PBS station prior to the filing of the lawsuit, Selzer expressed that she is taking Trump’s accusations “very seriously,” but admitted to feeling “mystified about what motivation anybody thinks I had and would act on in such a public poll.”
“The idea that I intentionally set up to deliver this response, when I’ve never done that before … I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do it,” she stated. “It’s not my ethic.”
Trump revealed his intention to sue during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, stating, “I’m not doing this because I want to. I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to.”
The lawsuit also names the Des Moines Register, which published Selzer’s poll, along with its parent company, Gannett.
"We have acknowledged that the Selzer/Des Moines Register pre-election poll did not reflect the ultimate margin of President Trump’s Election Day victory in Iowa by releasing the poll’s full demographics, crosstabs, weighted and unweighted data, as well as a technical explanation from pollster Ann Selzer,” said Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for the Des Moines Register. “We stand by our reporting on the matter and believe this lawsuit is without merit."
Gannett directed all comments to the Register’s statement. Two weeks post-election, Selzer announced her retirement from election polling.
“Would I have liked to make this announcement after a final poll aligned with Election Day results? Of course,” Selzer shared in an op-ed for the Register regarding her last poll. “It’s ironic that it’s just the opposite.”
Trump’s lawsuit alleges that Selzer’s poll was not merely incorrect, as many polls can be, but an “attempt to influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election.”
Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
The unexpected poll, which gained national attention due to Selzer’s established success in Iowa, was ultimately proven inaccurate as Trump secured the state by over 13 points. Nonetheless, Trump continues to assert that the poll was designed to sway the election results.
"While Selzer is not the only pollster to engage in this corrupt practice, she had a huge platform and following and, thus, a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters," the lawsuit contends.
This legal action signals an intensification of Trump’s commitment to pursue litigation against media outlets he deems biased. The lawsuit against Selzer follows Trump’s recent settlement of a separate lawsuit involving ABC News and its political anchor George Stephanopoulos for $15 million.
The lawsuit was lodged in Polk County, Iowa, citing the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. Trump’s legal team argues that erroneous polls compel Republicans to “divert campaign time and money to areas in which they are ahead” and “deceives the public into believing that Democrat candidates are performing better than they really are.”
In an interview with a local PBS station prior to the filing of the lawsuit, Selzer expressed that she is taking Trump’s accusations “very seriously,” but admitted to feeling “mystified about what motivation anybody thinks I had and would act on in such a public poll.”
“The idea that I intentionally set up to deliver this response, when I’ve never done that before … I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do it,” she stated. “It’s not my ethic.”
Trump revealed his intention to sue during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, stating, “I’m not doing this because I want to. I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to.”
The lawsuit also names the Des Moines Register, which published Selzer’s poll, along with its parent company, Gannett.
"We have acknowledged that the Selzer/Des Moines Register pre-election poll did not reflect the ultimate margin of President Trump’s Election Day victory in Iowa by releasing the poll’s full demographics, crosstabs, weighted and unweighted data, as well as a technical explanation from pollster Ann Selzer,” said Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for the Des Moines Register. “We stand by our reporting on the matter and believe this lawsuit is without merit."
Gannett directed all comments to the Register’s statement. Two weeks post-election, Selzer announced her retirement from election polling.
“Would I have liked to make this announcement after a final poll aligned with Election Day results? Of course,” Selzer shared in an op-ed for the Register regarding her last poll. “It’s ironic that it’s just the opposite.”
Trump’s lawsuit alleges that Selzer’s poll was not merely incorrect, as many polls can be, but an “attempt to influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election.”
Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
