Beltway media freaks out over one poll after telling everyone not to freak out over one poll
A new poll dropped recently that had Twitter abuzz. The result was unexpected, outside the norm, and people wondered if it might mean change was afoot in the midterm.
No, not The New York Times/Siena poll, the Iowa Des Moines Register poll conducted by Selzer & Co. showing seven-term GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley leading his Democratic rival, retired U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Franken, by just three points, 46%-43%.
The poll, released Saturday, showed a much tighter Iowa Senate race than anyone thought possible and cut against the recent Beltway media narrative that Republicans have regained momentum. It's not the first time storied pollster J. Ann Selzer has killed D.C. conventional wisdom. Several days before the 2020 election, her firm published a poll showing Donald Trump leading Iowa by 7 points—much better than other polls—and giving incumbent GOP Sen. Joni Ernst a more comfortable 4-point lead over her Democratic rival, Theresa Greenfield.