With just 22 days left until election day, John and Jeremy Zogby break down the latest battleground polling and state of the race in this special edition of Real Polling in Real Time. Using Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach’s famous victory cigar as a metaphor, John and Jeremy analyze whether Democrats are positioned to take back control of Congress—or if late-stage “October Surprises” and voter uncertainty could change the trajectory.
In this episode, we cover:
The “Cigar Test”: Why solid Senate leads in key states like North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Georgia have Democrats pulling out the victory cigars—even if it’s too early to light them.
The “Empty Suit” Problem: How Democrats are capitalizing on anti-Trump sentiment while still struggling to offer concrete policy solutions on core affordability issues.
GOP Desperation & October Surprises: Analyzing internal Republican panic, the fallout from the ICE raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home, and whether high-risk tactics will backfire with independent voters.
Foreign Policy & Escalations: The impact of a surging war in Iran, US-Saudi relations, and a controversial side deal with Vladimir Putin over Russian diesel fuel.
The Final Stretch: How hundreds of millions of dollars are being targeted at just 7 million undecided voters to decide the outcome.
Make sure you’re subscribed to get the latest polling insights as we head into the midterms.
