Presidential Forecast 10/21: 14 Days Left

by: Chris Bowers

Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 16:15


Here is the campaign at a glance:

Victory Chart
Obama needs one of these states to win it all
State EV's Obama % McCain % Margin # Polls
Virginia 13 52.5% 44.5% +8.0% 2
Colorado 9 51.0% 46.0% +5.0% 2
North Carolina 15 48.7% 46.0% +2.7% 6
Nevada* 5 48.5% 46.0% +2.5% 2
Ohio 20 47.7% 45.7% +2.0% 3
Missouri 11 47.0% 46.0% +1.0% 3
Florida 27 48.0% 47.5% +0.5% 4
* = If Obama only wins Nevada among these seven, that would force a 269-269 tie, which would almost certainly result in a victory in the House of Representatives, given the large Democratic lead there

Electoral College: Obama 301, McCain 171 Toss-up 66 (270 to win)


(Dark Blue (277): Obama +7.0% or more
Lean Blue (24): Obama +2.6%-+6.9%
White / Toss-up (66): Obama +2.5% to McCain +2.5%
Lean Red (30): McCain +2.6%-+6.9%
Dark Red (141): McCain +7.0% or more
)

Complete Tracking poll average
Org Obama McCain
ABC 53% 44%
Gallup* 51.5% 43.0%
GWU 48% 47%
Hotline 47% 41%
Rasmussen 50% 46%
R2000 50% 42%
TIPP 46.9% 40.9%
Zogby 50.3% 42.4%
Mean 49.6% 43.3%
* = Gallup is an average of their expanded and traditional likely voter models

I notice two things about these numbers. First, Obama is well ahead, with only 14 days left. Second, the number of states where he holds a statistically significant lead has shrunk to its lowest point since October 1st, at least in my reckoning. While that isn't the most heartwarming trend, with only 14 days left, there is good reason to be thankful that Obama built such a large advantage earlier in the month.

Update: New polls from Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina and West Virginia have been added.

Chris Bowers :: Presidential Forecast 10/21: 14 Days Left

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Shouldn't the header be changed... (0.00 / 0)
...to "needs Pennsylbania plus one of these..." given McCain's apparent (if terribly unlikely) strategy?  McCain knows he's losing Virginia but is going to try to flip Pa.

Two things (0.00 / 0)
A. It isn't his strategy. That was bad reporting.

B. I don't care what his strategy is. I'm not listing states that are further out than this.


[ Parent ]
On the other hand (0.00 / 0)
I agree about not including Pennsylvania for the purposes of these charts, but at some point it might be worthwhile to post separately about which states are key in terms of the campaigns' strategies.

[ Parent ]
look at where they are campaigning today... (0.00 / 0)
PA and NV....

i'm with al giordano on this: it is the first part of their strategy.  

this is not to say that i think you should be posting the PA polling at this point.  


[ Parent ]
Ok, but I didn't suggest LISTING Pa. -- (0.00 / 0)
just considering a change to the introductory line.  I would join you in considering Pa. quite safe.  As to the McCain strategy, I think Al Giordano has the best speculation on that.

[ Parent ]
Surprising (0.00 / 0)
Is Florida really down to just half a point lead? Yuck. I can't imagine Obama doing worse in Florida than Ohio.

On the other hand, Obama's gotten some monster numbers in Missouri from the pollsters with the very strongest track records; Rasmussen with 5 and 6 point leads, SurveyUSA with an 8 point lead. The only recent polls showing McCain up there are just by a point, and are from pollsters with a weaker record; Suffolk and CNN.

I think you should add a blowout chart, showing the spread in the states where McCain is clinging to a narrow lead.

Conduct your own interview of Sarah Palin!


Suffolk did give Obama a big lead in OH (0.00 / 0)
51-42.  So who knows what those guys are all about.

[ Parent ]
question (0.00 / 0)
Is this the regular Bowers Presidential Forecast or the "traditional" or the "expanded"? You're not really Serious until you have three models. Plus, it increases your odds of one of them being right.

Excellent summary (0.00 / 0)
Chris:

Thanks for posting this new format.  It gives a really great summary for a front page diary.  The one suggestion I have would be to include, below the fold, the Electoral College back-up data, as you have done previously.  This way, we can see what is going on in other states in one place for a deeper dive.  I think it might address the point above regarding PA.  

In general, though, this is great, and I really like the top line "Victory Chart."


Things will trend back towards Obama again... (0.00 / 0)
At least one more time...  I expect by next week FL and OH will leaning back towards Obama.  Polls tightened up slightly in the last week and that showed up in the state numbers.  It looks like the polls are again headed back in Obama's direction, so I imagine the state numbers will begin to reflect that by early next week.

After that, I have no idea which way the polls will go.  Hopefully they'll just continue to go in Obama's (and Democrat's overall) direction.


Agreed (0.00 / 0)
There was a short period, Friday through Sunday morning, when the media narrative seemed to be:

1)McCain had his best debate of the three (even though he lost)

2) McCain had the most memorable line "You should have ran four years ago."

3) McCain, the underdog, is making his move.

4) Polls are tightening (Drudge was doing some heavy handed cherry picking for the 'comeback kid poll' Gallup by 2, Zogby by 3, some obscure firm by 2.

...then, after the Powell endorsement (I'm not saying it was connected), everything and every poll went our way. I look to see the State polls widen again. It's getting obvious that McCain is drawing his last political breath.


[ Parent ]
I do not think you got the 12th Amendment Right (0.00 / 0)
The 12th Amendment Reads as follows with respect to President:

"The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President."

So, in a tie, it is a vote by state delegations.   California gets one vote; Alaska gets one vote.  Do the Democrats control the majority of the state delegations?   I do not know.    


I know that (0.00 / 0)
And Democrats have a wide lead among state delegations (27-21-2 ties, I believe), even before the coming elections.

[ Parent ]
Great (0.00 / 0)
Misunderstood you as just looking at the number of seats for each party.  Should have known better.  Sorry about that.

[ Parent ]
The Incoming House Votes (0.00 / 0)
Tie Vote? Obama-McCain Electoral Tie Scenario. The newly elected and re-elected House members would vote.

[ Parent ]
Current Split (0.00 / 0)
The current split is 26-21-3 (Arizona, Kansas  and Mississippi).

[ Parent ]
Nate Silver has a nice analysis on this issue (0.00 / 0)
He looked at the likely make up of each state delegation in the House, after the upcoming election.  It's a little dated, so it misses many likely Democratic pick-ups in the House, but still worth the read.

[ Parent ]
Chris, Missouri Should Be Changed to White (0.00 / 0)


I thought I had (0.00 / 0)
Thanks for catching that. Fixed.

[ Parent ]
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