CNN’s Michael Smerconish argued on Friday that no “October surprise,” no matter how juicy, will make a major impact on the presidential race, which the commentator called the “most insane” he’s ever witnessed.
Smerconish joined Kasie Hunt on CNN This Morning and in a discussion about political scandals making last-minute impacts on races, he argued this is a unique race that is above such swings, as evidenced by the long road of controversy that’s already behind us all.
“The Access Hollywood tape that you played I think represented the ninth time in that cycle where I said, well, Trump’s done, he’s never going to come back from this, and, of course, I was wrong in every one of those instances,” Smerconish said, referring to the infamous 2016 Access Hollywood tape in which former President Donald Trump was caught on a hot mic making sexist and crude remarks about women.
Smerconish acknowledged there are a number of major issues at play that should all have potentially big impacts on the race, but the polling has yet to show anything making a big splash. He referenced Hurricane Helene, conflict in the Middle East, and the new lengthy motion filed by Special Counsel Jack Smith in Trump’s election interference case.
Smerconish noted a number of animal-related controversies involving political figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) have only added to the foundation of ridiculousness making up this election cycle.
“My opinion is there’s a lot in play, but none of it is going to matter. This is the most insane cycle that I’ve ever seen in my life. Do you remember Kristi Noem and the goat? Do you remember Kristi Noem and the dog? Do you remember RFK and the bear? RFK and the whale? RFK and the journalist? I mean, I can’t keep up with all these things, but none of them seem to move the needle because when it’s all said and done, we’re at 50-50, and it comes down to seven states and they’re all within the margin of error,” he said.
The election, Smerconish argued, comes down to who is more organized and can get more to the polls in key swing states, even if there are “shockers” still ahead in the news cycle.
“I still think there are going to be some shockers. I don’t know what they’ll be, but my hunch is if you and I are having a conversation the Friday before the election — we’re probably going to say, who the hell knows?” he said. “It’s 50-50 and it comes down to seven states and they’re all within the margin of error.”
Watch above via CNN.
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