‘I’m Scared To Death’: Frank Luntz Predicts Midterms May Mirror 2020, Fueling Claims Of ‘Stolen’ Election

Media ‘I’m Scared To Death’: Frank Luntz Predicts Midterms May Mirror 2020, Fueling Claims Of ‘Stolen’ Election Mark Joyella Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover political media–and media politics. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Oct 21, 2022, 10:04am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Pollster Frank Luntz, CEO, FIL, Inc. , predicts election results will appear to favor Republicans on . .

. [+] Election Night and then trend toward Democrats. (Photo by PATRICK T.

FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Pollster Frank Luntz says it’s beginning to feel like 2020 all over again. “I’m warning the markets now,” he told CNBC’s Squawk Box Friday, “I don’t think we’re going to have a clear result on Election Day. ” In the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Luntz predicted that then-President Trump would be leading on Election Night, but that in the “hours and days that followed, Biden would catch up, move ahead, and would eventually be elected president.

” That’s precisely what happened, and Trump pointed to his early lead as proof that the election had been “stolen. ” Luntz says he expects a similar pattern this November. “I’m scared,” he said.

“There are enough election deniers out there, candidates running, that are going to lose and are going to claim that they won and they won’t accept the election results. I am scared to death. ” WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 04: U.

S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump look on as . .

. [+] Vice President Mike Pence speaks on election night in the East Room of the White House in the early morning hours of November 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump spoke shortly after 2am with the presidential race against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden still too close to call.

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images MORE FOR YOU They Inherited Billions Upon Billions: Meet America’s Richest Heirs Stabilizing Proteins Might One Day Help Treat Cancer The Best iPad Keyboards Will Make Your Tablet A Productivity Powerhouse “We are going to have a problem in this country if Senate, Governor, or Secretary of State candidates lose by 2 or 3 percent and claim the election is stolen,” Luntz said, noting that “the American people do not trust the election counting. They do not trust the system right now. ” That cynicism, Luntz said, was largely a product of election deniers repeatedly claiming that the system is “rigged” or saying that they have “proof” of “widespread voter fraud,” which has never been proven.

Luntz says the way votes are counted plays into the election deniers’ narrative, since the first votes counted are the votes cast on Election Day, with people who voted by absentee ballot are counted third, and people who opted for early voting are counted second. “It should’ve been counted in order,” Luntz said. “It’ll look like Republicans are winning in the early evening, and then it’ll even out.

” Luntz predicts Republicans will take the House, but that Democrats—by a single seat—will hang on to the Senate. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Mark Joyella Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.