CNN anchor Chris Wallace said that it would take a “miracle” for Vice President Kamala Harris to beat former President Donald Trump after the network’s first exit poll found that most voters are unhappy with the state of the country.
CNN released its first glimpse of the 2024 election results a little after 5 p.m. ET Tuesday. Exit polling is expected to shift throughout the night as more responses are collected.
In the poll, 43 percent of voters said they are “dissatisfied” with “the way things are going in the United States.” Another 29 percent said they feel “angry.”
Only 7 percent of voters said they are “enthusiastic” about the state of the country and 19 percent said they are “satisfied.”
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on November 4. CNN’s first exit poll of the 2024 election showed that a majority of Americans are happy with the current state of the country.
More
Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
“In conventional terms, it would be a miracle that Kamala Harris could win with that kind of headwind,” Wallace said during a panel on CNN Tuesday evening.
CNN’s poll also found that the majority of voters are dissatisfied with President Joe Biden, whose approval rating is 41 percent, based on the responses collected so far.
“If she overcomes those numbers and still wins this election, then she [would have] done a remarkable job of somehow separating herself,” Wallace added, “that she’s part of the solution and not part of the problem.”
CNN anchor Dana Bash offered a different perspective on the panel alongside Wallace, saying, “[what] we don’t know, because this is such a different election, is whether the dissatisfaction or anger will be taken out on Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
“Because they both, effectively—Harris is part of the current administration, but Donald Trump, and the Trump era, is very much upon us.”
Wallace said that Bash’s take was “putting the best spin” on the exit poll for Harris’ campaign.
CNN’s exit polls include responses from thousands of voters who cast their ballots in person on Election Day and early or absentee. They offer insight into voter attitudes and can provide detailed demographic data about elections.
In NBC News’ first exit poll, 35 percent of voters said that the state of democracy is top of mind when voting. Thirty-one percent said that the economy mattered most, while 14 percent said abortion.
Immigration ranked fourth at 11 percent, while foreign policy was fifth at 4 percent.
Update 11/5/24, 6:39 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
