If We're Going to Obsess About Polls, At Least Support Women Analysts.

TIGHT! Beware Secret Trump Bros Willing to Get in Ur face but lie to Pollsters!

Dunno about anyone else but to me it’s been a veritable dudestorm of data bros, pundits, and self-appointed expert-Chads who have unequivocally decided that for some reason the game is changing for Trump, despite no evidence to support that.

In the midst of all this overwhelmingly male discourse I happened to come across what seemed to me to be a rarity — someone retweeting a woman polling analyst.

Natalie Jackson is Research Director at PRRI Polling (Greg Dworkin refers to them often on DK Radio) and she’s got some things to say:

Include women in your election/polls analysis. It's just not that hard.

Just read another disappointing major media daily newsletter.

While they are good, there are more people to cite than Nate, Nate, and Elliott.

— Natalie Jackson (@nataliemj10) August 31, 2020

Needless to say she has been extremely skeptical of the shift in narrative amongst some of her male colleagues:

“I really wish so-called data people would check numbers before tweeting out a narrative of a bump that is NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT to a gazillion followers [...] And if you're going to tell me I'm wrong, you'd best also have at least 15 years of experience working on surveys and statistics.”

Another possible follow is Ariel Edwards-Levy, Polling Editor at the Huffington Post:

Note that I'm not arguing against the possibility that the race is tightening (I don't think we really know one way or the other yet), but I haven't seen any solid backing for 1) and 2) is just going flat-out against available evidence

— Ariel Edwards-Levy (@aedwardslevy) August 31, 2020

Lastly, there is of course Dr. Rachel Bitecofer, who has been a fave for progressives (though I don’t hear much mention of her lately — perhaps for the same reason?):

Let's have a talk America

If Trump is trailing in quality polls w few undecideds, weighted for edu, is losing Indies, & is deeply unpopular w close to 60% STRONGLY disapprove on voter surveys- it is VERY unlikely he could win.

He's not magic. https://t.co/cS7XMnRwbB

— Rachel "The Doc" Bitecofer 📈🔭🍌 (@RachelBitecofer) August 31, 2020

Look, people are going to freak out about polls no matter what, no matter the election. At the very least use your obsessiveness and anxiety to support other voices besides the same old cadre of Chad Brohards determined to gaslight us because they have far less to lose in this election.