Voters who are late in making these decisions could sway the election: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online edition of From the Politics Desk. This evening newsletter brings you the latest reporting and analysis from campaigns, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News politics team.

In today’s edition, we reach out again to some of the undecided voters from the last NBC News poll to find out how they plan to make up their minds. Additionally, “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker examines how controversial late comments and gaffes can matter in a close race.

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In the end, undecided voters could decide the election. They are not passionate about their choices.

Written by Alex Seitz-Wald, Annemarie Bonner, Bridget Bowman, and Faith Wardwell

Procrastination is usually frowned upon. But in a close presidential election, voters who have put off making decisions until the last moment could have the power to decide the country’s future.

Both the candidates and their outside allies are targeting the relatively small number of wanderers, indecisives, and genuinely undecided voters who are still unsure what to do with (or whether to vote at all) their vote: a giant haystack. Millions of dollars have been spent to find and contact the precious needle in the mountains. American voters have little interest in being noticed in political campaigns and have major problems with one or both major parties.

The ranks of the stragglers are rapidly dwindling. A national survey conducted by NBC News in early October found that only 4% of registered voters said they would not choose between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. When NBC News contacted 40 of them again this week, 17 agreed to be interviewed, and only five said they were still making decisions.

Of those who had made up their minds since the survey was conducted three weeks ago, seven said they planned to vote for a third-party candidate or vote under a different name. The two declined to say who they planned to vote for. Some said they planned to vote for Trump, others said they were likely to vote for Harris, and still others said they planned not to vote at all.

Late-deciding voters voted for Trump in 2020 and 2016, and some analysts and strategists on both sides credit them with electing Trump eight years ago.

It may be difficult for Trump and Harris supporters to understand how people are still undecided a week after a crucial election. However, there are reasons to hold back those who are late in making decisions.

Most people are dissatisfied with their voting choices and the current state of the country. They feel particularly conflicted about Mr. Trump because of mutual pressure on different policies and the perception of a candidate who pulls them in opposite directions. Many people say they have little interest in politics and haven’t had the time to research or think about it. Others say they will wait to make a decision until they go to the voting precinct.

Here’s what these voters have to say about how they plan to make their decision →

Everything matters in a close presidential election

Written by Kristen Welker

The past two weeks of the campaign between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been dominated by a series of controversies, gaffes and eyebrow-raising statements.

John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, said the president admired Adolf Hitler while in office. We heard racist and crude remarks at Mr. Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. President Joe Biden appeared to call supporters of President Trump “trash,” a comment the White House quickly sought to dispel.

And on Thursday night, President Trump used violent rhetoric to talk about one of the Republican Party’s most critical critics, former Rep. Liz Cheney.

So which comment is most important in determining the winner? One possible answer is all of the above.

Having worked as a political journalist for many years, I strongly believe that in close races, everything counts. That certainly happened in 2012, when Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast just days before the showdown between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Such was the case in 2016, when then-FBI Director James Comey’s intervention in the final 12 days of the campaign between Trump and Hillary Clinton caused poll numbers to fluctuate.

And that was true in 2020, when the pandemic and debates played a huge role in an election featuring Trump and Joe Biden.

There is one additional point here. This Sunday, NBC News will present its final national poll on “Meet the Press.” One of the series of questions asked in the poll is whether voters have changed their minds between Trump and Harris in the past few weeks, and if so, why.

Please look forward to the results on Sunday.

That’s all from the political desk. If you have any feedback, love it or hate it, email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com.

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