Another Factor To Watch

As I’ve noted, there are a flood of new polls out over the last 12 hours or so. (See write-ups of the big ones at TPMDC or hit TPMPolltracker to get the ones you’re most interested in.) Late polls are a funny thing. Because we’re now in the window of time when the campaigns themselves aren’t paying any attention. Everything now is focused on the ground game. But here’s one thing to keep an eye on. You’ve got national pollsters and in-state pollsters. Most or at least many states have a marquee in-state pollster. They’re the ones who know the state really, really well. And they often have a very good track record in their own states. Often those premier in-state pollsters will come out with one final poll today. So in this flood of data, keep an eye out for the final read of the folks who know the state’s electorate best. Doesn’t mean they’re right. And in most cases they’ll likely be in line with everyone else. But sometimes they’ll see stuff the national folks won’t.