President-elect Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and its lead pollster, J. Ann Selzer, for what he calls "brazen election interference" and fraud.
The legal action comes after Selzer’s final pre-election poll, released just days before the 2024 presidential election, showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump in Iowa by 3 points. Trump ultimately won the state by a resounding margin of more than 13 percentage points.
The lawsuit, filed late Monday in Polk County, Iowa, under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, also names Gannett, the Register’s parent company, as a defendant. Trump’s legal team claims that the poll was deliberately manipulated to influence voter behavior in favor of Harris, the Democratic candidate.
Allegations of Manipulation and Election Interference
According to the lawsuit, the controversial Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, conducted by Selzer and S&C, was leaked and published on November 2, 2024, just three days before Election Day. Trump’s attorneys argue the poll presented a false narrative, misleading the public by suggesting Harris was ahead in a “deep-red state” where Trump ultimately secured a decisive victory.
"Contrary to reality and defying credulity, defendants’ Harris Poll was published three days before Election Day and purported to show Harris leading President Trump in Iowa by three points," the lawsuit states. "President Trump ultimately won Iowa by over thirteen points."
Selzer’s final poll marked a seven-point swing in Harris’ favor compared to her September poll, which had Trump leading by four points. Despite this polling shift, Trump’s landslide victory in Iowa prompted his legal team to allege deliberate election interference rather than mere error.
The Media’s Role and Selzer’s Reputation
Selzer, long considered one of America’s most accurate pollsters, had gained widespread media attention for her track record in past elections. However, Trump’s attorneys argue that the 2024 Iowa poll was "election-interfering fiction" and not an innocent mistake.
"Left-wing pollsters have attempted to influence electoral outcomes through manipulated polls with unacceptable error rates," Trump’s legal team asserts. "Selzer’s position as a prominent pollster gave her a significant platform to deceive voters and skew perceptions."
The lawsuit further claims that the poll misled Republican campaign strategists, forcing Trump’s team to divert resources unnecessarily to Iowa during the critical final days of the campaign. Trump’s attorneys also cite the poll’s broader impact on voters, accusing Selzer and the Register of manufacturing a false sense of momentum for Harris.
Legal and Financial Claims
Trump’s lawsuit seeks damages under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, arguing that the poll "caused substantial, unavoidable injury to consumers" by misrepresenting the state of the race. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges:
Deception of voters regarding candidate standings in Iowa;
Misallocation of campaign resources due to misleading data;
Financial harm to supporters who contributed to Trump’s campaign based on inaccurate polling information.
Trump is demanding:
- Actual damages determined at trial;
- Statutory damages up to three times the actual harm;
- Injunctive relief to prevent future misleading polling practices;
- Disclosure of all data and methodologies behind the poll;
- Attorney fees and associated legal costs.
Selzer’s Response and Broader Context
Selzer, who retired from election polling shortly after the 2024 election, has defended her work, dismissing accusations of intentional bias. In a previous statement, she said, “They are accusing me of a crime, but polling is not perfect science. It’s a snapshot of where voters are at a specific moment.”
However, Trump’s legal team argues that Selzer’s mistakes were not coincidental. "The Harris Poll was not a miss; it was a calculated effort to create momentum for a floundering candidate," the lawsuit claims, referencing Harris’ perceived weaknesses with key Democratic voter groups.
Related Legal Battles
The lawsuit against the Des Moines Register comes amid a string of legal victories for Trump. Just days prior, ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation suit filed by Trump. ABC issued a formal statement of regret and agreed to cover Trump’s attorney fees.
Trump’s legal team has also notched victories in federal cases brought against him, including Special Counsel Jack Smith’s dismissal of charges related to the 2020 election and the classified records case.
Conclusion
Trump’s lawsuit underscores ongoing concerns over media and polling integrity in high-stakes elections. His attorneys argue that manipulated polling data can mislead voters, distort campaign strategies, and undermine public trust in electoral processes. The case now moves to the Iowa courts, where it will test the boundaries of legal accountability for election-related media practices. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
