Pollster says 2016 a ‘change election’

PHILADELPHIA — Pollster Peter Hart told members of the Arkansas delegation this week that Democrats face a dissatisfied electorate this year.

“Every election is either a continuity election or a change election,” he said, adding, “This is a change election, and it’s important to understand that because with our tenure in the White House, voters are looking for change.”

Seventy percent of voters believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction, he said.

“The public is looking for a sense that we’re not status quo but we’re moving forward and we understand their insecurities,” he said.

Fortunately for Democrats, the Republicans “blew it from beginning to end” when they gathered in Cleveland last week, he said.

Since 1964, “every time one party has had a good convention and the other party has had a contentious convention, the party that had the good convention ended up winning,” he said. “That’s how important this convention is.”

A unified, well-organized Democratic Party that places an emphasis on economic issues can win in November, he added.