Pollster Selzer steps aside in wake of huge Iowa polling miss

Top pollster Ann Selzer is set to retire from The Des Moines Register’s Iowa poll after a shocking presidential survey was so wrong.

Just before the election, a poll from Selzer sent shock waves nationwide after it found Vice President Harris leading President-elect Trump in Iowa. In reality, Trump won with more than 200,000 votes in the state.

In a column Sunday, the well-respected pollster said she was leaving the industry, though it may not be because the Iowa poll was so wrong.

“Over a year ago I advised the Register I would not renew when my 2024 contract expired with the latest election polls as I transition to other ventures and opportunities,” she wrote.

She said she would have liked to have made the announcement after polling lined up with the election results and admitted “it’s ironic” that it’s the opposite.

“I am proud of the work I’ve done for the Register, for the Detroit Free Press, for the Indianapolis Star, for Bloomberg News and for other public and private organizations interested in elections,” Selzer wrote.

Selzer, who has worked on a contract basis for the Register since 1997, said she will continue to work for other clients.

“My integrity means a lot to me. To those who have questioned it, there are likely not words to dissuade,” she concluded. “For those who know me best, I appreciate the supportive notes and calls reminding me that what drew me to them as friends, colleagues and clients was commitment to truth and accuracy — both in my professional and my personal relationships.”