‘Fence-sitters’ will decide whether Trump and Harris win the election

On November 6, 2024By Littum

Republican strategist Karl Rove argued that “fence sitters” who fall into one of three categories will determine whether former President Trump or Vice President Harris will win the 2024 presidential election.

Rove said Americans, outside of third-party voters who have not decided who they want to vote for, can be divided into three groups: the first are low-information voters; then those who agree with Trump on policy but dislike his character; and, finally, those who are open to supporting Harris but still have doubts about her being up to the task in the Oval Office.

Rove, who served as deputy chief of staff under former President George W. Bush, wrote that low-information voters are “just now realizing there is a choice.”

“These people are only weakly connected to politics. They are driven more by visceral reactions to the candidates than well-informed ideas about issues,” Rove wrote in an op-ed published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.

The other group, according to Rove, are Americans who mostly align with the former president on policy but are unsure whether they can handle a second term because of Trump’s behavior.

“They believe America was more prosperous, safer and stronger when he was in office,” wrote Rove, a Fox News contributor. “But they see his character flaws and wonder if they can put up with four more years of narcissism, rage, complaining and arguments about the ‘enemies within’.”

The final group are those who can see themselves supporting Harris this election cycle but are not convinced she has the necessary leadership or that she represents “change,” according to Rove.

“To them, she seems more honest and trustworthy than Mr. Trump, and she is certainly younger,” Rove wrote. “But can she lead? Does she have the necessary inner strength? Does she possess wisdom and empathy? Can her word be trusted? Will she rule more from the center than from the left? Does she really represent a change?”

Earlier this week, Rove argued that Trump would win the election if he secured a victory in Georgia, Pennsylvania or Michigan.

“If he wins Georgia, the race is over,” Rove said on Fox News. “If he wins Pennsylvania and loses Georgia, the race is over, because if he takes Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina, he’s basically going to get either 15 or 19 electoral votes; Michigan, Georgia is 16, Pennsylvania (is) 19. Any of those puts him over the top.”

The Republican strategist wrote in the op-ed that the three groups are in all swing states and that their decision to cast a vote in 2024 will “decide the contest.”

“Each candidate’s closing message will either draw a majority of these fence-sitters or chase them away and with them win,” he wrote.

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