*‘Nostradamus’ of US polls says this about Oct effect
The US Presidential Elections 2024 are just a month away, and the historian Allan Lichtman, who is known as the US polling ‘Nostradamus,’ has predicted Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’s victory against Donald Trump regardless of the much-hyped ‘October’ effect.
“One of the greatest myths of American politics is the October surprise,” 77-year-old Lichtman told CNN’s Michael Smerconish in an interview. The American historian also shed light upon the possible impact of the phenomenon and its relevance to his earlier prediction.
READ ALSO: Rumours of Biya’s death spark political succession controversy
Lichtman is popularly known as the “Nostradamus of US presidential polls” because of his accurate poll prediction over the past few decades. The American University history professor has an unbeatable track record of accurate predictions of the US Presidential Elections, as he has correctly called all but one election since 1984.
Earlier in September, Lichtman had confidently announced Kamala Harris as the winner of the US Presidential Elections 2024. “Harris will win,” Lichtman confidently announced to AFP. However, the last month before the polling is often regarded as a gamechanger in US Polls.
What did Litchman say about October surprise?
“One of the greatest myths of American politics is the October surprise,” Lichtman told CNN, adding that his predictions about US polls remain unaffected by it.
“I have never changed my prediction in response to an October surprise,” he added.
What is October surprise in US elections?
October surprise is the phenomenon of bombshell news events occurring during the last few days ahead of the US Presidential Elections. There has been no official record of ‘October Surprise,’ but the term gained popularity during the 1980 elections during Jimmy Carter’s presidency when he struggled to secure the release of American hostages in Iran, Hindustan Times reported.
Since then, voters and political analysts expect various surprises during October. Other October surprises include an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails ahead of US polls and controversy surrounding Hunder Biden’s laptop in 2020.
