Not too long ago, the Brexit vote shocked the world in what ended up being a surprise victory for the Leave campaign. There were 3 polls conducted the day before the Brexit vote and each one showed the Remain camp firmly in the lead. The elite politicians breathed a sigh of relief, believing that their dreams of a borderless European Union were safe and secure.
But, the Brexit Leave voters came out in full force to turn the tide and ended up winning the vote by 4 points, ironically the polls showed the Remain camp winning by 4 points, but instead they lost by that same amount.
One class of people that polls do not accurately report are the first time or occasional voters. If you notice, almost every poll has the statement such as, “when we asked likely voters who they would voter for…” The key words being “likely voters.” As Trump has proved during the primary elections, first time and occasional voters showed up in force to cast their vote and put him over the top.
The same could be true for the election in the November, and the recent polls could be grossly underestimating Trump’s chances of success…which could cause another Brexit-like surprise for the world.
A wise choice by Donald Trump, as he likes to think outside the box and break the political norms, choosing a company that proved successful in defeating the slanted media in the UK. Cambridge Analytica. Millions of voters who have been disenfranchised with politics and their choice for presidential candidates can turn the tide this year, and make a historic choice that will determine our country’s future for a generation.
The Wrap reports:
Donald Trump and his team have upped their game to win the race for the White House by hiring the company that got the Brexit message to millions, resulting in the split of Great Britain from the European Union.
Cambridge Analytica is a marketing film that targets voters (and potential donors) based on their unconscious psychological biases.
The strategic communications company also worked with former GOP candidates Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and the “Leave.EU” campaign in the United Kingdom. According to the Daily Beast, Cambridge Analytica “went after first-time voters and those who felt left out of the political process, the kinds of people that Trump was successful bringing to the polls in primary elections.”
The move toward a data-driven campaign — an idea that Trump labeled as “overrated” as recently as May — is another about-face for Trump’s campaign. It comes after Trump reversed himself by endorsing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan on Friday after hinting that he wouldn’t.
As of December 2015, Cambridge Analytica collected about 5,000 data points on over 220 million Americans that were originally used during Cruz’s campaign — which according to The Guardian coat $6.7 million.
The London-based company set up approximately ten data scientists within Giles-Parscale, the Texas-based firm that runs Trump’s website. The cost was about $1.6 million.