Appearing on Wednesday's CBS This Morning, Republican pollster Frank Luntz attacked his own profession following the surprising primary defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor: "Right now there are 230 House Republicans who are waking up praying that they do not have Eric Cantor's pollster. Honestly – and I'm one of them – we Republican pollsters suck. We have no ability to be able to analyze the electorate." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
Luntz noted how Cantor's pollster "told him twelve days ago that he was going to win by thirty-four points and then he loses by ten....he didn't even see it coming." Luntz concluded: "...you have to be able to analyze who is actually gonna vote, who's gonna participate."
Moments later, Luntz decried Cantor's defeat as being "a great loss, not just for Virginia, but for the country."
Here is a transcript of Luntz's June 11 remarks:
7:06 AM ET
CHARLIE ROSE: Republican strategist and CBS News contributor Frank Luntz is here in Studio 57, CBS News political director John Dickerson is in Washington. Good morning to both of you.
Frank, let me begin with this, why didn't Eric Cantor see this coming when other Republican establishment members did see it coming and fought it back.
FRANK LUNTZ: Well, right now there are 230 House Republicans who are waking up praying that they do not have Eric Cantor's pollster. Honestly – and I'm one of them – we Republican pollsters suck. We have no ability to be able to analyze the electorate. His pollster told him twelve days ago that he was going to win by thirty-four points and then he loses by ten. So number one, he didn't even see it coming.
NORAH O'DONNELL: Mitt Romney's pollster, he told him he was going to win.
LUNTZ: Another – it was pollsters. If there's something – you have to be able to analyze who is actually gonna vote, who's gonna participate.
But Charlie, it's deeper than that. This is also about this anti-Washington mood that still exists. If the candidates come home, if they spend time in their districts, if they campaign hard like Mitch McConnell did, like Lindsey Graham did, these are people who survive very tough primaries. Down in Texas, the Texas senator. Eric Cantor never thought that he had a problem, and so, he wasn't as much back in his district. He was out helping Republicans all across the country.
(...)
