GOP pollster Frank Luntz's debate focus group hates its options

Frank Luntz focus group digests final presidential debate

(Image credit: CBS News/YouTube)

Republican pollster Frank Luntz empaneled a group of undecided voters in Las Vegas to watch Wednesday night's final debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for CBS News, and the voters appeared to grudgingly be closer to picking a candidate afterward. "This was a great evening for voters, because it helped them make up their minds," Luntz said. He asked people to give one word for Trump, and the responses include "ignorant," "struggled," "improved," "blowhard," "inadequate," "passionate," "P.T. Barnum," and "rude." For Clinton, people picked "presidential," "competent," "snoozefest," "criminal actress," "more believable," and "politician."

"Not particularly good for either candidate," Luntz said. "This is not the evaluation I would want from my teacher." He showed two clips from the debate, one in which Clinton railed against Trump for his "rigged" election talk and another where Trump (falsely) criticized Clinton for losing $6 billion at the State Department. Luntz, certainly, and many of his focus group participants did not like their options. One black woman said no president has done anything for her community since the 1970s, "so when I go to vote, I'm going to vote for the lesser of the two evils, the menopausal one." A man added: "It's very difficult for me because I'm picking the lesser of two evils, which I think Hillary Clinton is. I want to pick Donald Trump so badly it's ridiculous, but I just don't feel like I can, because I think he's crazy."

Luntz's group said Trump won the debate, 14-12, but snap polls by CNN and YouGov had Clinton winning the showdown by at least a 10-point margin.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.