DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – A federal court dismissed a lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer over her pre-election poll showing Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump in Iowa during the final days of the 2024 campaign. The Center for American Rights filed the potential class-action case on behalf of West Des Moines resident Dennis Donnelly. The lawsuit was against the Register, Selzer, and the newspaper’s parent company, Gannett Co. It was one of two lawsuits related to the poll.
The lawsuit challenged a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll that Selzer conducted for the Register in the final days of the 2024 presidential campaign. The poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump 47% to 44% three days before election day. Trump beat Harris by 13 points.
The lawsuit alleged the Des Moines Register “utterly failed to live up to” its mission statement of being a trustworthy news organization. It also alleged the Register and Selzer ignored red flags that should have indicated the results would be inaccurate, citing a section of Iowa Code about consumer fraud.
In December, Trump filed a separate suit in Polk County District Court, claiming the paper violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and alleging election interference. Courts later moved that case to federal court. Selzer’s team sought dismissal, arguing the lawsuit violated her First Amendment rights and relied on “flimsy legal theories.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is defending J. Ann Selzer pro bono against Trump’s lawsuit.
