OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump got another anecdotal piece of evidence on Monday that is good news for his third White House bid.
The New York Post reported that a “cookie” poll at a bakery in Cincinnati that has accurately predicted the outcome of every presidential election since 1984 has Trump with a comfortable lead over Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to the latest tally from Busken Bakery shared with The Post, Trump received approximately 54% support (2,953 cookies) compared to Harris’ 39% (2,134 cookies). An “independent” smiley-face cookie garnered 7% (397 cookies).
“The cookie poll will remain open until Election Day on Nov. 5, so the tallies reflect the result of ‘early voting’ by those with a sweet tooth,” The Post noted.
“We like to joke and say [customers] can stuff the ballot box,” bakery president and CEO Dan Busken told the outlet.
The Post adds:
To contribute data, customers simply purchase the cookie of their preferred candidate online or at one of Busken’s four area stores.
Each cookie purchase counts as a single vote, and there is no limit to how many a customer can buy.
Despite the lack of scientific rigor, the “poll” has been remarkably accurate in the 10 elections it’s predicted so far. The only result it’s missed was last year’s victory by Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump leads Cincinnati ‘cookie’ poll that has predicted every election but one since 1984 https://t.co/i515pEl2h6 pic.twitter.com/leEiF9uEFa
— New York Post (@nypost) September 23, 2024
“Our results, out of our four retail stores, kind of cover the north, south, east and west portions of Cincinnati. So they’re pretty diverse,” Busken told the outlet. “It’s definitely interesting that in a state like Ohio and in a city like Cincinnati that there’s been such accuracy in this cookie poll over the years.”
For the longest time, Ohio was considered a battleground state, but it has been trending red in recent cycles. Trump won the state twice — in 2016 and 2020.
Trump’s 2024 campaign has been notable for many reasons—most unfortunately, for the two assassination attempts against him—but politically speaking, it stands out because of his willingness to embrace figures with different points of view.
Trump has managed to attract three former Democrats — billionaire Elon Musk, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the latter of whom ran for president as an Independent after his party shunned his candidacy in favor of anointing Vice President Kamala Harris as President Biden’s successor.
On Sunday, during Sharyl Attkisson’s syndicated show “Full Measure,” the anchor asked Trump if he had any “specific positions” in mind for the the trio of former Democrats should he manage to retake the White House following the November election.
“Three people, by the way, who were Democrats or, in the case of Musk, I don’t know, at least supported Democrats. What specific positions do you see them holding?” she asked.
Trump said that so far, he had not made a commitment to any of them, but he did praise RFK Jr.’s work to make the country healthier.
“I mean, he’s been fighting for this for years,” Trump said. “He looks at other countries where they don’t use chemicals, or they use much less than we use. And the people are healthier than they are in the United States, which is not that healthy a country.”
He also praised Kennedy’s views on the environment, which have been decidedly left-leaning in the past, while also lauding Gabbard.
“We’ll be energy independent, but we’ll actually be energy dominant again. And we’re gonna make a lot of money. We’re gonna pay off debt, we’re gonna pay down debt, and we’re going to do things that nobody would’ve thought possible. But Bobby’s great,” said Trump.
“Tulsi has always been good from the standpoint of common sense. She’s like a common sense person. I’ve watched her for a long time on shows. I’ve known her a little bit. And it was a great honor when we got her. She’s, you’re right. She was a Democrat and popular too, in Hawaii. And she will be, she will be terrific,” he added.
Attkisson then moved to question Trump about a potential administration role for Musk.
“Well, Elon is Elon. I mean, Elon is, he’s endorsed me very powerfully,” Trump said. “He feels this is the most important election we’ve ever had. And as you know, he probably has a couple of other things to do, but – ”
The anchor then interrupted to ask whether Musk would have a role in eliminating “government waste.”
“He’s a big cost cutter,” Trump said. “He is always been very good at it and I’m good at it. But Elon, I’ll tell you what, he will go in and he’ll say, ‘This is what you have to do. You have to do this.’ He is so into that. He feels there’s so much waste and fat in this country. And he’s right,” Trump noted.
