Axelrod won't predict election outcome: 'I'd be a fool to answer that'

Democratic strategist David Axelrod said he would be a "fool" to try to predict the outcome of the 2024 election, arguing that the polling margins he's seen are "way too close to call."

"I'd be a fool to answer that question because you're talking about margins we have never seen before in polling," Axelrod, who served as a senior adviser to former President Obama, said Friday on CNN's "The Situation Room."

"You know, you've got seven battleground states. I think the largest margin on the average is like two points," he told host Wolf Blitzer. "And most of them are under one point when you look at polling averages."

"And that's just way too close to call. I don't know," he continued, adding that it involves the question of which candidate has the "strongest organizations in these battleground states."

Axelrod then noted that it is an "open" question.

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ's (DDHQ) polling index currently shows a margin of less than 2 percentage points between Vice President Harris and former President Trump in the crucial swing states of Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. In Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada, the margin is less than 1 point, according to the data.

Nationally, The Hill/DDHQ's numbers show Harris with a slight edge over Trump — 49.6 percent to 47.4 percent — but the race remains tight, with less than three weeks left until Election Day.

When asked if Harris waited too long to have big names like Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama campaigning for her, Axelrod came to the vice president's defense.

"No, I don't think so. This is when there's a great deal of focus. And, look, they're using them in the way that I think they should be used," he replied. "This is a 'get out the vote' time in this campaign."

"There is an excitement element to what they're doing out there. They attract big crowds. They draw attention to the campaign," Axelrod continued. "And that is an organizational tool for a campaign that's trying to get voters engaged in voters to come out."

During the interview, Blitzer also asked about backlash Obama faced for his comments calling on Black men to turn out for Harris in November.

Obama, who was campaigning in Pennsylvania earlier this month, told the crowd that despite Harris raising upward of $1 billion, “we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running.”

Axelrod backed Obama, arguing that "he'll lead with" other "motivational" remarks next time.

"Look, one thing I know about him, because I've spent a lot of time with him over the years, Wolf, is he's a very fast learner. He takes in people's responses and reaction," he said. "I'm sure he did some reflection on how he approached that particular conversation. I haven't talked to him about it, but I'm sure that he did."

"And, you know, he said other things in that conversation that didn't get covered that were very motivational. And my guess is that he'll lead with that the next time," he added.