Citing “exit polling” showing the Democratic presidential primary in New York “too close to call” the major cable news networks Tuesday night held back and did not project Hillary Clinton the winner until 45 minutes after the polls closed.
In the meantime, the cable networks projected Donald Trump the winner of the Republican presidential primary as soon as polls closed, and then covered his victory speech live.
We need to review the exit poll data that the networks were using to withhold their Clinton projection. From the numbers I was watching she always held a sizable double-digit lead over Bernie Sanders. In fact, she was running stronger in key counties tonight than she did in 2008 against Barack Obama.
In the end she won by 18 points, 58 percent to 42 percent.
So why the delay in calling her the winner?
One might think the cable networks let ratings-rich Trump take the lead, and then switched to Clinton. If that’s the case, that’s irresponsible reporting.