'Vibes or hunches' don't help win elections - Harvard Gazette

""You go with the analytics," said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis."

""Politics deserves every bit of sophistication we can bring to it," said host Ryan D. Enos, a professor of government and director of the Center for American Political Studies. "We can't leave it to vibes or hunches any more than we can leave medicine to those things.""

""We realize even more the need for an analytical approach to politics," Enos said. "This is why we revived the Harvard Political Analytics Conference after a seven-year hiatus.""

A political analytics conference convened pollsters, consultants, and political scientists focused on voter trends, election forecasting, and behavioral research. Attendees emphasized reliance on data rather than intuition to shape campaign strategy. Polling data enabled a candidate to identify vulnerabilities and win a 2006 primary by a two-to-one margin. Presenters highlighted challenges including diminished public confidence in institutions and a splintering information ecosystem that complicates forecasting. The conference revival after a seven-year hiatus underscored the importance of analytical collaboration to address rapidly changing political dynamics. Panels showcased strategist experiences, methodological advances in big-data analysis, and calls for increased sophistication in political decision-making.

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