Polls have value, even when they are wrong

The headline on the story, “Trump edges out Biden 51-42 in head-to-head matchup: POLL,” appeared designed to attract clicks rather than accurately portray where the race was on that day – or where it was headed. Below the headline, the news organizations' analysis of the poll results was far more nuanced, capturing the challenges confronting President Joe Biden in his bid for reelection and acknowledging the poll results may be an outlier. Pollsters, like me, are always interested in horse race numbers, which provide a simple comparison of where the candidates stand if voters had to cast their ballots on the day the poll was conducted.