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Group files lawsuit against Des Moines Register for ‘misleading subscribers’ with Iowa Poll

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January 7th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa/KCCI) — A lawsuit has been filed against the Des Moines Register for “misleading subscribers” with its final 2024 Iowa Poll that showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris leading Republican nominee — and eventual election winner — Donald Trump among likely voters just days before the election. KCCI-TV reports the Center for American Rights, a Chicago-based nonprofit law firm, filed the suit in Polk County on behalf of a West Des Moines resident who “felt like the Register was disserving him and other readers when [the poll] ran and when its results were compared to the final outcome.”

In a news release, the center states it is seeking certification as a class action lawsuit on behalf of all Des Moines Register subscribers. The complaint filed in Polk County alleges there are approximately 40,000 Des Moines Register subscribers on Sundays, the day the results of the final poll were published. The poll showed Harris with a lead of 3 percentage points among likely Iowa voters. Trump won the state with 57% of the vote to Harris’ 43%.

The lawsuit alleges the Register “utterly failed to live up to” its mission statement of being a trustworthy news organization and says the Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer ignored red flags that should have indicated the results would be inaccurate. It cites a section of Iowa Code about consumer fraud.

President-elect Trump filed a similar lawsuit against the Register regarding consumer fraud last month.