Why an October Surprise Probably Won’t Be

Amy Walter: “At this point in a ‘normal’ campaign, there is talk about the dreaded ‘October Surprise’ which is an event or series of events that can change the contours and direction of the campaign. Or maybe it’s a new piece of information about the candidate that alters the perception of that candidate or pulls them off their carefully crafted message.”

“What’s unique about this campaign, however, is that the stuff (specifically bad stuff) that is most likely to come out between now and Election Day won’t be ‘surprising,’ but will instead reaffirm existing perceptions about these candidates. More suspect emails from Clinton and more bad behavior from Trump won’t be a “surprise” to voters who already view both Clinton and Trump more negatively than positively.”