The Centrality Of Comey Comes From Both Campaigns

It is now apparent from information coming from both campaigns that the Comey letter was central to the outcome of this election. John Podesta, Hillary’s campaign chair, said on a call today that he believed Comey was the “guy who we think may have cost us the election“. Another Clinton aide blamed the lower turnout specifically on the Comey letter. It is clear that the effect of the Comey letter also shifted the focus of the Clinton campaign as she was force to move from a positive closing message to one that focused on Trump’s shortcomings. As Kevin Drum points out, Nate Silver showed that the Comey letter shaved 2 points off of Clinton’s lead. Those two points were surely the difference in the vote. Trump’s campaign has also admitted that the large shift in rural voters which may have begun before Comey’s letter became a torrent after it and propelled them to victory. In the end, the right wing coup actually succeeded.

Update: From Erik Loomis comes a breakdown of how late deciders voted broken down by state. It only highlights the brutal effect Comey had on the Clinton campaign, especially in the swing states: