Top Democrat Says His Party Will Not Lose the House
Does Tim Kaine know something all the pundits and pollsters don't?
October 24, 2010— -- Does Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, know something all the pundits, pollsters and political prognosticators don't?
In a bold prediction – either a sign he is wiser than the conventional wisdom, eternally optimistic, or staying on message until the bitter end – Kaine told "This Week" anchor Christiane Amanpour that Democrats would maintain control of the House in the midterm elections nine days from now.
Amanpour asked him the political question of the year: does he think Democrats will keep the House of Representatives in their control?
"I do, I do. I think it's going to be close," he said. "These races are very close, but from this point forward, it's all about turnout and ground game. And we're seeing good early voting trends and we've got work to do, but we think we can do it."
So is all the polling wrong, Amanpour asked. Kaine didn't address that question, but said the wind was at Democrats' backs.
"The polling is moving," he said. "We really haven't seen since Labor Day polls moving against us. Almost all the polls have been moving for us. Now we still have work to do, but what Democrats tend to specialize in is the ground game – the turnout – and the more people turn out, the better we do."
Kaine, who was the governor of Virginia between 2006 and 2010, insisted that Nancy Pelosi would remain Speaker of the House. "She's done a marvelous job, in a town where it's hard to do heavy lifts," he said. "I think she'll stay as speaker."
But, he added, "we're not taking a single race for granted."
Related Stories
ABC News Live