• by Ray Schultz , June 30, 2025

Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer’s career may have suffered after she put out a poll in the Des Moines Register showing Kamala Harris with a three-point lead over Donald Trump in Iowa in the 2024 election—she announced her retirement afterwards. Trump won by over 13% in the state.

But there is one thing Selzer won’t have to worry about: Trump has dropped his lawsuit accusing her and the Register of election interference.

Trump’s lawyers filed a notice of dismissal with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa Central Division on Tuesday. 

The case raises several questions: for one, are a journalist and publication legally liable for an inaccurate but not defamatory report?

For another, is it right for a politician to take legal action against pollsters and/or reporters when they are incorrect or publish something the politician doesn’t like?

For the record, many of last year’s polls were incorrect.