Iowa judge dismisses Trump’s poll lawsuit

An Iowa judge dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling company, The Des Moines Register and its parent company, ruling that the claims failed legal requirements and that the poll and its coverage were protected political speech. The decision was issued Wednesday, September 23, by Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie. Trump and two Republican co-plaintiffs, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun, sued in December 2024. They accused Selzer and the newspaper of misleadingly publishing a poll intended to help Democrats and damage Trump shortly before the presidential election. Those claims were allegations in the lawsuit, not findings made by the judge. The October 2024 poll found that then-Vice President Kamala Harris had the support of 47% of likely Iowa voters, compared with 44% for Trump. Trump went on to win Iowa, with 56% of the vote, according to the reports. The figures describe different measures: a pre-election survey and the final result. In his ruling, Beattie said the lawsuit sought to make protected political speech legally actionable under Iowa law.