CNN’s Jake Tapper shocked by ‘wild’ wave of independents for Trump in Georgia

CNN anchor Jake Tapper was stunned Tuesday by a shocking exit poll that showed former President Donald Trump substantially leading Vice President Kamala Harris among independent voters in Georgia.

“Independent voters — they make up 31% of the electorate” there, noted CNN political analyst David Chalian — before revealing that Trump is “winning them by 11 points” in the swing state of Georgia.

CNN’s exit poll showed Trump with support from 54% of Peach State independents, compared to Harris’ support of 43%.

Chalian pointed out that Joe Biden won Georgia independents by a 9-point margin in the 2020 election, indicating a 20-point swing toward Trump this time.

“Wow,” Tapper said of the exit poll. “That’s really telling.

“We’re seeing some incremental changes here and there,” Tapper continued. “When it comes to young voters, Harris does a little better, and non-college-educated whites do a little better, but that independent swing is wild.”

---

Follow The Post’s coverage of the 2024 election

---

CNN’s Chris Wallace, who said earlier in the evening that Harris needed “a miracle” to pull off a victory over Trump given the exit polls, struggled to understand how the former president managed to win over so many independents.

“I’m trying to figure out why,” Wallace said, noting he “didn’t know how you would explain it.”

Early results in Georgia show Trump leading Harris in the popular vote 52.3% to 47%, according to The Associated Press.

State courts have extended voting hours in several counties due to bomb threats that affected operations and could now delay the final count.

---

Follow The Post’s live updates on election night for the latest results, news and more

---

The state has sixteen crucial Electoral College votes up for grabs.

Biden’s narrow 0.23 percentage point victory in Georgia in 2020 marked the first time since 1992 that a Democratic presidential candidate had won the state.