IIRC, Sabato was one of those who were proclaiming Romney president in 2012.
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His projections 6 months in advance are suspect.
Why will carpetbagger Hillary take most of the NE states, rather than Trump?
“Why will carpetbagger Hillary take most of the NE states, rather than Trump?”
Because prior to getting into politics Donald Trump was known here basically as a Reality TV star and a big developer. Reality star might help him (name recognition etc.) but big developer is the kiss of death (since the connotation of big developers rightly or wrongly is that of a sleazy land raping, back room deal making hucksters who come in make money and leave the municipalities/taxpayers with all kinds of problems to deal with later).
I am not saying it is fair but that is the way many many people look at it. Mr Trump was not a widely beloved personality in the NE before he entered the race.