CLEVELAND – Everyone in the room at the Ohio delegation breakfast Tuesday morning was more than familiar with Frank Luntz, one of the top Republican pollsters in the country and a frequent "talking head" on the Fox News Network.
So they listened intently as Luntz, after starting his speech with 20 minutes of jokes aimed a Bill and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, got serious about his message.
"If you leave here divided," Luntz said to the delegates, all of whom are pledged to Ohio Gov. John Kasich and not Donald Trump, then we have no shot at this."
"I want you to understand,'' Luntz said. "You, Ohio, hold the fate of our country in your hands."
Luntz said he has done many focus groups with voters in Ohio, including one recently in Cleveland, and said he has found Ohio voters to be unique.
"Your voters here in Ohio know about the issues, about the candidates, because Ohioans know instinctively they are going to be a swing state,'' Luntz said.
Luntz said that his polling among 18 to 29 year olds showed that 58 percent of them favor socialism over capitalism.
"And you are not only losing among millennials; you have lost them,'' Luntz said. "And it's going to be almost impossible to bring them back."
Luntz was the guest of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, who hosted the Tuesday morning breakfast for the Ohio delegation. Wednesday morning, they are scheduled to hear from a big-name Republican – House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
Tuesday morning, the pollster told the Ohioans that he is "frustrated with how Republicans communicate."
"Why can't we just get up and talk from our hearts?," Luntz said. "We're really not very good at reading off of teleprompters."
He said Republicans generally need to connect with ordinary people and their needs. He pointed to a hotel worker who was helping serve breakfast.
"Sir, what issues concern you the most?,"' Luntz said. The man replied that he is worried about national security, about jobs and health care.
"See?,'' Luntz said. "All we have to do is ask people. There is a reason why people don't like politicians. They are always telling you what they think, and not listening to people."
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