CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings on Monday pushed back against commentator Maria Cardona's claim that voters view Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as an “extremist.”

Cardona said on CNN News Central that voters dislike Trump for his lying and his policies that allegedly don't meet the American people's expectations and believe they “deserve better” than him. Jennings suggested that Trump would win the Electoral College because the candidates were tied in national polls.

“If he does that in the debate, I think it will be a great opportunity for the vice president to highlight how extreme Donald Trump is, how he lies, and how the American people deserve to be treated better,” Cardona said. “The takeaway for me from the CNN poll is that a majority of Americans already think that Donald Trump's policies are too extreme, and the vice president's policies are more mainstream and more in line with what a majority of Americans value and believe.”

“Maria, if that's true, if people believe he's an extremist, why can't she win?” Jennings countered. “Why is he winning the New York Times poll? Why is this race tied nationally? I mean, you and I both know that with a national tie, he has a 100% chance of winning the Electoral College. If what you're saying is true, why can't she win by 20 points?”

Cardona cited abortion rights as a reason Republicans failed to achieve the landslide victories they had expected in the 2022 midterm elections, arguing that Trump's opposition to “bodily autonomy” affected the election. Jennings noted that the polls showed many women participating, suggesting there is no clear leader in the race.

“What I'm saying is, women can have multiple thoughts in their heads when they go to the polls, Scott,” Cardona argued. “Women can tell poll workers that the economy is their top issue, but in their minds, when they go to the polls, they're thinking, 'Hey, the economy is going to recover, and I know Vice President Kamala Harris is working to make sure that it does, but Republicans are trying to take away my bodily autonomy and my right to make decisions about my own body and my family.'”

“Scott, this is a powerful issue with so much potential. Republicans don't understand it. They don't expect it. Donald Trump knows it. He's afraid of it. You should be afraid of it too. It's not showing up in the polls,” Cardona continued, before being interrupted by CNN host Boris Sanchez. (Related: CNN anchor breaks down 'welcome news' for Trump 'among black and Hispanic voters')

A New York Times/Siena poll released Sunday showed Trump leading Harris 48% to 47% and 46% to 44% when third-party candidates were included. The poll was conducted among 1,695 registered voters nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

CBS/YouGov vote A poll released Sunday showed Trump and Harris tied in Pennsylvania, but Harris had slight leads over Trump in Michigan, 50% to 49%, and Wisconsin, 51% to 49%. Trump led Harris on the economy, 58% to 42%, and on inflation, 62% to 37%.

Democratic strategist James Carville said in August that Trump has historically outperformed poll numbers and warned Democrats not to get too comfortable just because the polls are favorable for Harris. CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said Friday that Trump could win the November election if he beats poll projections by just one point.

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