The company behind the Seltzer survey is launching an investigation into possible leaks after the results were published on X ahead of publication

The company behind the Des Moines Register, which published Ann Selzer’s Iowa poll for the elderly, has launched an investigation after the poll’s results were allegedly leaked to X before publication, according to a new report.

Seltzer’s primary poll, which sparked a multi-day media storm, incorrectly showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading in Iowa. The poll was published by the Des Moines Register on the evening of November 2nd. But an unknown social media user who goes by the username “IllinoisLib” posted the findings about an hour before publication on X, according to a report from Semafor.

“Selzer is about to drop Kamala +3. Source: Major Campaign Representative. No joke. Mark my words,” the post reads.

‘Enjoy retirement’: Veteran pollster mocked after Harris prediction in Iowa was ‘shockingly wrong’

In a follow-up post, the author wrote that Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the poll results during a meeting of Duke Democrats earlier in the day. Pritzker’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

“No, I was dead—” the author wrote. “JB Pritzker just mentioned it at length at a Duke Democrats meeting and said, ‘Oh wait, that won’t be released until later today, oops!’ and my jaw dropped to the floor.”

The Gannett publishing chain that owns the Iowa newspaper is reportedly investigating the apparent leak, two people familiar with the matter told Semafor.

“Gannett is investigating how Pritzker and possibly other political players learned about the poll early on and is reviewing employees’ emails, one of the sources said,” the Semafor report said.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a concession speech on the Howard University campus in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, November 6, following the 2024 presidential election (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Des Moines Register-sponsored Iowa poll three days before the election caused a firestorm when it showed Harris winning by 3 points in the reliably red state. The shock poll showed a 7-point shift from Trump to Harris since September, when he had a 4-point lead over the vice president in the same poll (47% to 43%). The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll released Saturday showed Harris up 47% to 44% in a state that Trump won handily in 2016 and 2020 and that was not considered a swing state in 2024.

Iowa pollster Ann Seltzer suspects her data may have swayed Republican voters to prove otherwise

Much of the media took Selzter’s words as gospel, as pundits from MSNBC, CNN and ABC’s “The View” all celebrated the forecast and hoped it was a positive sign for Harris on Election Day. After the results were announced, Trump supporters and conservatives were quick to criticize and mock Selzer’s poll.

After Trump’s victory in the state, the Des Moines Register said Selzter did it “She reviewed her data” to find out why her poll “produced results that were far from the overwhelming victory of former President Donald Trump.”

Selzer wrote in an editorial for the Des Moines Register that she was bombarded with criticism and questions about what she had done wrong. In response, she suggested that her poll itself may have swung the state in Trump’s favor.

DES MOINES, IOWA – JANUARY 12: A copy of the Des Moines Register is stuck in an office door as Winter Storm Gerri arrives in Iowa four days before the January 12, 2024 caucuses in Des Moines, Iowa. ((Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))

“My inbox and voicemail have been full of questions over the past few days – those wanting to know why I ‘manipulated’ the data to show a false Harris advisory and those wondering if the data was too good “To be true,” Selzer wrote. “In response to criticism that I ‘manipulated’ the data, or that I was paid (by an anonymous source, presumably on the Democratic side), or that I engaged in psyops or some form of voter suppression “I’ve told more than one news story. The results of this latest poll could actually energize and activate Republican voters who thought they were likely to win. Maybe that’s what happened.”

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Selzer added that her team is working to review the incident and ask “every plausible question” about the data. She also admitted that she “had a feeling for the late shift” after listening to voters in the days leading up to the election.

Gannett did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.