LAS VEGAS -- As the 2012 NATO Show keynote speaker, Scott Rasmussen, political analyst and founder of Rasmussen Reports, will provide prediction and insight into the 2012 presidential election, and how changes in the White House will affect the tobacco industry. The National Association of Tobacco Outlets' 11th Anniversary & Trade Show will be held April 24-26, 2012, at the Paris, Las Vegas Hotel.
"Putting the nation's political situation into historical context shows substantial change is coming soon," said Rasmussen.
When asked what sneak peak he can provide into his keynote address, Rasmussen offered that the single most important factor in determining the 2012 presidential election is how people rate their own finances: "43% were optimistic on this score in the fall of 2008. It fell to 35% by the time the current President was inaugurated and 27% last summer. It's back up a bit, and if this number keeps moving up, the president will be re-elected. If it falls, he will lose."
Rasmussen Reports is one of the premier sources of public opinion information. Rasmussen is a political analyst and has been an independent public opinion pollster since 1994. He was also a co-founder of ESPN. Rasmussen Reports has developed a reputation for delivering reliable, newsworthy and actionable public opinion data. National political commentator Michael Barone called him "one of America's most innovative pollsters."
Accuracy and stability are hallmarks of the Rasmussen tracking polls. In 2008, Rasmussen projected Obama would win by a 52% to 46% margin and the final results were 53% to 46%. In 2004, Rasmussen was within half a percentage point of the actual vote totals earned by both Bush and Kerry.
Andy Kerstein, NATO's president, said that he is pleased to host such a distinguished expert in the political arena to shed light on our upcoming presidential election. "All our best planning and sales efforts can be wiped out overnight by a bad piece of legislation or an ill-conceived political initiative. Who is going to be in the White House is important. 'Forewarned is forearmed' as the saying goes," Kerstein said.
In addition to Rasmussen, educational sessions for the 2012 NATO Show include Bonnie Herzog, managing director of beverage, tobacco and consumer research for Wells Fargo Securities and Thomas Briant, executive director of NATO, among others. This exclusive tobacco-related content provides everything that tobacco retailers need not only to survive, but to thrive in a difficult sales and regulatory environment. Proceeds from the show go to support NATO's legislative efforts to help the industry.
To learn more and register for the 11th annual NATO Trade Show, visit www.NATOShow.com.
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