John McLaughlin (pollster)
John McLaughlin is an American pollster known for his work for conservative politicians. He has worked for US President Donald Trump for over a decade, including on his election campaigns in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
Career
[edit]John McLaughlin began his career in polling by working for Arthur J. Finkelstein in the 1980s. He then created an independent polling firm with Tony Fabrizio, and soon after established his own firm, McLaughlin & Associates.[1]
In 2002 he was hired to work for the UK Conservative Party.[2] Other past clients include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[3][4] McLaughlin also worked on then-House majority leader Eric Cantor's 2014 re-election campaign, and produced polls suggesting that Cantor was comfortably ahead in primary campaigning. Cantor lost the Republican primary in an upset,[5] and McLaughlin's polls were off by 45 points from the actual result.[6][7] New York magazine reported that McLaughlin was "notorious for producing rosy polling data on behalf of his clients."[8]
Work for Donald Trump
[edit]John McLaughlin first worked for Donald Trump in 2011, when Trump was considering running for president. The two were introduced by Dick Morris, and McLaughlin aided Trump in making plans for a possible campaign. McLaughlin subsequently worked on Trump's 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential campaigns.[1][9] In 2016, it was reported that McLaughlin focused his campaign efforts on New York state.[10] By the 2020 election, The Hill deemed McLaughlin and his brother, Jim, "Trump's most trusted pollsters".[1] For the 2024 election, McLaughlin & Associates were one of two companies that conducted polls for Trump.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Easley, Jonathan (2019-10-12). "Meet Trump's most trusted pollsters". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Murphy, Joe (2002-04-14). "Duncan Smith hires leading US pollster". Sunday Telegraph. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ "Netanyahu said to hire US Republican pollster". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ "'Bibi whisperers': Republican strategists tighten Netanyahu's grip on Israeli politics". France 24. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Graham, David A. (2016-06-09). "There Is No Trump Campaign". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Nyhan, Brendan (2014-09-02). "You Lose, We Win: Consultants Profit Even When Candidates Underperform". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ "Eric Cantor's Pollster Tries to Explain Why His Survey Showed Cantor Up 34 Points". National Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Chait, Jonathan (2020-06-08). "Angry Trump Hires Famously Wrong Pollster to Call CNN Fake News". New York Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ a b Lovett, Samuel (2024-10-09). "How Donald Trump's pollster handles the former president". The Times. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Haberman, Maggie (2016-06-09). "Donald Trump Hires Pollster for New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
Further reading
[edit]- Joseph, Cameron (2019-06-18). "Trump Fired 3 Pollsters but Kept the One Who Keeps Telling Him He's Winning". VICE. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- Bump, Philip (2020-06-08). "Analysis | This is Trump's most spectacularly wonderfully terrible tweet ever". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- Blake, Aaron (2019-10-25). "Analysis | Trump's pollster releases the worst impeachment poll ever". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-11.