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Scott Rasmussen

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Scott Rasmussen
Rasmussen in 2012
Born
Scott William Rasmussen

(1956-03-30) March 30, 1956 (age 69)
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Connecticut
DePauw University (BA)
Wake Forest University (MBA)
OccupationPolitical analyst
Known forCo-founding ESPN, founding Rasmussen Reports
SpouseLaura Rasmussen
Parents
Websitenapolitaninstitute.org

Scott William Rasmussen /ˈræsˌmʌsən/[1] (born March 30, 1956)[2] is an American public opinion pollster and political analyst. He is the president of RMG Research, founder of the Napolitan Institute, and an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia.[3][4]

In the 1970s, Rasmussen co-founded the sports network ESPN with his father, Bill Rasmussen.[5] Rasmussen began public opinion polling in the 1980s and founded Rasmussen Reports in 2003, where he was pollster and president for ten years until leaving the company in 2013.[6][7] After leaving Rasmussen Reports, Rasmussen founded the Rasmussen Media Group. He currently conducts his polling through RMG Research.[8]

Rasmussen is also a New York Times bestselling author and speaker.

Early life and education

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Rasmussen was born on Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Florida, to Lois Ann and Bill Rasmussen.[2][9][10] Scott's father was from Chicago, Illinois and attended DePauw University in Indiana, where he met Scott's mother.[11]

From an early age, Rasmussen was exposed to the broadcasting business through his father, who had worked for radio stations and was a communications director for the New England Whalers ice hockey team.[12] With the help of his father, Rasmussen taped his first radio commercial at the age of seven.[13]

Rasmussen grew up spending summers in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, with his grandparents.[2] He got his first job at age 14 as an umbrella boy.[14] He later was an announcer for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.[13] Rasmussen's childhood idol was hockey legend Gordie Howe.[15] Around that time he was emcee for Howe's 50th birthday celebration in 1978, which Rasmussen cites as a highlight of his life: "nothing in my professional career will ever equal the thrill of celebrating [his] birthday."[16]

Rasmussen graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in 1974 and was goaltender for the high school hockey team.[17] He started college at the University of Connecticut, taking a class from professor Everett Ladd, a pollster and political scientist.[13][18]

Rasmussen earned a bachelor's degree in history at his father's alma mater, DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, graduating in 1986,[19] and later an executive MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University.[20]

Founding of ESPN

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In 1978, Rasmussen and his father, Bill Rasmussen, founded ESPN. They came up with the idea on August 16, 1978, and went on the air on September 7, 1979.[21] In between, they obtained broadcast rights to a wide range of NCAA sports events, obtained funding from Getty Oil, and signed Anheuser-Busch to what was then the largest advertising contract in cable television history.[22][5] Five years later, the Rasmussens' ownership stake in ESPN was bought out by Texaco, who thereafter sold ESPN to ABC for $237 million.[20] They went on to found the Enterprise Radio Network. Rasmussen and his father later had a falling out over what Rasmussen called unspecified "differences."[23]

Public opinion polling

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Rasmussen first became known for his public opinion polling work. In the 1990s, he was a leader of the term limits movement.[24][25] He continues to conduct polls for U.S. Term Limits.[26] In 1995, he founded a polling company called GrassRoots Research.[20] In 1999, after changing the name to Rasmussen Research, the company was bought by TownPagesNet.com for about $4.5 million in ordinary shares.[20]

The Washington Post referred to Rasmussen as "a driving force in American politics" and "an articulate and frequent guest on Fox News and other outlets, where his nominally nonpartisan data is often cited to support Republican talking points."[27] In the Wall Street Journal, political journalist John Fund called him "America's insurgent pollster".[28]

Susan Estrich, the first female campaign manager of a major presidential campaign, said of him, "If you really want to know what people in America think, you can't find a smarter guy to ask than Scott Rasmussen."[29][30]

Rasmussen has described himself as "an independent pollster" who "[l]ike the company he started, [...] maintains his independence and has never been a campaign pollster or consultant for candidates seeking office."[31] Speaking about the use of his polling data by Republicans, in 2009 Rasmussen said, "Republicans right now are citing our polls more than Democrats because it’s in their interest to do so. I would not consider myself a political conservative — that implies an alignment with Washington politics that I don’t think I have."[32]

In 2010, some Democrats criticized Rasmussen's polling methodology. Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said Rasmussen Reports polls "tend to be among the worst polls for Democrats." Tom Jensen, a pollster for Democratic firm Public Policy Polling said: "The way [Rasmussen] does polls is that he's more likely to get high-energy voters. I think Rasmussen favors Republicans this year, but I don't think he inherently favors Republicans."[33]

In August 2018, Rasmussen released a public opinion website, ScottRasmussen.com, in conjunction with the announcement of a partnership between ScottRasmussen.com and HarrisX, an online research company under The Stagwell Group, which was founded by former pollster and adviser to President Bill Clinton, Mark Penn.[34][35][36]

Through the Napolitan Institute and RMG Research, Rasmussen conducts polling focused on the "Elite One Percent" and federal government managers. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said that "Scott Rasmussen has done America an enormous service. He identified the driving forces behind the destructive radicalism which is pushing us into a cultural civil war."[37] Rasmussen's surveys of federal government managers revealed that a significant number of federal employees would not obey a legal order from President Trump.[38]

Rasmussen Reports

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Main article: Rasmussen Reports

In 2003, Rasmussen founded Rasmussen Reports, LLC, a U.S.-based public opinion polling company, to track consumer confidence, investor confidence, and presidential approval.[39][40] Rasmussen Reports has been called "one of the most consistently interesting polling and analytics companies," generating a daily cycle of news reports based on original survey results as well as political, business, economic and lifestyle content.[31][41] Unlike traditional pollsters whose polls are often influenced by partisanship, the company's business model relies on website advertising and paid subscriptions for premium content.[42] Rasmussen Reports' polls were notable for their use of automated public opinion polling, involving pre-recorded telephone inquiries, which have been shown to produce accurate results at low cost.[43]

In 2009, Noson Lawen Partners provided a significant investment in Rasmussen Reports.[44] In 2010, Rasmussen Reports was one of two firms providing daily tracking updates of the president's job approval ratings as well as consumer confidence.[45] By 2012, Rasmussen Reports had garnered a national reputation for providing "reliable, newsworthy and actionable public opinion data," receiving over one million visits per day during the presidential election that year.[42]

In January 2013, Rasmussen informed his investors that he would not be renewing his contract without changes in the company's business and operations.[46][47] In a press release from Rasmussen Reports, the company confirmed Rasmussen's departure and said, "[i]n part, the move reflects disagreements over company business strategies .... The Company emphasized that Mr. Rasmussen's legacy remains intact. His polling methodologies and protocols, widely acknowledged as among the most accurate and reliable in the industry, continue to guide and inform the company's public opinion survey techniques. In addition, the editorial culture of excellence that he built is still very much in place."[48][49]

In 2024, Michael Hiltzik wrote in The Los Angeles Times that "Rasmussen Reports used to be a fairly creditable and credible political polling organization," but that in the years since Scott Rasmussen's departure "Not only have its results become more sharply partisan, favoring Republican and conservative politicians, but it also has increasingly promoted right-wing conspiracy theories."[50] Scott Rasmussen has noted his separation from the firm on social media, tweeting: "For clarity, I left my old firm more than a decade ago and have had nothing to do with it since."[51]

Books

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In 2010, Rasmussen co-authored a book with pollster Douglas Schoen, Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System,[52] explaining the causes of Tea Party movement's frustrations, namely excessive federal spending, high taxes, and a failure of politicians in Washington to listening to the people.[53]

In his 2010 book titled In Search of Self-Governance, Rasmussen argued that Americans would rather govern themselves rather than being governed from the left, the right, or even center[54] and this desire for self-governance is under assault by elites in Washington, D.C. and Wall Street."[55]

Rasmussen's 2012 book, "The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt," argues through polling data, that the federal government does not have the consent of the governed.[9] The book reached number 17 on the New York Times Bestseller List in March 2012.[56]

In 2018, Rasmussen authored a book entitled The Sun is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not.[57] While expressing a general sense of pessimism as to the political process in America, Rasmussen makes a case for the "legitimacy" of optimism in the virtual and psychical communities outside of Washington, D.C. that allow the talents of individuals flourish.[58] Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said of the book: "in this optimistic, open-hearted book, Scott Rasmussen delivers a spirited and timely reminder that civic groups, innovative businesses, and personal networks are where the real action will be in the 21st century—and that their potential to improve our lives and our country is vast."[59]

Television

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For many years, Rasmussen was a regular guest on Fox News,[13] appearing on shows including Fox & Friends, Hannity, The Factor, and America Live.

In 2010 he made an appearance on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.[60]

From 2012 through 2013, Rasmussen hosted a syndicated television show called What America Thinks With Scott Rasmussen with WCBS-TV.[61][62][63] An episode of the show titled What New Hampshire Thinks won a 2012 Granite Mike Award from the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters.[64][65]

He appeared as himself in the movie A Long Way Off (2014).[66]

In February 2018, Rasmussen participated as a panelist in a televised discussion moderated by former Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina, discussing the implications and impact of the recently enacted tax reform package.[67]

Personal life

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Rasmussen lives in Florida with his wife, Laura.[68]

Speaking about his political views, Rasmussen said, "I was brought up loosely as a Republican, but at our family dinner table we talked about the important politics of the New York Giants and the New York Yankees. There was no political discussion in my life growing up. I became a Democrat after Richard Nixon and into the Jimmy Carter era and have been an Independent ever since. I spoke today about how the American people were skeptical about politicians—well, I'm more skeptical. I really do see the core issue as the political class versus mainstream voters. I think that is a much bigger gap than Republican, Democrat, conservative, or liberal."[2]

In March 2010, Rasmussen's home was destroyed by a fire. Rasmussen noted thereafter that his local community—the "local government, our insurance company, our church, local businesses, our neighbors and the kindness of strangers"—were instrumental in the recovery process. Rasmussen also cited this experience as an inspiration for the "upbeat message" in his book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not.[58]

From 2006–2011, Rasmussen was volunteer president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA), "a ministry organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for spiritual birth, growth, and renewal in a Christian seaside setting."[69] OGCMA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.[70]

Bibliography

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  • The Sun Is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not (2018)[71]
  • Politics Has Failed: America Will Not. Sutherland Institute. 2017. ISBN 9780998960401.
  • The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt. Threshold Editions. 2012. ISBN 978-1451666106.
  • In Search of Self-Governance. CreateSpace. 2010. ISBN 978-1449593544.
  • Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System. Harper. 2010. ISBN 978-0061995231. (with Doug Schoen)
  • A Better Deal: Social Security Choice. Rasmussen Reports. 2001. ISBN 0971233004.
  • Solving the Budget Crisis: Hope for America's Future. Pub Marketing Group. 1985. ISBN 0934347018.

References

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  1. ^ "Scott Rasmussen Interview" (September 2009) and "Scott Rasmussen Interview" (July 2009) on The Fred Thompson Show.
  2. ^ a b c d Britton, Tori (January 18, 2011). "Polling the Pollster". Maine Ahead. Archived from the original on March 22, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Shockey, Danielle (April 25, 2025). "Partisan Divide Deepens Within The Administrative State, Survey Reveals". Tampa Free Press. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  4. ^ Salamy, Elissa (March 24, 2021). "America's founding ideals - are they worth fighting for? 83% say yes". CBS Austin. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Sports' Junkies Rejoice:The Birth of ESPN", Bill Rasmussen; QV Publishing, inc., Hartsdale, New York (November 1983)
  6. ^ "The founder of Trump's favorite poll predicts Democrats win House, GOP earns extra Senate seat in midterms". Newsweek. August 29, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  7. ^ Levenson, Eric. "Scott Rasmussen Leaves Rasmussen Reports to Become a GOP Pundit". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Frevele, Jamie (August 2, 2024). "Notoriously Pro-Trump Pollster Scott Rasmussen Has Kamala Harris Up 5 Points". Mediaite. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Rasmussen, Scott (2012). The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt (1st ed.). New York: Threshold Editions. ISBN 9781451666106. OCLC 738347931.
  10. ^ "Lois Ann Mickey RASMUSSEN". Legacy.com. Seattle Times. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  11. ^ Faude, Wilson (2013). Connecticut Miscellany: ESPN, The Age of the Reptiles, CowParade & More. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781614239468. OCLC 945549549.
  12. ^ Schwabel, Dan (September 13, 2012). "How Bill Rasmussen Started ESPN and His Entrepreneurship Advice". Forbes. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d "Pollster Scott Rasmussen's numbers are firing up Republicans and Democrats". Washington Post. June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "Scott W. Rasmussen - Summer Tents in Ocean Grove". Scottrasmussen.net. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  15. ^ "Scott Rasmussen - The King's College". The King's College. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Working With Gordie Howe". Scott W. Rasmussen. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  17. ^ Tom Shea: Rasmussen Reports founder Scott Rassmussen has Pioneer Valley ties Masslive.com, August 29, 2010
  18. ^ Reeves, Thomas C. (May 18, 2000). Twentieth-Century America: A Brief History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190281427.
  19. ^ Pollster Scott Rasmussen '86 Has Yet to See Convention Bounce for Barack Obama DePauw University News, August 28, 2008
  20. ^ a b c d He got out of sports to be a poll vaulter Business North Carolina, October 1, 1996
  21. ^ Keenan, Bill (February 17, 2024). "The Untold Origin Story of ESPN". Air Mail. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  22. ^ "Two talks by ESPN's cofounder will benefit children's museum". HeraldNet.com. October 25, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  23. ^ Horowitz, Jason (June 17, 2010). "Pollster Scott Rasmussen's numbers are firing up Republicans and Democrats". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  24. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (February 16, 1995). "Gingrich Explores New Way To Limit Terms in Congress". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  25. ^ "Meet the Man Who Takes America's Pulse". Washington Business Magazine. Spring 2012. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  26. ^ Velasco, Donna (January 17, 2025). "New Poll: 75% of Mississippi Voters Support Term Limits on Congress". U.S. Term Limits. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  27. ^ "Pollster Scott Rasmussen's numbers are firing up Republicans and Democrats". Washington Post. June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  28. ^ Fund, John (August 21, 2010). "America's Insurgent Pollster". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  29. ^ "Estrich commentary, Creators.org, 2009". Creators.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  30. ^ Toner, Robin; Special to The New York Times (May 6, 1988). "Behind the 2 Democratic Contenders, 2 Hard-Driving Campaign Managers; Susan Estrich Brings Assurance And Toughness to Dukakis Drive". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  31. ^ a b "About Us". Rasmussenreports.com. March 14, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  32. ^ David Weigel: Rasmussen, the Only Poll that Matters The Washington Independent, 18 February 2009
  33. ^ Isenstadt, Alex (January 2, 2010). "Low favorables: Democrats rip Rasmussen". Politico. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  34. ^ "HarrisX Partners with Veteran Pollster Scott Rasmussen on New Daily Poll Tracking American Political Sentiment". Business Insider. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  35. ^ O’Reilly, Lara (August 14, 2018). "Mark Penn's Stagwell Group Raises $260 Million". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  36. ^ Baker, Peter (May 21, 2018). "Mark Penn, Ex-Clinton Aide, Dismisses Mueller Inquiry, and the Clintons Along With It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  37. ^ Gingrich, Newt (February 2, 2024). "Gingrich: The elite 1 percent behind the cultural civil war". North State Journal. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  38. ^ Mittelstadt, Natalia (January 13, 2025). "Deep state? Most pro-Harris government managers plan to resist Trump's efforts, poll finds". Just The News. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  39. ^ "Rasmussen Reports, LLC: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  40. ^ Tartakoff, Joseph (August 10, 2009). "Public Opinion Firm Rasmussen Reports Gets 'Major Growth Capital Investment'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  41. ^ "Scott Rasmussen's Heroic Battle With Tyrannophilia Rex, The Love Of Dictatorship". Forbes. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  42. ^ a b "Meet the Man Who Takes America's Pulse - Washington Business Magazine". September 18, 2012. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  43. ^ Use of Likely Voter Model Does Not Explain Rasmussen "House Effect", by Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight.com, April 17, 2010
  44. ^ "Rasmussen Reports Announces New Growth Capital Investment" (Press release). Rasmussen Reports. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  45. ^ "Obama's job approval bouncing back". Weekly Standard. December 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  46. ^ Blumenthal, Mark; Edwards-Levy, Ariel (August 22, 2013). "Pollster Scott Rasmussen Leaves Firm He Founded A Decade Ago". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  47. ^ "One Of The Biggest Political Pollsters Has Left The Company That Bears His Last Name Over 'Disagreements'". Business Insider. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  48. ^ "Rasmussen Reports Announces a Change in Management". Rasmussen Reports. August 22, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  49. ^ Byers, Dylan (August 22, 2013). "Rasmussen founder leaves company". Politico. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  50. ^ Hiltzik, Michael (June 19, 2024). "Column: This GOP-leaning political polling firm has turned into a purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  51. ^ Rasmussen, Scott. ""For clarity, I left my old firm more than a decade ago and have had nothing to do with them since."". X. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  52. ^ Rasmussen, Scott; Schoen, Douglas (2010). Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System (1st ed.). New York: Harper. ISBN 9780062016720. OCLC 680281448.
  53. ^ Caddell, Patrick; Schoen, Douglas (January 15, 2010). "Don't Shoot the Pollster". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  54. ^ "KCSG Television - Americans Strongly Support Ideals of Declaration of Independence". Kcsg.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  55. ^ Rasmussen, Scott W. (January 2010). In Search of Self-Governance. Rasmussen Reports. ISBN 9781449593544.
  56. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - March 25, 2012". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  57. ^ Rasmussen, Scott (2018). The Sun is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not. Salt Lake City: Sutherland Institute. ISBN 9780998960425. OCLC 1060616405.
  58. ^ a b Rasmussen, Scott. "A Journey From Pessimism to Optimism". Townhall. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  59. ^ "Scott Rasmussen Authors Politics Has Failed: America Will Not". DePauw University. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  60. ^ "on The Colbert Report March 11, 2010". Colbertnation.com. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  61. ^ Cramer, Ruby (October 25, 2012). "The Secret Economy Of Pollsters". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  62. ^ "For Voters, Tax Reform Means Tax Equality by Scott Rasmussen on Creators.com - A Syndicate of Talent". Creators.com. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  63. ^ Staff (May 24, 2011). "Telco Develops Syndie Offerings With Rasmussen". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  64. ^ "2012 Granite Mikes Winners". NHAB. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  65. ^ Stead, Cynthia (January 3, 2013). "Faithfully moving into the new year". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  66. ^ "Scott Rasmussen | Producer, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  67. ^ "Your Voice, Your Future: Tax Reform". WPEC. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  68. ^ "Ballotpedia:Scott Rasmussen - Ballotpedia". Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  69. ^ Scheller, Christine (December 11, 2011). "Lifelong Ocean Grove Resident Takes Helm of Camp Meeting Association". Manasquan-Belmar Patch. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  70. ^ "About The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association". Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association Website. Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  71. ^ Hinderaker, John. "Q&A: The sun is still rising". Center of the American Experiment. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
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