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Mark Blumenthal
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Mark Blumenthal is the senior polling editor of the Huffington Post and the founding editor of Pollster.com.

The Huffington Post acquired Pollster.com in July 2010, but HuffPost Pollster’s mission remains the same: To publish and aggregate poll results in uniquely interactive charts and to provide daily running commentary and analysis that explains, demystifies and critiques political polling.

From 2006 to 2010, Pollster.com attracted over 28 millions visits and over 90 million page views. Time named Pollster.com one of the 50 Best Websites for 2009, a list that also included Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Pollster.com was partly an outgrowth of Blumenthal's Mystery Pollster blog, which he started in September 2004.

In May of 2007, along with Pollster.com co-creator Charles Franklin, Blumenthal received the Warren J. Mitofsky Innovators Award for Pollster.com from the American Association for Public Opinion Research. In 2005, the National Council on Public Polls awarded Blumenthal and the MysteryPollster blog a special citation for its work explaining polls to the Internet reader.

From 2008 to 2010, Blumenthal served as polling analyst for The National Journal, were he wrote a weekly column for NationalJournal.com

Blumenthal worked in the political polling business for more than 20 years, conducting and analyzing political polls and focus groups for Democratic candidates and market research surveys for major corporations. His experience includes work with pollsters Harrison Hickman, Paul Maslin, Kirk Brown, Celinda Lake, Stan Greenberg and 15 years with his former partners David Petts and Anna Bennett in the firm formerly known as Bennett, Petts and Blumenthal (BPB). In January of 2007, he left BPB to devote full time to Pollster.com.

His academic background includes a Political Science degree from the University of Michigan and course work towards a Masters degree at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM) at the University of Maryland. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the Communications School at American University and at training seminars sponsored by EMILY's List, the Democratic National Committee and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. He served as Communications Chair of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) from 2007 to 2008.

Blog Entries by Mark Blumenthal

POLLSTER UPDATE: Wendy Greuel, LA Mayoral Candidate, Attacks 'Flawed' Poll

(0) Comments | Posted May 20, 2013 | 5:46 PM

Barack Obama had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, but his job approval ratings remain stable. Pollsters are fighting pollsters in Los Angeles, and in case you missed it, Gallup shared some new details of its ongoing investigation of what went wrong in 2012. This is the HuffPost...

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Barack Obama Polls Stable Despite 'Worst Week Ever'

(1583) Comments | Posted May 20, 2013 | 4:52 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama may have had the "worst week in Washington" -- perhaps even his "worst week ever" -- but so far polls tracking his job approval rating show no dramatic change.

On Sunday, CNN released a new poll, conducted Friday and...

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Gallup Review To Show New Details On What Went Wrong

(5472) Comments | Posted May 18, 2013 | 8:38 PM

BOSTON -- Gallup, the company that has faced intense criticism after its polling consistently understated President Barack Obama's support during the 2012 campaign, shared details of its ongoing review of its election polling methods on Saturday.

Over a four-week period before the November 2012 election,

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POLLSTER UPDATE: AAPOR Attendees Review The State Of Polling

(1) Comments | Posted May 17, 2013 | 5:04 PM

A who’s-who of pollsters and researchers are gathered in Boston for their annual conference today, and two thirds of Team Pollster are there to bring you the highlights. (The remaining third is back in DC, bringing you this newsletter.) This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Friday, May 17, 2013.

...
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POLLSTER UPDATE: Few Supporters For The IRS

(0) Comments | Posted May 16, 2013 | 4:20 PM

Most Americans don’t like the IRS, most Virginians don’t know anything about their candidates for governor, and AAPOR kicks off in Boston. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Thursday, May 16, 2013.

IRS FAVORABILITY IS DEEP IN THE RED HuffPost’s Emily Swanson: “Following news that the IRS subjected conservative...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: British Columbia's Polling Fail

(1) Comments | Posted May 15, 2013 | 4:31 PM

A low turnout election in British Columbia yields the sum of all pollster fears. In New Hampshire, which knows of such meltdowns, Hillary Clinton dominates yet another poll of Democrats. And Virginia Republicans divide on gay marriage. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

POLLS MISS...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Will Second Term Scandals Be 'Game Changers'?

(6) Comments | Posted May 14, 2013 | 3:56 PM

Without fresh survey data, pundits turn to political science and prediction to evaluate the impact of the week's new scandals. On Benghazi, Obama gets negative marks, but many remain tuned out. And could Sarah Palin rise again? This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Tuesday, May 14, 2013.

CONDITIONS RIPE...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Another Look At Kelly Ayotte's Approval Ratings

(5) Comments | Posted May 13, 2013 | 4:40 PM

Kelly Ayotte's job rating gets another look. Politico discovers Gallup's review of its methodology. And PPP is asking about "hipsters" by talking to registered voters on their landline phones. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Monday, May 13, 2013.

TWO MORE CHECK'S OF AYOTTE'S RATINGS - Two new telephone...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Could Pennsylvania Be A 2016 Swing State?

(15) Comments | Posted May 10, 2013 | 4:39 PM

It's a good time to ignore horse race numbers in Virginia, but a fine time to speculate about battleground states in 2016. Eliot visits Elliot, the most Democratic county in the U.S. And polling proves that Americans love their mothers more. Happy Mothers' Day! This is the HuffPost Pollster update...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Census Turnout Data Shows Record Black Turnout

(2) Comments | Posted May 9, 2013 | 4:08 PM

Political data geeks rejoiced over the release of the biennial Census report on voter turnout, a report which shows black turnout exceeding white turnout for the first time ever -- or perhaps for the second time. Ed Markey's lead in Massachusetts looks bigger than it did last week. And, without...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: McAuliffe, Cuccinelli Running Close In Virginia

(5) Comments | Posted May 8, 2013 | 4:07 PM

Pollsters missed the South Carolina special election outcome by a mile. So...on to Virginia! And Pew Research confirms that off-year turnout advantages aside, Republicans continue to face an image deficit against Obama and the Democrats. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Wednesday, May 8, 2013.

NBC/MARIST FINDS CLOSE RACE...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: South Carolina's 1st District Votes Tonight

(0) Comments | Posted May 7, 2013 | 3:22 PM

For South Carolina's election day, a lesson in comparative politics: In the U.S., politicos either obsess over the latest twitch in automated telephone polls or bemoan the "shockingly low barrier to entry" for pollsters. In Russia, prosecutors search the offices of a pollster whose results anger the government. This is...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: South Carolina Special Election Poll Shows Close Race

(1) Comments | Posted May 6, 2013 | 4:27 PM

A final PPP poll in South Carolina's 1st congressional district shows a near tie, but both the poll and the race have produced more far more speculation than data. And a Washington Post poll in Virginia that the Republican campaign was certain would be used to attack their candidate...shows him...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Markey, Gomez Running Close

(3) Comments | Posted May 3, 2013 | 4:12 PM

We close the week in Massachusetts, where a new PPP automated shows a close race and a student group at Emerson College is getting into automated polling. The new entrants are likely to fuel yet another debate about automated polling, party weighting and the seemingly futile search for best practices...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: South Carolina 'Push Poll' Raises Questions

(3) Comments | Posted May 2, 2013 | 4:48 PM

Today, HuffPollster takes a closer look at some surprising twists in allegations of 'push polling' in the South Carolina congressional race. PPP reports evidence of Democrats who voted for the gun bill faring better than Republicans in their states who voted against it. And consumer confidence is up, if you're...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Immigration Bill? What Immigration Bill?

(0) Comments | Posted May 1, 2013 | 4:12 PM

Pew Research uses a simple question to reveal considerable public uncertainty about the immigration reform bill. Polls show public support for surveillance cameras but also worries that anti-terror efforts will go too far. Some House Republicans would end not just the ACS, but all economic indicators too. And -- surprise,...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Inattentiveness Tuesday

(0) Comments | Posted April 30, 2013 | 4:32 PM

New national surveys put the inattentiveness of the American public in the spotlight. Two polls show that few are closely following the conflict in Syria, though Americans would be more apt to favor intervention there if chemical weapons use is confirmed. Three years after its passage, Americans are still confused...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Turnout - What's New?

(2) Comments | Posted April 29, 2013 | 4:46 PM

AP reports that black turnout was higher than white turnout in 2012...based on a lot of data, none of it new. PPP notes drops the job approval ratings of five Republican senators since the gun bill vote. And, yes, Twitter surveys are coming soon. This is the HuffPost Pollster update...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Experts Defend American Community Survey

(1) Comments | Posted April 26, 2013 | 4:28 PM

Selling immigration reform hinges on communicating 'requirements' for citizenship. Obama's 'Big Data' could be a big deal for Hillary in 2016, and survey census experts rise to defend the American Community Survey. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Friday, April 26, 2013.

SURVEY EXPERTS DEFEND AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY -...

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POLLSTER UPDATE: Dueling Polls, Massachusetts Edition

(0) Comments | Posted April 25, 2013 | 4:35 PM

Dueling polls in Massachusetts, with a twist. It's a big day for data on social media, and social media data. And Frank Luntz gets snared by another David Corn secret recording. This is the HuffPost Pollster update for Thursday, April 25, 2013.

MA-SEN PRIMARY: MARKEY LEADS LYNCH IN TWO POLLS...

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