John Gorman

Ben Smith has just reported that Pollster John Gorman, the CEO and founder of Opinion Dynamics Corporation, has passed away.

Since regular readers may know Gorman's through the polls his company conducts for Fox News, they may be surprised to learn that he was the co-founder, along with Patrick Cadell of Cambridge Survey, the company that polled for President Jimmy Carter and many other Democrats.

Smith quotes a reader who says of Gorman, "He was the smartest pollster I ever knew. I learned something every single time I spoke to him. He will be sorely missed." You will hear a lot of that over the next few days.

My former business partner David Petts, who worked for Cadell and Cambridge in the early 1980s, relays these thoughts:

Gorman's ability to excel in commercial and academic circles was extraordinary. In addition to having many successful and appreciative clients, he co-authored one of the single most important articles ever published on voters' decision making in presidential elections.

Lawrence Shiman, who worked for Gorman at Opinion Dynamics and considers him a mentor, shares this reaction:

He combined statistical rigor with common sense to a rare degree in his approach to survey research. What was also rare in the polling industry was his humility - he never had to be the face of any organization, and was perfectly willing to give those who worked for him the limelight even when John deserved it most...He will be missed.

Indeed.