Stanley Bernard Greenberg (born May 10, 1945) is an American
pollster and political strategist affiliated with the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. Greenberg is a founding partner of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (GQR) and Democracy Corps,
political consulting
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
and research firms headquartered in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Described as a "pollster supremo", Greenberg is known to have played a crucial role in the elections of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
as
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
and
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
as
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
. As an anti-racist activist, Greenberg has written extensively about race relations in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, and assisted
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
's successful campaign in the
1994 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa between 26 and 29 April 1994. The elections were the first in which citizens of all races were allowed to take part, and were therefore also the first held with universal suffrage. The election was c ...
.
Early life and career
Greenberg grew up in a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In an article for ''
Pacific Standard
''Pacific Standard'' was an American online magazine that reported on issues of social and environmental justice. Founded in 2008, the magazine was published in print and online for its first ten years until production of the print edition cease ...
'' titled "Why Are You So Smart, Stan Greenberg?", Greenberg explained that a high school course called "American Civilization" partially inspired him to seek a career in politics. A
political scientist who received his bachelor's degree from
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
and his Ph.D. from
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, Greenberg spent a decade teaching at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
before becoming a
political consultant.
Greenberg's 1985 study of
Reagan Democrat
A Reagan Democrat is a traditionally Democratic voter in the Northern United States, referring to working class residents who supported Republican presidential candidates Ronald Reagan in the 1980 or the 1984 presidential elections, or George H ...
s in
Macomb County, Michigan, became a classic of progressive political strategy and the basis for his continuing argument that Democrats must actively work to present themselves as
populists advocating the expansion of opportunity for the
middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...
.
Political consulting career
As the pollster for Clinton in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, Greenberg was a major figure in the famed campaign "war room" (and hence the
documentary film of the same name). He was the CEO and principal owner of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner until 2016.
After that, Greenberg was solely involved in Greenberg Research, where he is the CEO.
He is co-founder (with
James Carville and
Bob Shrum
Robert M. "Bob" Shrum (born July 21, 1943) is the Director of the Center for the Political Future and the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at the University of Southern California, where he is a Professor of the Practice o ...
) of Democracy Corps, a non-profit organization that produces left-leaning political strategy. He previously worked at
Greenberg Carville Shrum
Greenberg Carville Shrum (GCS) is an American political campaign strategy group.
People
* Stan Greenberg (GCS Pollster), now of ''Greenberg Quinlan Rosner''
* James Carville (GCS Strategist), political pundit, advisor to president Bill Clinton
* ...
, a political campaign consultancy firm. Greenberg is a noted advocate of progressive economic policies, and collaborated with left-wing think tank
Economic Policy Institute (EPI) on a seminar titled "It's The Middle Class, Stupid!".
In May 2010 Greenberg was linked to a controversy involving
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...
. As a House member, Emanuel had lived rent-free for five years in a basement guest room in the DC house owned by Greenberg and his wife, Democratic House member
Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. During this time, Emanuel served as chairman of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises ...
, which awarded large polling contracts to Greenberg's firm.
Greenberg's former corporate clients include
British Petroleum,
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
,
Monsanto Company
The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup (herbicide), Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbic ...
,
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
,
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
, and
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
.
International political work
Greenberg advised the presidential campaigns of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
and
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
, as well as hundreds of other candidates and organizations in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and around the world – including
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
,
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...
the former Israeli prime minister,
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ...
, the former
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
, and
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, the former
British prime minister.
During his work for the Austrian
SPÖ in 2001, Greenberg was criticized by
FPÖ leader
Jörg Haider over allegations of
negative campaigning.
Personal life
Greenberg is married to Congresswoman
Rosa DeLauro, who currently represents
Connecticut's 3rd congressional district. Public financial disclosures filed in Congress indicate Greenberg's current company, Greenberg Research, is worth up to $5 million.
Books
*''Politics and Poverty: Modernization and Response in Five Poor Neighborhoods'' (1974)
*''Race and State in Capitalist Development: South Africa in Comparative Perspective'' (1980).
*''Legitimating the Illegitimate: State, Markets, and Resistance in South Africa'' (1987)
*''Middle Class Dreams: The Politics and Power of the New American Majority'' (1995)
*''The Two Americas: Our Current Political Deadlock and How to Break It'' (2004)
*''Dispatches From The War Room: In The Trenches With Five Extraordinary Leaders'' (2009)
*''America Ascendant: A Revolutionary Nation's Path to Addressing Its Deepest Problems and Leading the 21st Century'' (2015)
*''RIP GOP: How the New America Is Dooming the Republicans'' (2019)
References
External links
Stanley B. Greenberg, Ph.D. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
Democracy Corps*
Miller Center Oral History (2005)Miller Center Oral History (2007)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberg, Stan
1945 births
Businesspeople from Philadelphia
American male non-fiction writers
American political consultants
American political writers
BP people
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Living people
Miami University alumni
Pollsters
Spouses of Connecticut politicians
Yale University faculty
Jewish American writers
Connecticut Democrats
Businesspeople from Connecticut
20th-century American male writers
Businesspeople from Washington, D.C.
21st-century American male writers
Writers from Philadelphia
Writers from Connecticut
American chief executives
21st-century American Jews