Michael Avram Podhorzer (born May 21, 1956) is an American

political strategist 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 tel ...

. He was the political director of the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

, before becoming a senior adviser to its President Richard Trumka. Podhorzer is also the chairman of the board for the Analyst Institute and Catalist. He serves on the boards of

America Votes America Votes is a 501(c)(4) organization that aims "to coordinate and promote progressive issues." America Votes leads national and state-based coalitions to advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout for Democratic Party candidates. ...

, Committee on States, and Progressive Majority. Podhorzer was described as "the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

" of a "shadow campaign that saved the 2020 Election" by ''

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

.''

Early life and education

Podhorzer was born on 21 May 1956 and graduated from the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Career

Podhorzer has worked in

progressive politics Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techn ...

since 1976. He was associate director for Citizen Action and worked at the

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States. It represents 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees, including health care workers, correcti ...

(AFSCME).

AFL-CIO

Podhorzer came to the AFL–CIO in 1997. He served as deputy director of the political department from 2005, and on 28 June 2011, AFL–CIO President Richard Trumka announced that Podhorzer would be the Federation's new political director. While at the AFL, Podhorzer helped establish

Working America Working America is the political organizing arm of the AFL–CIO. Its membership is made up of non- union individuals. It is the largest non-union workers' group in the United States, with a self-reported membership of 3.2 million individuals. Wo ...

, the community partner of the AFL–CIO which has grown to 3 million members nationwide. Podhorzer serves as the executive director to Workers’ Voice, a " super PAC". As political director, Podhorzer leads the AFL–CIO's strategy of counteracting the influx of spending by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

-allied super PACs by stepping up its ground game for the

2012 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2012. International * 2012 United Nations Security Council election Africa Egypt * 2012 Egyptian presidential election Mali * 2012 Malian presidential election * 2012 Malian parliamentary electio ...

, as well as helping lead the Federation's voter protection efforts and mobilization strategy. The AFL–CIO said they will have more than 400,000 activists to work on the fall 2012 election. And on Election Day, the Federation will deploy 5,000 to 6,000 poll monitors to watch voting booths.

Recognition

Podhorzer's influence on using data-driven strategies in electoral campaigns is discussed in Sasha Issenberg's 2013 book ''The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns''. A February 4, 2021 article by Molly Ball in ''

'' credited Podhorzer as "the

" of a "shadow campaign that saved the 2020 Election," consisting of “a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage, and control the flow of information.”

Personal life

Podhorzer was married to

Carol Browner Carol Martha Browner (born December 16, 1955) is an American lawyer, environmentalist, and businesswoman, who served as director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011. Browne ...

, a board member of the

League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...

and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

References

External links

Michael Podhorzer
profile at the

Michael Podhorzer
profile at InfluenceWatch {{DEFAULTSORT:Podhorzer, Michael 1956 births Living people AFL–CIO people American political consultants University of Maryland, College Park alumni 20th-century American Jews American political bosses American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees people 21st-century American Jews