Peter Hart

Peter D. Hart doesn’t build computers, create soft drink flavors, design jewelry, or run for office. But his work has been key in determining the future for some of the most influential corporations and politicians in the country. His organization, Peter D. Hart Research Associates, has conducted strategy planning projects for clients such as IBM, Coca-Cola, and Tiffany & Co. Political clientele have included Hubert Humphrey, Jay Rockefeller, and Bob Graham.

Trend tester. Hart is regarded as one of the top analysts of public opinion in the United States. He is also a leading shaper of national trends and political messages. Since 1971, he has served as chairman of Peter D. Hart Research Associates and since 1989, he has been a pollster for NBC News and The Wall Street Journal. In the political realm, Hart has represented more than 40 United States Senators and 30 governors. Additional focuses on public policy and cultural issues have included work for such clients as the Smithsonian Institution, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, and the Kennedy Center. In the international realm, Hart Research has conducted studies in South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Trend setter. The National Journal named Hart one of its 150 national leaders who shape federal government policy, lauding him as “probably the foremost Washington pollster for the Democratic Party and its centrist candidates.” In 2002, Hart was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Campaign Consulting by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC).

Hart appears frequently on Meet the Press, The Today Show, and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. For the past 28 years, he has been a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. He has taught public opinion and public policy at Duke University, the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently on faculty at UC Berkeley.