Kenneth Goldstein
Shapiro Fellow

Education

Ph.D., Political Science, University of Michigan, 1996
B.A., Political Science, Haverford College, 1987

Courses Taught

SMPA 3194, The Science of Politics

Background

Ken Goldstein is president of Kantar Media CMAG, a non-partisan Washington, DC-based political consulting firm that provides media intelligence and is the source of record on political advertising for campaigns, trade associations, and the news media. Kantar Media CMAG clients include the Obama and Romney presidential campaigns, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and CNN, along with scores of other candidates, campaigns, and interest groups.

Before taking over at CMAG, Goldstein was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he recently won the University of Wisconsin’s Kellet Award for his career research accomplishments and the Chancellor’s Award for excellence in teaching. Goldstein is one of the country’s premier experts on the use and impact of political advertising. He has authored or co-authored over thirty books, refereed journal articles, or book chapters. These publications on political advertising, voter turnout, survey methodology, presidential elections, and news coverage have appeared in top line political science journals and major university presses as well as in refereed law and medical journals.

Goldstein combines his academic training with an ear for real politics and strategy as well as an impressive set of political contacts. In addition, he also has extensive professional experience in a variety of media, corporate, and political settings. Goldstein is currently aconsultant for the ABC News elections unit and a member of their election night decision team. He has worked on network election night coverage in every U.S. federal election since 1988. He was co-founder and co-director of the Big Ten Battleground Poll – a three-wave study of political attitudes and voting patterns in each of the eight Midweststates that comprise the Big Ten as well as a national survey.

More generally, Goldstein’s reputation for unbiased and non-partisan analysis has made him a favorite source for politicians and the news media alike. He has appeared numerous times on Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC and CNN, and is a frequent contributor on National Public Radio. He is also quoted extensively in the country’s top newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Goldstein also hosted a weekly interview show Office Hours that was broadcast on the Big Ten Network and available on the web at http://officehours.polisci.wisc.edu. Goldstein lives in Washington, DC with his wife Amanda, daughter Samantha, son Nathaniel, and dogs Rani and Holly.