Andrew Maxfield, PhD
Senior Vice President
Washington, DC
Phone — 202-387-4738
E-mail — Andrew@HarstadResearch.com
Andrew Maxfield has been seeking out communication challenges, conducting innovative research, and developing successful communications strategies for 20 years. He is known for “looking around the corner,” providing well-rounded recommendations on message and framing strategies to help clients create opportunities and deal with the unexpected turn of events. Unique amongst political pollsters for his expertise in the science of persuasion, his diverse background in communications, and his training in qualitative and quantitative research and analytical methodologies
Some of Andrew’s biggest accomplishments including being the pollster for Senator Jon Tester of Montana. He provided the research and strategic leadership in what was widely hailed as one of the best run Senate campaigns in the country in 2012. Senator Tester defeated 5-term Congressman Denny Rehberg by a margin of 3 points in a state that President Obama lost by 13 points. Additionally, Andrew was the pollster for Democrat Walt Minnick in his 2008 upset win in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, one of the most Republican House Districts in the country. Andrew has also conducted a number of in-depth and highly innovative communication research projects for Obama for America and DNC from 2007 to 2012 on issues and messaging.
Andrew’s message and positioning strategies have been adopted widely by progressive candidates and organizations on several key issues, including climate change (with Breakthrough Strategies) and taxes (for the Center for American Progress, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, and other progressive groups). He contributed a number of innovations for progressive causes. Andrew was instrumental in the early efforts to develop microtargeting on the Democratic side in 2003 and 2004. He developed advanced statistical analyses for the Obama campaign that was recognized in the 2009 ARF David Oglivy Awards.
Previously, Andrew evaluated public health communication and social marketing campaigns for the Centers for Disease Control, developed strategies for encouraging organizational change among health care organizations for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and worked on developing innovative uses of interactive communication technologies in developing nations for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Andrew received his Ph.D. in Communications Research from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. He taught communications research at the University of Maryland and has published research in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the British Medical Journal (BMJ), and other peer-review journals. Andrew is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer, serving in The Gambia from 1989 to 1991.