Fred Yang is a seasoned and dedicated pollster to numerous Democratic candidates and elected officials.  An expert with over 35 years in public opinion research and campaign strategy, he currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Hart Research, where he began his career.

Fred is known throughout the industry for providing insightful analysis in his approach to political research, for his hands-on involvement with each of his clients’ campaigns, and for helping devise winning strategies and messages, especially in tough races.

Fred has worked on national politics, dozens of statewide races, and he continues to have a special interest in working on local, down-ballot races. Polling for county executives, mayors, and council members reminds Fred that politics and campaigns are fundamentally about people, and this grounding provides insight into national trends.

Fred has extensive knowledge of the political landscape in most states, but he is especially proud of his deep roots in his home state of Maryland, where he has helped elect senators like Chris Van Hollen, Ben Cardin, and Barbara Mikulski, local offices such as Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, and Maryland’s first Black governor (Wes Moore), first Black attorney general (Anthony Brown), and first woman statewide elected official (Comptroller Brooke Lierman). Fred’s polling helped passed the Dream Act in 2012 and marriage equality legislation in Maryland, also in 2012.

Fred’s expertise in public opinion research extends beyond politics. He enjoys conducting research on most any topic, working for clients as diverse as NFL football teams, criminal justice reform organizations, retail stores, and (somewhat tongue in cheek) a freeway extension (everyone needs a pollster!). In non-election cycles over the years, Fred has taught graduate level classes on polling in campaigns at Georgetown, Duke, and University of Chicago.

Fred, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University, got his start in politics at age 14, when he worked in his home state of California’s assemblyman’s district office. In 1987, he took leave from his undergraduate studies to work as an assistant to Peter Hart, the firms’ founder and his mentor, and – thirty-six years later – Fred is proud to be leading the very place where his career began.

Fred and his wife Laurie are the very proud parents of three delightful and remarkable daughters.