{{Short description|American businessman (born 1956)}} {{for|the New Zealand cricketer|Scott Rasmussen (cricketer)}} {{use American English|date=October 2024}} {{use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Scott Rasmussen | image = Scott Rasmussen by Gage Skidmore.jpg | caption = Rasmussen in 2012 | birth_name = Scott William Rasmussen | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|03|30|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, U.S. | known_for = Co-founding ESPN, founding Rasmussen Reports | education = University of Connecticut<br>DePauw University (BA)<br>Wake Forest University (MBA) | occupation = Political analyst | spouse = Laura Rasmussen | mother = Lois Ann "Mickey" Rasmussen | father = Bill Rasmussen | footnotes = | website = {{URL|https://napolitaninstitute.org}} }}
'''Scott William Rasmussen''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|æ|s|ˌ|m|ʌ|s|ə|n}}<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iGNKlwLl4E Scott Rasmussen Interview]" (September 2009) and "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IwFFnqvNa4 Scott Rasmussen Interview]" (July 2009) on ''The Fred Thompson Show''.</ref> (born March 30, 1956)<ref name="maine ahead">{{cite news|last1=Britton |first1=Tori |title=Polling the Pollster |url=http://www.maineahead.com/podium-scott-rasmussen/ |access-date=17 November 2014 |publisher=Maine Ahead |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322020219/http://www.maineahead.com/podium-scott-rasmussen/ |archive-date=March 22, 2011}}</ref> is an American public opinion pollster, political analyst, and author. He is the president of RMG Research, founder of the Napolitan Institute, and an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shockey |first1=Danielle |title=Partisan Divide Deepens Within The Administrative State, Survey Reveals |url=https://www.tampafp.com/partisan-divide-deepens-within-the-administrative-state-survey-reveals/ |access-date=7 May 2025 |publisher=Tampa Free Press |date=25 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Salamy |first1=Elissa |title=America's founding ideals - are they worth fighting for? 83% say yes. |url=https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/americas-founding-ideals-are-they-worth-fighting-for-83-say-yes |access-date=7 May 2025 |publisher=CBS Austin |date=24 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
In the 1970s, Rasmussen co-founded the sports network ESPN with his father, Bill Rasmussen.<ref name="Story" /> Rasmussen began public opinion polling in the 1980s and founded Rasmussen Reports in 2003, where he was pollster and president for ten years until leaving the company in 2013.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/founder-trump-favorite-poll-midterms-rasmussen-1096523|title=The founder of Trump's favorite poll predicts Democrats win House, GOP earns extra Senate seat in midterms|date=2018-08-29|work=Newsweek|access-date=2018-09-16|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/scott-rasmussen-no-longer-works-rasmussen-polls/311865/|title=Scott Rasmussen Leaves Rasmussen Reports to Become a GOP Pundit|last=Levenson|first=Eric|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-01-10|language=en-US}}</ref> After leaving Rasmussen Reports, Rasmussen founded the Rasmussen Media Group. He currently conducts his polling through RMG Research.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frevele |first1=Jamie |title=Notoriously Pro-Trump Pollster Scott Rasmussen Has Kamala Harris Up 5 Points |url=https://www.mediaite.com/election-2024/just-in-notoriously-pro-trump-pollster-scott-rasmussen-has-kamala-harris-up-5-points/ |access-date=7 May 2025 |work=Mediaite |date=2 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
Rasmussen is also a ''New York Times'' bestselling author and speaker.
==Early life and education== Rasmussen was born on Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Florida, to Lois Ann and Bill Rasmussen.<ref name="maine ahead"/><ref name=":11">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/peoplesmoneyhow00rasm|title=The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt|last=Rasmussen|first=Scott |publisher=Threshold Editions|year=2012|isbn=9781451666106|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=738347931}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lois Ann Mickey RASMUSSEN|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=lois-ann-mickey-rasmussen&pid=152198701|website=Legacy.com|publisher=Seattle Times|access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref> Scott's father was from Chicago, Illinois and attended DePauw University in Indiana, where he met Scott's mother.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Connecticut Miscellany: ESPN, The Age of the Reptiles, CowParade & More|last=Faude|first=Wilson|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2013|isbn=9781614239468|location=Charleston, South Carolina|oclc=945549549}}</ref>
From an early age, Rasmussen was exposed to the broadcasting business through his father, who had worked for radio stations and was a communications director for the New England Whalers ice hockey team.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schwabel|first1=Dan|title=How Bill Rasmussen Started ESPN and His Entrepreneurship Advice|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/09/13/how-bill-rasmussen-started-espn-and-his-entrepreneurship-advice/|access-date=17 November 2014|work=Forbes|date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> With the help of his father, Rasmussen taped his first radio commercial at the age of seven.<ref name="post">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/16/AR2010061605090.html|title=Pollster Scott Rasmussen's numbers are firing up Republicans and Democrats|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2010-06-17 |access-date=2012-06-04}}</ref>
Rasmussen grew up spending summers in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, with his grandparents.<ref name="maine ahead" /> He got his first job at age 14 as an umbrella boy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottrasmussen.net./My_Favorite_Place.html|title=Scott W. Rasmussen - Summer Tents in Ocean Grove|publisher=Scottrasmussen.net.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320221047/http://www.scottrasmussen.net./My_Favorite_Place.html|archive-date=2015-03-20|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref> He later was an announcer for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.<ref name="post" /> Rasmussen's childhood idol was hockey legend Gordie Howe.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tkc.edu/faculty-and-staff/scott-rasmussen/|title=Scott Rasmussen - The King's College|work=The King's College|access-date=2018-02-01|language=en-US}}</ref> Around that time he was emcee for Howe's 50th birthday celebration in 1978, which Rasmussen cites as a highlight of his life: "nothing in my professional career will ever equal the thrill of celebrating [his] birthday."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottrasmussen.net/About.html|title=Working With Gordie Howe|website=Scott W. Rasmussen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129075956/http://www.scottrasmussen.net/About.html|archive-date=2014-11-29|url-status=dead|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>
Rasmussen graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in 1974 and was goaltender for the high school hockey team.<ref>Tom Shea: [http://www.masslive.com/tomshea/index.ssf/2010/08/local_ties_to_power_politics_s.html Rasmussen Reports founder Scott Rassmussen has Pioneer Valley ties] Masslive.com, August 29, 2010</ref> He started college at the University of Connecticut, taking a class from professor Everett Ladd, a pollster and political scientist.<ref name=post/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ccoJCAAAQBAJ&q=e&pg=PA218|title=Twentieth-Century America: A Brief History|last=Reeves|first=Thomas C.|date=2000-05-18|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190281427|language=en}}</ref>
Rasmussen earned a bachelor's degree in history at his father's alma mater, DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, graduating in 1986,<ref>[http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=22006 Pollster Scott Rasmussen '86 Has Yet to See Convention Bounce for Barack Obama] DePauw University News, August 28, 2008</ref> and later an executive MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University.<ref name="business96" />
== Founding of ESPN == In 1978, Rasmussen and his father, Bill Rasmussen, founded ESPN. They came up with the idea on August 16, 1978, and went on the air on September 7, 1979.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Keenan |first1=Bill |title=The Untold Origin Story of ESPN |url=https://airmail.news/issues/2024-2-17/a-whole-new-ball-game |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=Air Mail |date=February 17, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> In between, they obtained broadcast rights to a wide range of NCAA sports events, obtained funding from Getty Oil, and signed Anheuser-Busch to what was then the largest advertising contract in cable television history.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/two-talks-by-espns-cofounder-will-benefit-childrens-museum/|title=Two talks by ESPN's cofounder will benefit children's museum|date=2011-10-25|work=HeraldNet.com|access-date=2018-02-01|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Story">"Sports' Junkies Rejoice:The Birth of ESPN", Bill Rasmussen; QV Publishing, inc., Hartsdale, New York (November 1983)</ref> Five years later, the Rasmussens' ownership stake in ESPN was bought out by Texaco, who thereafter sold ESPN to ABC for $237 million.<ref name="business96">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100930063931/http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/market-research/597741-1.html He got out of sports to be a poll vaulter] Business North Carolina, October 1, 1996</ref> They went on to found the Enterprise Radio Network. Rasmussen and his father later had a falling out over what Rasmussen called unspecified "differences."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/16/AR2010061605090.html|title=Pollster Scott Rasmussen's numbers are firing up Republicans and Democrats|last=Horowitz|first=Jason|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2010-06-17|access-date=2018-03-16|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
In April 2026, ESPN premiered a documentary, ''Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN'', about the network's founding. The documentary tells the story of how Bill Rasmussen and Scott Rasmussen launched the network.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reedy |first1=Joe |title=Story of the birth of ESPN will be showcased in a documentary on Monday night |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/story-of-the-birth-of-espn-will-be-showcased-in-a-documentary-on-monday-night/ar-AA20cjf2?uxmode=ruby |access-date=7 May 2026 |publisher=Associated Press |date=April 5, 2026}}</ref>
== Public opinion polling == Rasmussen first became known for his public opinion polling work. In the 1990s, he was a leader of the term limits movement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Seelye |first1=Katharine Q. |title=Gingrich Explores New Way To Limit Terms in Congress |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/16/us/gingrich-explores-new-way-to-limit-terms-in-congress.html |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=16 February 1995}}</ref><ref name="business">{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=52850713|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003231705/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=52850713|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 3, 2012|title=Meet the Man Who Takes America's Pulse |work=Washington Business Magazine|date=Spring 2012|access-date=2012-07-12}}</ref> He continues to conduct polls for U.S. Term Limits.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Velasco |first1=Donna |title=New Poll: 75% of Mississippi Voters Support Term Limits on Congress |url=https://www.termlimits.com/new-poll-of-mississippi-voters-support-term-limits-on-congress/ |website=U.S. Term Limits |access-date=20 May 2025 |date=17 January 2025}}</ref> In 1995, he founded a polling company called GrassRoots Research.<ref name="business96" /> In 1999, after changing the name to Rasmussen Research, the company was bought by TownPagesNet.com for about $4.5 million in ordinary shares.<ref name="business96" />
The ''Washington Post'' referred to Rasmussen as "a driving force in American politics" and "an articulate and frequent guest on Fox News and other outlets, where his nominally nonpartisan data is often cited to support Republican talking points."<ref name="post2">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/16/AR2010061605090.html|title=Pollster Scott Rasmussen's numbers are firing up Republicans and Democrats|date=2010-06-17|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2012-06-04}}</ref> In the ''Wall Street Journal'', political journalist John Fund called him "America's insurgent pollster".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703579804575441330559553568|title=America's Insurgent Pollster|last=Fund|first=John|date=2010-08-21|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2019-04-01|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660|author-link=John Fund}}</ref>
Susan Estrich, the first female campaign manager of a major presidential campaign, said of him, "If you really want to know what people in America think, you can't find a smarter guy to ask than Scott Rasmussen."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.creators.com/liberal/susan-estrich/the-confused-american.html|title=Estrich commentary, Creators.org, 2009|publisher=Creators.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305172035/http://www.creators.com/liberal/susan-estrich/the-confused-american.html|archive-date=2012-03-05|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/06/us/behind-2-democratic-contenders-2-hard-driving-campaign-managers-susan-estrich.html|title=Behind the 2 Democratic Contenders, 2 Hard-Driving Campaign Managers; Susan Estrich Brings Assurance And Toughness to Dukakis Drive|last1=Toner|first1=Robin|date=1988-05-06|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-01|last2=Special to The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Rasmussen has described himself as "an independent pollster" who "[l]ike the company he started, [...] maintains his independence and has never been a campaign pollster or consultant for candidates seeking office."<ref name="about2" /> Speaking about the use of his polling data by Republicans, in 2009 Rasmussen said, "Republicans right now are citing our polls more than Democrats because it’s in their interest to do so. I would not consider myself a political conservative — that implies an alignment with Washington politics that I don’t think I have."<ref name="weigel2">David Weigel: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130507104852/http://washingtonindependent.com/30539/rasmussen-the-only-poll-that-matters Rasmussen, the Only Poll that Matters] The Washington Independent, 18 February 2009</ref>
In 2010, some Democrats criticized Rasmussen's polling methodology. Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said Rasmussen Reports polls "tend to be among the worst polls for Democrats." Tom Jensen, a pollster for Democratic firm Public Policy Polling said: "The way [Rasmussen] does polls is that he's more likely to get high-energy voters. I think Rasmussen favors Republicans this year, but I don't think he inherently favors Republicans."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/31047_Page3.html|title=Low favorables: Democrats rip Rasmussen|last=Isenstadt|first=Alex|date=2010-01-02|newspaper=Politico|access-date=17 December 2013}}</ref>
In August 2018, Rasmussen released a public opinion website, ScottRasmussen.com, in conjunction with the announcement of a partnership between ScottRasmussen.com and HarrisX, an online research company under The Stagwell Group, which was founded by former pollster and adviser to President Bill Clinton, Mark Penn.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/harrisx-partners-with-veteran-pollster-scott-rasmussen-on-new-daily-poll-tracking-american-political-sentiment-1027493094|title=HarrisX Partners with Veteran Pollster Scott Rasmussen on New Daily Poll Tracking American Political Sentiment |work=Business Insider|access-date=2018-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mark-penns-stagwell-group-raises-260-million-1534244400|title=Mark Penn's Stagwell Group Raises $260 Million|last=O'Reilly|first=Lara|date=2018-08-14|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2018-08-29|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/21/us/politics/mark-penn-clinton-aide-mueller-investigation.html|title=Mark Penn, Ex-Clinton Aide, Dismisses Mueller Inquiry, and the Clintons Along With It|last=Baker|first=Peter|date=2018-05-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-01|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said that "Scott Rasmussen has done America an enormous service. He identified the driving forces behind the destructive radicalism which is pushing us into a cultural civil war."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gingrich |first1=Newt |title=Gingrich: The elite 1 percent behind the cultural civil war|url=https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/02/gingrich-the-elite-1-percent-behind-the-cultural-civil-war/ |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=North State Journal |date=2 February 2024}}</ref>
===Napolitan Institute=== Rasmussen founded the Napolitan Institute in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bluey |first1=Rob |title=Pollster Scott Rasmussen's Predictions for 2024 Election |url=https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/10/27/pollster-scott-rasmussens-predictions-for-2024-election/ |access-date=21 May 2025 |work=The Daily Signal |date=28 October 2024}}</ref> Through the Napolitan Institute and RMG Research, Rasmussen conducts polling focused on the "Elite One Percent" and federal government managers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=Michael |title=On the Elites and Counter-Elites: Polling the Elites |url=https://capitalresearch.org/article/on-the-elites-and-counter-elites-part-2/ |access-date=21 May 2025 |work=capitalresearch.org |date=June 19, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bedard |first1=Paul |title=Democratic Party troubles mount as more voters turn right, give GOP edge |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/3381841/democratic-party-troubles-mount-as-more-voters-turn-right-give-gop-edge/ |access-date=21 May 2025 |publisher=Washington Examiner |date=16 April 2025}}</ref> Rasmussen's surveys of federal government managers revealed that a significant number of federal employees would not obey a legal order from President Trump.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mittelstadt |first1=Natalia |title=Deep state? Most pro-Harris government managers plan to resist Trump's efforts, poll finds |url=https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/polling/most-pro-harris-federal-workers-will-resist-trumps-efforts-nearly-half |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=Just The News |date=January 13, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
In July 2025, the Napolitan Institute announced an AI-based partnership with Jigsaw, a technology incubator created by Google. The partnership will involve convening online conversations with Americans from every congressional district and presenting the public opinion gleaned from these conversations in a July 2026 commemoration of the United States Semiquincentennial.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whedon |first1=Ben |title=Napolitan News announces AI partnership to revolutionize polling |url=https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/embargo12pm-napolitan-news-announces-ai-partnership-revolutionize-polling |access-date=9 July 2025 |work=Just The News |date=July 2, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Rasmussen Reports === {{main|Rasmussen Reports}}
In 2003, Rasmussen founded Rasmussen Reports, LLC, a U.S.-based public opinion polling company, to track consumer confidence, investor confidence, and presidential approval.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=52850713|title=Rasmussen Reports, LLC: Private Company Information - Bloomberg|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2018-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/10/AR2009081002717.html|title=Public Opinion Firm Rasmussen Reports Gets 'Major Growth Capital Investment'|last=Tartakoff|first=Joseph|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2009-08-10|access-date=2018-02-01|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Rasmussen Reports has been called "one of the most consistently interesting polling and analytics companies," generating a daily cycle of news reports based on original survey results as well as political, business, economic and lifestyle content.<ref name="about2">{{cite web|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us|title=About Us|date=2010-03-14|publisher=Rasmussenreports.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326120852/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us|archive-date=2012-03-26|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2017/06/24/scott-rasmussens-heroic-battle-with-tyrannophilia-rex-the-love-of-dictatorship/#7862fd3f37b2|title=Scott Rasmussen's Heroic Battle With Tyrannophilia Rex, The Love Of Dictatorship|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-03-09|language=en}}</ref> Unlike traditional pollsters whose polls are often influenced by partisanship, the company's business model relies on website advertising and paid subscriptions for premium content.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.washingtonbusinessmag.com/home/76-meet_the_man_who_takes_america_s_pulse.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918053019/http://www.washingtonbusinessmag.com/home/76-meet_the_man_who_takes_america_s_pulse.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-18|title=Meet the Man Who Takes America's Pulse - Washington Business Magazine|date=2012-09-18|access-date=2018-01-31}}</ref> Rasmussen Reports' polls were notable for their use of automated public opinion polling, involving pre-recorded telephone inquiries, which have been shown to produce accurate results at low cost.<ref name="erol">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100420142229/http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/04/use-of-likely-voter-model-does-not.html Use of Likely Voter Model Does Not Explain Rasmussen "House Effect"], by Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight.com, April 17, 2010</ref>
In 2009, Noson Lawen Partners provided a significant investment in Rasmussen Reports.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us/public_relations/press_room/press_releases/rasmussen_reports_announces_new_growth_capital_investment|title=Rasmussen Reports Announces New Growth Capital Investment |publisher=Rasmussen Reports |language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-01}}</ref> In 2010, Rasmussen Reports was one of two firms providing daily tracking updates of the president's job approval ratings as well as consumer confidence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obamas-job-approval-bouncing-back_524729.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222110935/http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obamas-job-approval-bouncing-back_524729.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 22, 2010|title=Obama's job approval bouncing back|date=2010-12-21|work=Weekly Standard|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref> By 2012, Rasmussen Reports had garnered a national reputation for providing "reliable, newsworthy and actionable public opinion data," receiving over one million visits per day during the presidential election that year.<ref name=":0" />
In January 2013, Rasmussen informed his investors that he would not be renewing his contract without changes in the company's business and operations.<ref name=huffpo>{{cite news|last=Blumenthal|first=Mark|title=Pollster Scott Rasmussen Leaves Firm He Founded A Decade Ago|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/scott-rasmussen_n_3798379.html|access-date=24 August 2013|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=2013-08-22|author2=Edwards-Levy, Ariel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-rasmussen-leaving-polling-company-2013-8|title=One Of The Biggest Political Pollsters Has Left The Company That Bears His Last Name Over 'Disagreements'|work=Business Insider|access-date=2018-08-29}}</ref> In a press release from Rasmussen Reports, the company confirmed Rasmussen's departure and said, "[i]n part, the move reflects disagreements over company business strategies .... The Company emphasized that Mr. Rasmussen's legacy remains intact. His polling methodologies and protocols, widely acknowledged as among the most accurate and reliable in the industry, continue to guide and inform the company's public opinion survey techniques. In addition, the editorial culture of excellence that he built is still very much in place."<ref name=":2">{{cite news|title=Rasmussen Reports Announces a Change in Management|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us/public_relations/press_room/press_releases/rasmussen_reports_announces_a_change_in_management |access-date=24 August 2013|newspaper=Rasmussen Reports|date=2013-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Byers|first=Dylan|title=Rasmussen founder leaves company|url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/08/rasmussen-founder-leaves-company-171041 |access-date=24 August 2013|newspaper=Politico|date=2013-08-22}}</ref>
In 2024, Michael Hiltzik wrote in ''The Los Angeles Times'' that "Rasmussen Reports used to be a fairly creditable and credible political polling organization," but that in the years since Scott Rasmussen's departure "Not only have its results become more sharply partisan, favoring Republican and conservative politicians, but it also has increasingly promoted right-wing conspiracy theories."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hiltzik |first1=Michael |title=Column: This GOP-leaning political polling firm has turned into a purveyor of anti-vaccine propaganda |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-06-19/this-gop-leaning-polling-firm-has-turned-into-a-purveyor-of-anti-vaccine-propaganda |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=19 June 2024}}</ref> Scott Rasmussen has noted his separation from the firm on social media, tweeting: "For clarity, I left my old firm more than a decade ago and have had nothing to do with it since."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Scott |title="For clarity, I left my old firm more than a decade ago and have had nothing to do with them since." |url=https://x.com/ScottWRasmussen/status/1819763125056356465 |publisher=X |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>
==Books== In 2010, Rasmussen co-authored a book with pollster Douglas Schoen, ''Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System,''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System|last1=Rasmussen|first1=Scott|last2=Schoen|first2=Douglas|publisher=Harper|year=2010 |isbn=9780062016720|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=680281448}}</ref> explaining the causes of Tea Party movement's frustrations, namely excessive federal spending, high taxes, and a failure of politicians in Washington to listening to the people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703436504574640973183026230|title=Don't Shoot the Pollster|last1=Caddell|first1=Patrick|date=2010-01-15|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2019-04-01|last2=Schoen|first2=Douglas|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>
In his 2010 book titled ''In Search of Self-Governance'', Rasmussen argued that Americans would rather govern themselves rather than being governed from the left, the right, or even center<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcsg.com/view/full_story/8369740/article-Americans-Strongly-Support-Ideals-of-Declaration-of-Independence?instance=home_stories1|title=KCSG Television - Americans Strongly Support Ideals of Declaration of Independence|publisher=Kcsg.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232131/http://www.kcsg.com/view/full_story/8369740/article-Americans-Strongly-Support-Ideals-of-Declaration-of-Independence?instance=home_stories1|archive-date=2016-03-03|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref> and this desire for self-governance is under assault by elites in Washington, D.C. and Wall Street."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2s9WAAAAYAAJ|title=In Search of Self-Governance|last=Rasmussen|first=Scott W.|date=January 2010|publisher=Rasmussen Reports|isbn=9781449593544|language=en}}</ref>
Rasmussen's 2012 book, ''The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt'', argues through polling data, that the federal government does not have the consent of the governed.<ref name=":11" /> The book reached number 17 on the New York Times Bestseller List in March 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2012/03/25/hardcover-nonfiction/|title=Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - March 25, 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-01|language=en|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
In 2018, Rasmussen authored a book entitled ''The Sun is Still Rising:'' ''Politics Has Failed But America Will Not''.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|title=The Sun is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not|last=Rasmussen|first=Scott|publisher=Sutherland Institute|year=2018|isbn=9780998960425|location=Salt Lake City|oclc=1060616405}}</ref> While expressing a general sense of pessimism as to the political process in America, Rasmussen makes a case for the "legitimacy" of optimism in the virtual and psychical communities outside of Washington, D.C. that allow the talents of individuals flourish.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://townhall.com/columnists/scottrasmussen/2016/10/06/a-journey-from-pessimism-to-optimism-n2228682|title=A Journey From Pessimism to Optimism|last=Rasmussen|first=Scott|work=Townhall|access-date=2018-02-01|language=en}}</ref> Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said of the book: "in this optimistic, open-hearted book, Scott Rasmussen delivers a spirited and timely reminder that civic groups, innovative businesses, and personal networks are where the real action will be in the 21st century—and that their potential to improve our lives and our country is vast."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/33505/|title=Scott Rasmussen Authors Politics Has Failed: America Will Not |publisher=DePauw University|access-date=2018-03-09|language=en}}</ref>
In 2026, Rasmussen's book ''Out of Touch: The Elite One Percent and the Battle for America's Soul'' was published by Simon & Schuster.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part 3: Co-founder Scott Rasmussen remembers ESPN's launch — and his eventual departure |url=https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2026/04/part-3-co-founder-scott-rasmussen-remembers-espns-launch-and-his-eventual-departure/ |access-date=12 May 2026 |work=ESPN Front Row |date=6 April 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Out of Touch |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Out-of-Touch/Scott-W-Rasmussen/9781645721161 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |access-date=12 May 2026 |language=en |date=19 May 2026}}</ref>
==Television== For many years, Rasmussen was a regular guest on Fox News,<ref name="post"/> appearing on shows including ''Fox & Friends'', ''Hannity'', ''The Factor'', and ''America Live''.
In 2010 he made an appearance on Comedy Central's ''The Colbert Report''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/267153/march-11-2010/the-colbert-repoll---scott-rasmussenScott|title=on The Colbert Report March 11, 2010|publisher=Colbertnation.com|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref>
From 2012 through 2013, Rasmussen hosted a syndicated television show called ''What America Thinks With Scott Rasmussen'' with WCBS-TV.<ref name="buzzfeed">{{cite news|last=Cramer|first=Ruby|title=The Secret Economy Of Pollsters|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/the-secret-economy-of-pollsters|access-date=3 November 2012|newspaper=BuzzFeed|date=2012-10-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.creators.com/opinion/scott-rasmussen.html|title=For Voters, Tax Reform Means Tax Equality by Scott Rasmussen on Creators.com - A Syndicate of Talent|publisher=Creators.com|access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/05/24/51436/telco-develops-syndie-offerings-with-rasmussen|title=Telco Develops Syndie Offerings With Rasmussen|last=Staff|date=24 May 2011|publisher=TVNewsCheck|access-date=2012-02-08}}</ref> An episode of the show titled ''What New Hampshire Thinks'' won a 2012 Granite Mike Award from the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters.<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 Granite Mikes Winners |url=http://nhab.org/convention/winnerlist.cfm |publisher=NHAB |access-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428101207/http://nhab.org/convention/winnerlist.cfm |archive-date=April 28, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Stead|first=Cynthia|title=Faithfully moving into the new year|url=http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130103/OPINION/301030345/-1/OPINION02|access-date=16 January 2013|newspaper=Cape Cod Times|date=2013-01-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101012214/http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130103%2FOPINION%2F301030345%2F-1%2FOPINION02|archive-date=1 January 2014}}</ref>
He appeared as himself in the movie ''A Long Way Off'' (2014).<ref>{{cite web |title=Scott Rasmussen {{!}} Producer, Writer |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0711413/ |website=IMDb |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>
In February 2018, Rasmussen participated as a panelist in a televised discussion moderated by former Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina, discussing the implications and impact of the recently enacted tax reform package.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://cbs12.com/news/nation-world/your-voice-your-future-tax-reform|title=Your Voice, Your Future: Tax Reform|work=WPEC|access-date=2018-03-09|publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Personal life== Rasmussen lives in Florida with his wife, Laura.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia:Scott_Rasmussen|title=Ballotpedia:Scott Rasmussen - Ballotpedia|access-date=2018-01-10|language=en-US}}</ref>
Speaking about his political views, Rasmussen said, "I was brought up loosely as a Republican, but at our family dinner table we talked about the important politics of the New York Giants and the New York Yankees. There was no political discussion in my life growing up. I became a Democrat after Richard Nixon and into the Jimmy Carter era and have been an Independent ever since. I spoke today about how the American people were skeptical about politicians—well, I'm more skeptical. I really do see the core issue as the political class versus mainstream voters. I think that is a much bigger gap than Republican, Democrat, conservative, or liberal."<ref name="maine ahead" />
In March 2010, Rasmussen's home was destroyed by a fire. Rasmussen noted thereafter that his local community—the "local government, our insurance company, our church, local businesses, our neighbors and the kindness of strangers"—were instrumental in the recovery process. Rasmussen also cited this experience as an inspiration for the "upbeat message" in his book, ''Politics Has Failed: America Will Not''.<ref name=":4" />
From 2006 to 2011, Rasmussen was volunteer president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA), "a ministry organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for spiritual birth, growth, and renewal in a Christian seaside setting."<ref>{{cite news|last=Scheller|first=Christine|title=Lifelong Ocean Grove Resident Takes Helm of Camp Meeting Association|url=http://manasquan.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/lifelong-ocean-grove-resident-takes-helm-of-camp-meet79aa79788e|access-date=19 December 2013|newspaper=Manasquan-Belmar Patch|date=2011-12-11}}</ref> OGCMA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.<ref>{{cite web|title=About The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association|url=http://oceangrove.org/pages/aboutus|work=Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association Website|publisher=Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association|access-date=19 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219130056/http://oceangrove.org/pages/aboutus|archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref>
==Bibliography== * ''The Sun Is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not'' (2018)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hinderaker |first1=John |title=Q&A: The sun is still rising |work=American Experiment |date=January 11, 2019 |url=https://www.americanexperiment.org/magazine/article/qa-the-sun-is-still-rising |publisher=Center of the American Experiment |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref> * ''Politics Has Failed: America Will Not''. Sutherland Institute. 2017. {{ISBN|9780998960401}}. * {{cite book|title=The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt|publisher=Threshold Editions|year=2012|isbn=978-1451666106|url=https://archive.org/details/peoplesmoneyhow00rasm}} * {{cite book | title = In Search of Self-Governance | publisher = CreateSpace | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-1449593544 | url = https://archive.org/details/insearchofselfgo0000rasm }} * {{cite book|title=Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System|publisher=Harper|year=2010|isbn=978-0061995231|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/madashellhowteap0000rasm_k0l8}} (with Doug Schoen) * {{cite book | title = A Better Deal: Social Security Choice | publisher = Rasmussen Reports | year = 2001 | isbn = 0971233004 }} * {{cite book | title = Solving the Budget Crisis: Hope for America's Future | publisher = Pub Marketing Group | year = 1985 | isbn = 0934347018 }}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{official website|https://napolitaninstitute.org/}} * [https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia:Scott_Rasmussen Biography at Ballotpedia] * {{C-SPAN|50798}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Scott}} Category:Living people Category:1956 births Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:American people of Danish descent Category:University of Connecticut alumni Category:Wake Forest University alumni Category:DePauw University alumni Category:American television executives Category:ESPN executives Category:Pollsters Category:American political writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:People from Valparaiso, Florida Category:American United Methodists