Staff Bios

Frederick S. Yang

Frederick S. Yang is a partner with the Garin Hart Yang Research Group, one of the most respected and successful political polling firms in the country for Democratic candidates. Garin Hart Yang counts among its current clients 12 members of the U.S. Senate, 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and six sitting governors. He also serves as a senior vice president with Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., Garin Hart Yang's parent company.

In the 2006 election, Mr. Yang was the only pollster--Democrat or Republican--whose clients defeated an incumbent governor (Martin O'Malley defeated Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich), an incumbent U.S. Senator (Bob Casey defeated Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum), and an incumbent congressman (Brad Ellsworth defeated Indiana 8th CD congressman John Hostettler, and Baron Hill defeated Indiana 9th CD congressman Mike Sodrel).

In addition, Mr. Yang was the pollster for Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, who won a 69% to 30% reelection victory (in which he was the first candidate in state history to carry ALL 95 counties), after winning a narrow 51% to 48% victory in 2002. And Mr. Yang's polling helped Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry win a resounding 67% to 33% reelection victory despite winning the 2002 election by only 7,000 votes.

Mr. Yang counts several U.S. senators as his clients, including Pennsylvania's Bob Casey (whose victory was the first for a Democratic senatorial candidate in a regular general election since 1962). Mr. Yang also is the pollster for 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and has helped elect at least one new House member in each of the past six election cycles.

Mr. Yang's CURRENT clients include Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and North Carolina Governor Mike Easley. As well, he polls for a number of state and municipal officials, including: Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (Missouri); Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue (North Carolina); Attorney General Catherine Cortez-Masto (Nevada); State Comptroller Peter Franchot (Maryland); State Treasurer Scott Meacham (Oklahoma); Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (Detroit, MI); Mayor Bart Peterson (Indianapolis, IN); Mayor Graham Richard (Ft. Wayne, IN); Mayor Loretta Spencer (Huntsville, AL); Mayor Francis Slay (St. Louis, MO); Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (Pittsburgh, PA); King County (WA) Executive Ron Sims; Baltimore County (MD) Executive Jim Smith; and Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti. In 2006, Mr. Yang provided the polling and strategic guidance that helped Democrats win the majority in the Indiana State Legislature.

Mr. Yang, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University, got his start in politics at age 14, when he worked in his state assemblyman's district office. Prior to joining Hart Research, he worked on several political campaigns in a variety of roles, from precinct walker to field oordinator.

Mr. Yang and his wife Laurie are the proud parents of Grace, Olivia, and Natalie.