Mark Mellman

Mark Mellman is an American pollster and political consultant. He is the founder of The Mellman Group. In 2019, he formed the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a Democratic Party-aligned organization that supports pro-Israel candidates.

Work

Mellman began political work during his Yale graduate studies. Mellman worked on Connecticut congressional candidate Bruce Morrison's ultimately successful 1981 campaign. Following this, Mellman formed Information Associates in Washington, D.C.; in 1986, the group was incorporated as The Mellman Group. ^[1]

In 2004, John Kerry's presidential campaign was an early Mellman Group client, a race Kerry ultimately lost. ^[1] Speaking after the election, Mellman says he foresaw the outcome of the Swiftboat campaign against Kerry. As the campaign grew, with advertising and coverage heavy on right-wing media such as Fox News and the Drudge Report, Mellman says he saw in the polls a tide turning against Kerry. ^[2]

In January 2019, Mellman and other Democratic strategists started Democratic Majority for Israel, a group whose mission is to promote pro-Israel candidates among Democrats, especially in primary elections. ^{[3] [4]}

Mellman regularly participates in AIPAC conferences, ^[5] for example speaking at a 2019 AIPAC event in Columbus alongside Neil Newhouse ^[6] and working directly for AIPAC in the past. ^[7] In 2015, Mellman consulted for a $25 million advertising campaign for the AIPAC-funded group Nuclear Free Iran. Based on the premise that increased exposure to details of the deal would lead most Americans to oppose it, Mellman's campaign recommendations aimed to disrupt the Iran nuclear agreement by increasing public skepticism. ^{[8] [9]} Mellman's firm received a quarter million dollars for its work. ^[3] Mellman has consulted for other Jewish and pro-Israel organizations as well. ^[10]

As of 2016, Mellman was president of the American Association of Political Consultants. ^[11]

Since Yair Lapid entered politics, Mellman acted as a senior strategist for him. He describes his relationship Lapid and Yesh Atid as differing from his other clients. He notes that this relationship goes back very far, with Mellman helping decide the name of the party. ^[12]

Positions

In 2013, Mellman commented on increasing sympathy for Palestinian over Israelis among Democrats according to polling data. Mellman argued that this shift remained small, but suggested handling the issue while it remained minor. He said the best way to do so would be by appealing to specific communities through their own angles, such as LGBT issues, immigration, and health care access, while at the same time confronting the Israel issue head on. ^[10]

In late 2019, Mellman commented on a speech by Senator and Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to the liberal Jewish group J Street. Mellman opposed Sanders' suggestion that he would use the $3.8 billion in US aid to Israel as leverage to promote humanitarian policies in the Gaza strip. Mellman suggested that "any aid cuts to Israel is not supported by the majority of Democrats" and that "the considerable support Sanders received for this position at the J Street event does not represent a majority of the Jewish community." ^[13]

In 2010, Mellman suggested that Rasmussen Reports tended to be the most heavily stacked against Democratic candidates in elections. ^[14]

Mellman opposed Sanders' run for president, supported Eliot Engel's run for a New York congressional seat against successful challenger Jamaal Bowman, and opposes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions tactics against Israel. ^[12]

Personal details

Mellman is an active member of the Modern Orthodox synagogue Kesher Israel in Washington, D.C. ^{[15] [12]}

References

1. Landers, Chris (September 26, 2006). "Consultant profile: Mark Mellman (The Mellman Group)". Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
2. Manjoo, Farhad (2008). True enough : learning to live in a Post-Fact society. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. pp. 47–48. ISBN   9780470050101.
3. Lacy, Akela (February 1, 2020). "Centrist Democrat Mark Mellman's Pro-Israel Group Attacks Sanders". The Intercept. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
4. "Pro-Israel political action committee takes heat for anti-Bernie Sanders ads". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 16, 2020.
5. "Bernie Sanders says he'll skip this year's AIPAC conference". Jewish News of Northern California. JTA. February 24, 2020.
6. "Mark Mellman, Neil Newhouse to speak at AIPAC Columbus event". Columbus Jewish News. Oct 24, 2019.
7. Pink, Aiden (January 30, 2019). "Could AIPAC Ties Complicate Mission Of Group Trying To Keep Dems Pro-Israel?". The Forward.
8. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (August 4, 2018). "Obama Begins Campaign in Congress for Iran Nuclear Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
9. Kraushaar, Josh (August 19, 2015). "Obama's Nuclear Deal Tests Lawmakers' Loyalty". The Atlantic.
10. Guttman, Nathan (March 10, 2013). "AIPAC Tries to Brand Israel as Liberal Cause". The Forward.
11. "Netanyahu elections ad wins international award". Times of Israel. April 18, 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
12. Mellman, Mark (July 13, 2021). "Lapid's US pollster sees 10 years of work come to 'dramatic, emotional' fruition". Times of Israel (Interview). Interviewed by Tal Schneider. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
13. Nahmias, Omri (November 8, 2019). "What would a Bernie Sanders presidency mean for Israel?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
14. Isenstadt, Alex (2010-01-02). "Low favorables: Democrats rip Rasmussen". Politico. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
15. Lerer, Lisa (September 21, 2007). "Yom Kippur marks D.C. networking bonanza". Politico. Retrieved 20 July 2021.