# Patrick Ruffini

> Patrick Ruffini is a Republican pollster and data strategist who co-founded Echelon Insights, one of the most accurate private polling firms in America. His 2023 book, 'Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP,' was later called by The New York Times 'the book that predicted the 2024 election.' A pioneer of digital campaigning who built Bush-Cheney's web operation in 2004, Ruffini has spent two decades arguing that the diploma divide, not race, is the fault line redrawing American politics.

- **Role:** Founding Partner at Echelon Insights
- **Organizations:** Echelon Insights, Engage, Republican National Committee, Columbia University School of Professional Studies, UTA Speakers
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High school diploma, Greenwich High School, BA, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded Echelon Insights, ranked among the three most accurate private polling firms in the country by FiveThirtyEight, Authored 'Party of the People,' called by The New York Times 'the book that predicted the 2024 election', Built the digital operation for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, an early milestone in online political organizing

## Career timeline

- **2001** — Began blogging on politics and technology; contributed to RedState and Townhall.com
- **2004** — Served as webmaster for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign
- **2005-2007** — eCampaign / digital strategy director at the Republican National Committee
- **2007** — Founded Engage, a digital strategy and communications firm
- **2008** — Co-founded The Next Right, a conservative online forum
- **2014** — Co-founded Echelon Insights, a polling and analytics firm
- **2023** — Published 'Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP'
- **2024** — Book cited as having predicted the 2024 realignment; teaches in Columbia's Political Analytics program

## Achievements

- Co-founded Echelon Insights, ranked among the three most accurate private polling firms in the country by FiveThirtyEight
- Authored 'Party of the People,' called by The New York Times 'the book that predicted the 2024 election'
- Built the digital operation for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, an early milestone in online political organizing
- Led digital strategy at the RNC during the early years of online campaigning
- Recognized analyst across CNBC, Fox News, BBC, and NPR, with bylines in The Washington Post, The New York Times, FiveThirtyEight, Politico, and National Review

## Latest updates

- **2024-11** — 'Party of the People' credited with anticipating the 2024 election's multiracial working-class shift toward the GOP
- **2025-05** — Continued publishing analysis of the realignment on his Substack newsletter, The Intersection

## Links

- Website: https://www.patrickruffini.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruffini/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/PatrickRuffini

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/patrick-ruffini
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02