Celinda Lake

Celinda Lake is a pollster and political strategist recognized for her work within the Democratic Party. As president of Lake Research Partners, Lake serves as a tactician and senior advisor to national party committees, Democratic incumbents, and challengers across all levels of the electoral process. She holds an undergraduate degree from Smith College and a master's degree in political science and survey research from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, as well as a certificate in political science from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Lake was one of two main pollsters for the Biden campaign and is the only Democratic pollster to play a significant role in defeating two incumbent presidents. During the Clinton/Gore campaign, she oversaw focus group research and served as a general consultant. Lake's polling and strategic advice have contributed to the electoral successes of candidates such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Jon Tester, Senator Debbie Stabenow, and former Governor Bob Wise. Her guidance also supported former Senator Mark Begich's victory as the first Senate candidate in Alaska to unseat an incumbent in five decades. Lake Research Partners is recognized for research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment, and education, and has worked with organizations such as the Democratic National Committee, AFL-CIO, SEIU, EMILY's List, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. The firm's international projects have included work in Liberia, Belarus, Ukraine, South Africa, and Central America.

Lake is known for research on single women voters and has contributed to the election of more women to office than any other firm in the United States, including firsts among women, women of color, and LGBTQ candidates. Her work supported the election of former Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, the first African-American woman elected to the United States Senate. Lake has identified key voter groups such as Reagan seniors, NASCAR dads, waitress moms, and the marriage gap. She contributed to successful minimum wage campaigns in five states and was the pollster for the first successful effort to defeat an anti-gay marriage initiative in Arizona.

Before founding Lake Research Partners, Lake was partner and vice president at Greenberg-Lake. Her previous roles include political director of the Women's Campaign Fund, research director at the Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and policy analyst for the Subcommittee on Select Education. Lake received the lifetime achievement award from the American Association of Political Consultants for her work on the Battleground Poll. The AAPC Foundation established the Lake/DiVall Scholarship in her honor. As an author, Lake co-authored "What Women Really Want" with Kellyanne Conway and "A Question of Respect" with Ed Goeas. Her analysis has been featured in Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, and she has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, and NPR.