Michael Avram Podhorzer (born May 21, 1956) is an American
political strategist
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely te ...
. He was the political director of the
AFL–CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...
, before becoming a senior adviser to its President
Richard Trumka
Richard Louis Trumka (July 24, 1949 – August 5, 2021) was an American attorney and organized labor leader. He served as president of the United Mine Workers from 1982 to 1995, and then was secretary-general of the AFL–CIO from 1995 to 2009 ...
.
Podhorzer is also the
chairman of the board for the Analyst Institute and
Catalist. He serves on the boards of
America Votes America Votes is a 501(c)(4) organization that aims "to coordinate and promote progressive issues." America Votes leads national and state-based coalitions to advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout for Democratic Party candidates.
...
, Committee on States, and
Progressive Majority
Progressive Majority was an American political action committee that recruited, trained, and campaigned on behalf of progressive politicians for state and local offices. Founded in 2001, the group's stated mission is "to elect progressive champion ...
. Podhorzer was described as "the
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
" of a "shadow campaign that saved
the 2020 Election" by ''
TIME
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
.''
Early life and education
Podhorzer was born on 21 May 1956 and graduated from the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
.
Career
Podhorzer has worked in
progressive politics
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, te ...
since 1976. He was associate director for
Citizen Action Citizen Action was a national liberal consumer and public activist group that was active in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. State-level affiliates have continued on in Connecticut, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The affiliates of Ci ...
and worked at the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States. It represents 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees, including health care workers, correct ...
(AFSCME).
AFL-CIO
Podhorzer came to the AFL–CIO in 1997.
He served as deputy director of the political department from 2005, and on 28 June 2011, AFL–CIO President
Richard Trumka
Richard Louis Trumka (July 24, 1949 – August 5, 2021) was an American attorney and organized labor leader. He served as president of the United Mine Workers from 1982 to 1995, and then was secretary-general of the AFL–CIO from 1995 to 2009 ...
announced that Podhorzer would be the Federation's new political director.
While at the AFL, Podhorzer helped establish
Working America
Working America is the political organizing arm of the AFL–CIO. Its membership is made up of non- union individuals. It is the largest non-union workers' group in the United States, with a self-reported membership of 3.2 million individuals. Wo ...
, the community partner of the AFL–CIO which has grown to 3 million members nationwide. Podhorzer serves as the executive director to Workers’ Voice, a "
super PAC". As political director, Podhorzer leads the AFL–CIO's strategy of counteracting the influx of spending by
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...
-allied super PACs by stepping up its
ground game for the
2012 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2012.
International
* 2012 United Nations Security Council election
Africa Egypt
* 2012 Egyptian presidential election
Mali
* 2012 Malian presidential election
* 2012 Malian parliamentary electio ...
,
as well as helping lead the Federation's voter protection efforts and mobilization strategy.
The AFL–CIO said they will have more than 400,000 activists to work on the fall 2012 election. And on Election Day, the Federation will deploy 5,000 to 6,000 poll monitors to watch voting booths.
Recognition
Podhorzer's influence on using
data-driven strategies in
electoral campaigns
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referend ...
is discussed in
Sasha Issenberg
Sasha Issenberg is an American journalist. His articles have been published in ''Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-large ...
's 2013 book ''The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns''. A February 4, 2021 article by
Molly Ball
Molly Ball is an American political journalist and writer. She is the national political correspondent for '' Time'' magazine. She is the author of a 2020 biography of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Early life and education
Ball was raised in C ...
in ''
TIME
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' credited Podhorzer as "the
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
" of a "shadow campaign that saved
the 2020 Election," consisting of “a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage, and control the flow of information.”
Personal life
Podhorzer was married to
Carol Browner
Carol Martha Browner (born December 16, 1955) is an American lawyer, environmentalist, and businesswoman, who served as director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011. Brown ...
, a board member of the
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environme ...
and former administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
.
References
External links
Michael Podhorzer profile at the
AFL–CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...
Michael Podhorzer profile at
InfluenceWatch
Capital Research Center (CRC) is an American conservative non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C. Its stated purpose is "to study non-profit organizations, with a special focus on reviving the American traditions of charity, philanthro ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Podhorzer, Michael
1956 births
Living people
AFL–CIO people
American political consultants
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
20th-century American Jews
American political bosses
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees people
21st-century American Jews