Jill Normington
A partner at the firm of Normington Petts, Jill Normington has more than 20 years of experience in survey research and campaign strategy.
Her current political clients include Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI), Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL), Senator Brian Schatz (HI), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Angie Craig (MN-02), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Bill Keating (MA-09), Susie Lee (NV-03), Frank Mrvan (IN-01), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), and Brad Schneider (IL-10). She is also the pollster for New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, Massachusetts Treasurer Deb Goldberg, and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
Normington was part of the Hillary for America polling team in 2016. Other past clients include Members of Congress Melissa Bean, Betsy Markey, Mike Michaud, Glenn Nye, Mark Takai, Pete Visclosky, and Charlie Wilson.
Normington has also provided advice and strategy to the DCCC, DGA and DSCC independent expenditure programs in races across the country, as well as BlackPAC, BOLD PAC, EMILY’s List, End Citizens United, Equality PAC, Equis, House Majority PAC, the Illinois Education Association, the League of Conservation Voters, SEIU Illinois Council, and Senate Majority PAC.
Normington has been part of the research effort into white working class voters spearheaded by House Majority PAC, helps WOMEN Vote! better understand the battleground landscape for women candidates, and is a frequent public speaker on American politics.
Additionally, Normington has taught undergraduate courses in Psychological Testing and Statistics at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Normington is also co-author of several professional journal articles including publications in The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and Psychological Assessment.
From a military family and a California native, Normington graduated from Occidental College, earning an A.B. with Honors in Psychology. She also completed three years of course-work in a Ph.D. program in Child Clinical Psychology at Howard University.
David Petts
David Petts is a founding partner of Normington, Petts & Associates. David Petts has over 35 years of experience in public opinion research and strategic consulting.
In 2016, Petts was part of the Hillary for America polling team. That same year, he conducted polling on behalf of Jason Kander in the Missouri Senate race as well as Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. He conducted polling in nearly a dozen congressional races on behalf of numerous independent expenditures including the DCCC and House Majority PAC. He was also the pollster for Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella.
In 2012, Petts helped guide incumbent Governor Jack Markell in Delaware and Governor Jay Nixon in Missouri to landslide victories, the culmination of four years of strategic advice dating back to their initial victories in 2008. Petts has done extensive polling for the Democratic Governors Association. In 2010, he polled for the DGA’s Independent Expenditure races in Connecticut and Rhode Island and in 2014, he conducted polling on their behalf in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
In 2008, Petts helped guide Jack Markell to an upset victory in the Democratic primary for Governor in Delaware, and then on to a win in the general election. In 2010, he helped engineer Joe Sestak’s surprise, come from behind, victory over Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. And in 2009, Petts helped Creigh Deeds in his stunning upset victory in Virginia’s Democratic primary for Governor. In 2006, he also conducted polling for the DSCC Independent Expenditure effort in Missouri, Minnesota and New Jersey.
David Petts regularly delivers lectures on American elections and polling to both graduate and undergraduate students at a number of universities. He has lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, Exeter University in England, American University, and George Mason University among others.
A graduate of Arizona State University, David Petts attended graduate school at the University of Michigan where he worked on the National Election Study at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). While at ISR, Mr. Petts worked with Professor Don Kinder on a cognitive model of voting behavior that transformed the academic analysis of presidential elections.