Chris Wilson
Quick Facts
Biography
Chris Wilson (born October 24, 1968) is an Oklahoma-based Republican American pollster and political strategist, and founder and CEO of wpaintel.com.
Early life and education
Wilson was born on October 24, 1968, in Lawton, Oklahoma.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Letters from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1991.
Career
Wilson has conducted public opinion studies for over 100 of the Fortune 500, influential associations, foundations, elected leaders of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and state governments.
Wilson served as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas when President George W. Bush was governor, working directly for Karl Rove, and following Karen Hughes when she left the Party to join the campaign.
In the years 1999 - 2001, Wilson served as Global Director of Research for Weber Shandwick, a public relations firm. In 1998, he started his own firm, Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research. He has designed and trademarked several research methodologies, including Message Mapping and Donor Enhancement Research.
Wilson is a former instructor on public policy research at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He remains a frequent lecturer on research, strategy and national trends.
Wilson is a regular political pundit on MSNBC, Fox News Channel, CNN and C-SPAN, and has been quoted in such national publications as the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Wilson lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with his wife and their two sons and regularly commutes to Washington D.C.
Ted Cruz 2016 presidential campaign
As the Director of Research, Analytics and Digital Strategy for the 2016 Ted Cruz presidential campaign, Wilson is widely credited for playing a key role in Cruz's Iowa Caucus victory. According to Wilson, this individualized approach allowed the campaign to "communicate directly to the individual about the issues they care about, making the choosing of a candidate an easier process for the voter."
The campaign was featured in John Stossel's segment titled "Tech Revolution."