By Kevin McCauley
Richard Wirthlin, pollster and political strategist for Ronald Reagan, died March 16. He was 80.
Politico reports that Wirthlin and his reams of data shaped Reagan’s public image “more than the public has ever realized.”
He began that work in 1968 during Reagan’s first term as Governor of California. Wirthlin polled for Reagan during his unsuccessful challenge to President Ford “and stuck around during the wilderness years to advise him,” according to Politico.
During Reagan’s two successful presidential runs, Wirthlin served as campaign director of strategy and planning. He is credited for identifying a political base for Reagan composed of traditionally Democratic blue-collar voters in the midwest and evangelicals in the south.
Wirthlin wrote “The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life” in 2004.
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