Mark Mellman, the Democratic Party pollster known for his pro-Israel advocacy, passed away on Nov. 20, according to the group he founded, the Democratic Majority for Israel.
Mellman served as CEO of The Mellman Group, his polling firm, and as president of DMFI. Throughout his decades in politics, he was a firm believer in the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and in pro-Israel stances by Democratic politicians.
His stances were backed by the way he lived. Mellman was an active participant in the congregational life of Kesher Israel in Washington, D.C.
After his passing, the eulogies were swift, heartfelt and full of praise.
“His stature, intellect, knowledge of the issues, his ability to understand trends and his overall credibility helped make @DemMaj4Israel into the powerhouse that it is today. We could not have done this without him,” wrote Todd Richman, the advocacy organization’s former president, on X.
“We mourn the passing of Mark Mellman, a devoted champion of the U.S.–Israel partnership. His vision and steadfast leadership gave voice to millions of pro-Israel Democrats at a critical moment for America’s democratic ally. He will be greatly missed. We extend our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues,” said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also on X.
“Mark did the polling for numerous political campaigns I was involved with here in OH, including those of John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum. Best pollster I ever worked with,” said Dale Butland, an Ohio-based political strategist, on X.
Mellman’s career began while he was still an undergraduate at Yale University. In 1981, he joined the campaign of Bruce Morrison, an underdog candidate running for the congressional seat representing Connecticut’s 3rd district.
The pollster helped Morrison win and go on to an eight-year tenure in Congress. After that race, Mellman founded Information Associates in D.C. By 1986, it was called The Mellman Group.
The Israel advocate has worked with John Kerry, Harry Reid and a host of other prominent Democratic politicians. He has campaigned against the Iran nuclear deal and against cuts to Israel aid. But he might be best known for helping along the rise of Yair Lapid, the centrist Israeli politician who stands as the leader of the opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government.
Lapid made the decision to leave TV journalism and enter politics in 2012. A year later, his party, Yesh Atid, won 19 seats in the Knesset, becoming the second-largest Israeli political party. In 2021 and 2022, Lapid and Naftali Bennett formed a government, relegating Netanyahu to an opposition role and briefly elevating Lapid to the prime minister’s office.
Mellman was with him the whole time.
Early on the morning of Nov. 21, Lapid eulogized Mellman on X: “He was one of the architects of the 2013 election success and of the campaign that led to us forming the government in 2021. Mark embodied a love of the strong, successful, democratic Israel we believe in and worked tirelessly to secure the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States. His contribution to the Jewish people is far greater than most people will ever know. He will be sorely missed by me, my family and everyone at Yesh Atid.”
Last year, Mellman did an interview with Mid-Atlantic Media’s Philadelphia Jewish Exponent about the “Uncommitted” movement of pro-Palestinian voters who were mobilizing against Joe Biden in the Democratic Michigan primary.
He called the success of the movement exaggerated. He said that mainstream media outlets, like The New York Times, were looking for a narrative in a primary that featured Biden against no real challenger.
“The press overwrote the Michigan story dramatically,” Mellman said at the time. “We pointed out to people that ‘Uncommitted’ only did 2.5 points better after this whole campaign than it did against Barack Obama in 2012 when no one was asking anybody to vote ‘Uncommitted.’”
The problem with the narrative is that “nobody has ever explored the reason these people are voting uncommitted,” Mellman explained. “We don’t know which ones are voting because of Israel Gaza, and which ones are voting for other matters.”
Ann Lewis, a chair emeritus of the board of directors of the Democratic Majority for Israel, told Washington Jewish Week that Mellman wasn’t like most pollsters. They would take a poll and explain what it meant. He would do that, too, but then he’d also compare it to years and years of historical data.
All of the information was in his head.
“He was a one-person databank. He had the experience of many years of polling public opinion,” she said.
More importantly, though, it was in his heart, according to Lewis. Mellman gave accurate, nuanced explanations because he cared deeply about the issues. His goal was to get to the truth to figure out a path forward.
“He was a Democrat who fought for Israel within his own party, guided by principle rather than politics,” said William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, in a statement to Washington Jewish Week. “He helped preserve the party’s commitment to Israel, and he was ahead of his time in understanding how critical that work would become.”
Brian Romick, the current president of the Democratic Majority for Israel, pledged to continue Mellman’s life’s work.
“His loss leaves a profound void,” Romick said to Washington Jewish Week. “I’m committed to honoring his legacy by pushing DMFI forward with the same dedication and purpose.”
