Brent Buchanan

President & Founder / Travel Snob

Brent Buchanan is an international pollster and messaging strategist based in Washington, DC. Buchanan, who was recognized by the American Association of Political Consultants as a “40 Under 40” and by Campaigns & Elections as a “Rising Star,” has served in multiple polling, communication, and strategy roles for governors, presidents, legislative leaders, and major corporations. He serves on the executive committee of the International Association of Political Consultants and as its treasurer. Brent is founder and president of Cygnal, an award-winning international polling, public opinion, and predictive analytics firm also based in Washington, DC, whose clients include Fortune Global 500 companies, foreign heads of state, presidential campaigns, U.S. senators, congressmen, dozens of state legislative caucuses, and trade associations. The company is recognized by Inc. 5000 as the fastest growing private research company in the U.S. and in the top 15% of growth for all private American companies. Cygnal conducted more than 800 surveys in 2020 and over 1,300 surveys in 2022 in U.S. and 17 other countries with a 96% accuracy rate. Buchanan helped create Cygnal’s proprietary Emotive Analysis which quantitatively analyzes voter emotions, allowing campaigns to bypass the logical brain and tap directly into the heart of what voters are feeling, not just thinking. He speaks regularly on how to determine and then speak to voters’ and citizens’ values and internal drivers that drive behavior and choice. Brent does not have any free time because his most important priority is his wife of 15 years and five children ranging from age 7 to age 14.

What was your first job?
My first real job was working as a waiter at Steak ‘n Shake. There’s not much better than a SnS patty melt. Best story while working at the restaurant…I was serving milkshakes to full table of really cute girls. As I took the milkshakes off the tray, they got unbalanced (rookie mistake!) and I dumped one on a girl at the table. Talk about feeling dumb! Years later my wife was telling me a story about this goofy waiter who dumped a milkshake on her friend when she was at Steak ‘n Shake. 🙄

Who is someone you admire?
President John F. Kennedy. He wasn’t the chosen son. His dad meddled in his career. He had immense physical challenges that he worked hard to hide from the public. Moral of the story is that challenges build us, and Kennedy had more than his fair share of obstacles.

If I were a superhero, my superpower would be…
Flying. Is there another choice? Patience isn’t a virtue of mine, so being able to fly anywhere, any time, in no time would be incredible. Now I take that back–teleportation.

What problems do you consistently solve for your clients?
Why. Too often people focus on the “what” without seeking to understand the “why.” Answer “why” is much more powerful. Take for example a message testing question. The “what” is that 52% of people believe X. But understanding the “why” behind the 52% is how you move that number to 72%. This is where Cygnal excels!

Posts Featuring Brent

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins The National Report on Newsmax

Brent Buchanan, President and Founder of Cygnal, joins The National Report on Newsmax on September 9th, 2024.

Brent Buchanan Joins the Morning Wire Podcast – Why Trump – Harris Polls Might Be Misleading 9/1/24

"Cygnal pollster Brent Buchanan lays out which presidential candidate has the most likely path to 270 electoral votes, and what effect will Robert Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of Donald Trump have on the general election. Get the facts first on Morning Wire." From the Morning Wire Podcast

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins Fox News Live – Democracy 2024

Brent Buchanan, Cygnal President and GOP Pollster, joins Fox News Live on Saturday, July 20th, 2024.

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins CNN Inside Politics

Brent Buchanan joins CNN Inside Politics in June of 2024.

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins The National Report on Newsmax

Cygnal Pollster, President, and Founder Brent Buchanan joins The National Report on Newsmax with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg on June 13th, 2024.

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins The National Report on Newsmax

Cygnal Pollster, President, and Founder Brent Buchanan joins The National Report on Newsmax with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg on June 6th, 2024.

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins Cavuto: Coast to Coast on Fox Business

Brent Buchanan Joins Cavuto: Coast to Coast with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business in May of 2024. Watch the full interview on Fox Business: Trump's 'sham' trial created anger with donors of all types: Brent Buchanan | Fox Business Video

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins Newsmax National Report

Cygnal Pollster, Founder, and President Brent Buchanan joins National Report on Newsmax with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg in May of 2024.

The Ripon Society – Working Class Folks are the New Political Base and Republicans Have the Advantage by Brent Buchanan

With just months until the 2024 presidential election, data trends provide us with further proof that a huge shift is occurring across America’s political constituencies. It’s clear this realignment will be firmly cemented in our national politics and that both parties have been slow to match their policymaking with the political preferences of their respective bases.

Listen – Brent Buchanan Joins James Freeman on The Freeman Report TNT Radio Interview

Listen to the TNT radio interview of our President and Founder Brent Buchanan who joined James Freeman's The Freeman Report in April of 2024. Discover insights on new polling data, three crucial voter groups and how they will impact the election, and what to expect throughout the rest of the 2024 election year.

Brent Buchanan Joins the Morning Wire Podcast – Why Trump – Harris Polls Might Be Misleading 9/1/24

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins Fox News Live – Democracy 2024

Watch – Brent Buchanan Joins CNN Inside Politics

Brent Buchanan

President & Founder / Travel Snob

Posts Featuring Brent

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