First Past the Poll is a blog focused on polling analysis, election forecasting, and political statistics more broadly. Created in August 2018, the site aims to tell data-laden stories in an engaging and easy-to-understand way.
First Past the Poll is run by Bradley Wascher (me). I am a contributing analyst to the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections, where I write data-driven enterprise stories about national politics and campaigns, oversee all data projects, create graphics for articles, and assist with race ratings. Previously, I conducted polls for Noble Predictive Insights, was a contributing author to the 2024 Almanac of American Politics, and have appeared on election night broadcasts for multiple cycles with DecisionDeskHQ.
After spending 18 years in Alabama, I graduated college from Western Kentucky University then received my master’s degree from Georgetown. I’ve been based in DC ever since.
First Past the Poll 