Get to know us.

Ethan Smith is the founder of Upswing Research and Strategy.

He has provided Democratic campaigns, progressive causes, non-profits, and government institutions with public opinion research, strategic advice, and messaging guidance for nearly a decade. Ethan has also moderated hundreds of focus groups across the country.

Ethan has earned a track record of helping clients defy the odds to win tough races. In 2018, Ethan helped win 3 new state legislative majorities and pick up dozens of seats across 6 chambers in Washington, Connecticut, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Ethan also was part of the research team that helped flip 4 congressional seats in Washington, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

In 2021, Ethan helped Mayor Ed Gainey become the first Black mayor of Pittsburgh, defeating a two-term incumbent despite being outspent 3 to 1.

In 2022, he helped Congresswoman Summer Lee defy millions of dollars in corporate super PAC spending to become Pennsylvania’s first Black Congresswoman. He also helped Congresswoman Susan Wild win reelection despite nearly every race rater calling her race Lean Republican. Ethan led research that helped flip the Minnesota Senate, giving Tim Walz unified government for the first time in his governorship.

Prior to starting Upswing, Ethan worked at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. There he conducted quantitative and qualitative research across the country. Before joining GQR, Ethan spent nearly a decade in the field on campaigns, working his way up from field organizer to caucus director at the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee. He served on campaign teams at almost every level of the ballot, learning the ins and outs of campaigns from the ground up.

A proud Pittsburgh native and openly gay, Ethan earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history at the University of Pittsburgh. He currently lives in Washington, DC.