LINDA DIVALL, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

As American Viewpoint's founder, Executive Chairman and CEO, Linda DiVall has provided effective strategies to both political and corporate clients for 30 years.

Linda has conducted research on behalf of the RGA, NRCC, NRSC, RNC as well as NRSC and NRCC IE efforts.  Her strategic insight has been utilized on policy issues of Social Security, Medicare, retirement security and healthcare as well as providing guidance to the GOP on strategies to counter the gender gap.

Linda is the pollster for the re-election campaigns of Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Johnny Isakson and Senator Kelly Ayotte.  She served as the pollster for Senator Jim Talent, Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Phil Gramm.

In 2015, Linda was selected by Governor John Kasich to be the pollster for his Super PAC, New Day for America where she conducted polling and focus groups in IA, NH, and SC.

American Viewpoint’s research and strategic direction have helped to elect over 50 Members of Congress.  Linda was the pollster for Speaker Newt Gingrich and currently is a frequent strategic analyst to House Leader John Boehner and the Republican House Conference. 

Linda has been part of the polling team for every GOP Presidential candidate since 1988.

On the corporate and association front, Linda’s clients include Altria, Federation of American Hospitals, Jacksonville Jaguars, HCA, Public Notice, Renewable Fuels Association, PBS, Los Angeles Times, WellStar, AARP and American Automotive Policy Council.

During the 2012 election cycle, Linda conducted over 60 focus groups and dial testing sessions for corporate and political clients.

Linda has worked as consultant and analyst for CBS Election Night coverage since 1988, providing insight to Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Lesley Stahl, Diane Sawyer, Connie Chung and Katie Couric.  A frequent source for the national press, Linda has been a guest commentator for every major broadcast and cable news network, PBS, and C-Span. She has appeared numerous times on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” PBS’ “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” and CNN’s “State of the Union with Candy Crowley.” 

Linda is from Mt Prospect, IL in suburban Chicago and an honors graduate of Arizona State University.

“I hired Linda DiVall to be my pollster because I wanted a person of integrity and candor; a pollster I could count on to tell me exactly how I stood so our team could plan accordingly.  In an exceedingly difficult campaign cycle Linda’s data was right on target every step of the way and her strategic recommendations and ability to integrate with our entire campaign team served us well.  You can count on Linda to tell it like it is and anticipate the environment moving forward.”  - Senator Kelly Ayotte, R (NH)

Randall Gutermuth, President & CEO

American Viewpoint President Randall Gutermuth specializes in political and public affairs research, as well as Perception Analyzer™ Dial Testing.  Since joining American Viewpoint in 2001, Randall's political clients have included the RNC, the RGA, the NRCC, CLF, SLF, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, former Missouri Senator Jim Talent, Former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, former Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, current and former Congressional members Judy Biggert, Jo Ann Emerson, Randy Feenstra, Frank Guinta, Vicky Hartzler, Nancy Johnson, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Devin Nunes, Jay Obernolte, Mike Oxley, John Ratcliffe, Austin Scott, Jason Smith, Michelle Steel, and Ed Whitfield, among others.  Gutermuth was also a member of the polling team for the Super PAC supporting Governor Walker’s presidential bid.

Gutermuth has also conducted legislative caucus polling for the Georgia State House, Illinois State House and Missouri State Senate as well as having served as the pollster for numerous down ballot statewide officeholders and winning initiative and referendum campaigns.  

Randall has also conducted polling for numerous independent expenditure committees and Super PACs. Randall has conducted corporate research in recent years for such organizations as AARP, Altria, AT&T, Federation of American Hospitals, HCA, Georgia Power, The Jacksonville Jaguars, KBR, Pfizer and numerous others.

Gutermuth has conducted over 100 Perception Analyzer dial tests, including tests of the 2000 Republican and Democratic presidential primary debates, the results of which aired on such networks as ABC, NBC, CNBC, CNN, Headline News, and Fox News. In 2004 Randall conducted ad testing on behalf of Bush-Cheney '04 and in 2008 he conducted dial testing of the conventions and debates for the McCain-Palin campaign.  Randall has also utilized dial testing to fine tune advertising for numerous campaigns, issue groups and organizations.

In 2005 Randall was named a "Rising Star" by Campaigns and Elections magazine. Randall received his B.A./B.S. in International Marketing from American University.

Andy Blunt, Director of Strategic Development

Andy Blunt partnered with American Viewpoint as Director of Strategic Development in January 2017 to expand the Republican polling firm’s reach in the public affairs, advocacy and business sectors. Andy’s focus will be on continuing to grow American Viewpoint’s corporate and political polling practices as well as providing strategic consultation to the firm’s new and existing clients.

In addition to his work at American Viewpoint, Andy is the founder and chairman of Statehouse Strategies LLC. Statehouse maintains a reputation as one of Jefferson City’s premier government services and public policy firms. The firm’s clients are represented by a skilled team of nine government relations specialists, and the firm represents over 40 clients in Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. Additionally, the firm manages client relationships with several state and national associations.

Andy is recognized as a top political strategist with the most successful record of any campaign manager in modern Missouri political history. Andy has managed the efforts of four victorious statewide campaigns, as well as several House and Senate campaigns. He has also consulted for the Missouri House and Senate campaign committees and the Missouri Republican Party. Most recently, Andy managed the reelection campaign of United States Senator Roy Blunt, whose seat was targeted by national Democrats as an opportunity to flip control of the US Senate. In 2010, Andy also managed the first campaign for Senator Blunt, which was the largest midterm win in a Missouri Senate race since 1994.

Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Mass) asked Andy to play a major role in his 2008 Presidential campaign. Andy served as one of the campaign’s strategic advisors and assisted with the coordination of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL. In addition, he was a National Finance Co-Chair, helping the campaign raise resources both inside and outside of Missouri. Finally, Mr. Blunt served as Chairman of the campaign in Missouri and worked with the campaign to remain competitive in the crucial swing state.

In 2004, Andy led the gubernatorial campaign that elected Matt Blunt as Missouri’s 54th Governor, carrying 101 of Missouri’s 114 counties. In 2000, Andy managed the campaign that elected Matt Blunt as Missouri’s 37th Secretary of State. Of five statewide candidate elections, Matt Blunt was the only Republican elected to state office that year.

A Missouri native, Andy holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri – Columbia. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri.  Andy is also an Eagle Scout. Andy and his wife, Jill, have two children, Benjamin and Allyson. 

Sean O'Donnell, Chief Technology Officer

Sean O’Donnell came to American Viewpoint in 2008 first as a research analyst after working on a number of campaigns and in several political offices.  During that time he played a role in nearly every project American Viewpoint has worked on in some capacity.   Since then he has taken over all aspects of technology throughout the office, from managing typical infrastructure and software to redeveloping ways to process data for clients. 

Sean has extensive knowledge of technology in general and has a desire to utilize it in ways which create efficiency and accuracy which reflects on the product American Viewpoint provides for its clients.  Throughout the years, Sean has become a Microsoft Excel specialist looking at ways to automate processes along with using it as a powerful research tool.  In 2010, Sean developed an automation process using MS Excel and Visual Basic (Macros) which cut the turnaround time for initial survey results substantially.  In 2012, Sean developed a way to pull real-time election data down into an Excel document which could then be organized to user specifications.  This outlined data in real-time and could be sorted by any type of geographical definition which gave clients an idea of what the outcome was going to be prior to any news outlet calling it and showing a campaign where they over or under performed, almost instantly. 

Sean is also the main contact for Perception Analyzer™ Dial Testing for American Viewpoint.  He has had vast experience using the system in the field along with processing the data for client deliverables and presentations. 

Sean went to California State University, Fullerton where he graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Law and Society.

 Josh Davidson, Vice President

A veteran political strategist specializing in analytics and data, Josh joined American Viewpoint as Vice President in 2021.

Prior to joining American Viewpoint, Josh worked as a client strategist for a major conservative data and analytics firm. In that role, Josh worked with hundreds of campaigns and consulting firms in races ranging from municipal elections to U.S. Senate and Governor races. He also worked with the NRSC and multiple state party committees and caucuses. 

In 2020, Josh advised the campaigns of Senator Bill Cassidy and Senator Bill Hagerty. From putting together a campaign plan to the election night war room, Josh was a key contributor on analytics, data, and voter targeting strategy. In 2018, Josh advised the campaign of Senator Marsha Blackburn, which included managing the development and implementation of custom modeling that formed the basis for the campaign’s voter contact strategy and messaging. Josh was also a longstanding data advisor to the campaigns of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and former Congressman Will Hurd.

Additionally, Davidson has experience as a campaign manager and political director for Congressional campaigns, as well as stints on Capitol Hill, at a major direct mail firm, and as a field staffer on a Presidential campaign.

Josh is an honors graduate of University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He and his wife Jillian live in Alexandria, VA with their dog Ziva.

Abbey Hendricks, Research Director

Abbey first joined American Viewpoint in September 2013. Her background in politics includes internships at RPV and the Office of Governor Bob McDonnell, and she was Chairman of the College Republicans at the University of Virginia. She graduated with degrees in Government and Spanish from the University of Virginia in 2012. Upon graduation, she attended the Wake Forest University Schools of Business earning her Master's in Management in 2013.

Emily Thomas, Director of Data

Emily Thomas joined the American Viewpoint team in March 2022. She graduated from Liberty University in 2021 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, including focus areas of Social Science, Government, and Religious Studies. Emily loves turning complex data into concise summaries and recommendations. In her free time, she loves reading, hiking, cooking, and relaxing with her dogs.

Marshall Whinney, Data analyst

Marshall Whinney joined American Viewpoint in February of 2022.

Marshall holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, both from Penn State University. During his studies, he developed a strong background in research, writing, and statistical analysis.

He also has a background in Aerospace Maintenance, having served in the Air Force Reserve from 2016 to 2022.