Facebook’s Zuckerberg reportedly hires a Democratic pollster
Move sparks further speculation that the Facebook CEO is entering politics
By Saheli Roy Choudhury
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, hired a Democratic pollster and former top advisor to President Barack Obama as a consultant, according to a report from Politico.
The report, citing a person familiar with the matter, said Joel Benenson and his company, Benenson Strategy Group, will conduct research for the couple’s philanthropy — the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Hiring Benenson is the latest sign that Zuckerberg and Chan are pushing their philanthropic work more heavily into the political and policy world, according to Politico. The report pointed out that the couple previously hired Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign manager David Plouffe and brought on Amy Dudley, who was a former communications advisor to Democratic senator Tim Kaine .
There has been public speculation that Zuckerberg could be aiming to one day enter politics, or even run for U.S. president.
Most recently, Benenson was the chief strategist to Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign.
Facebook did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comments, which was sent outside regular office hours.
