About The Crosstab

We’re aiming to be a resource for Republican political operatives, reporters, and others who want to learn more about how campaigns actually work. Much like the White House is more like VEEP than it is the West Wing, political campaigns are deeply misunderstood and romanticized.

Mark started the Crosstab as a place for thoughts, insights, and observations around data, elections, campaigning. It won’t be copy edited. There will be typos and it will publish when he feels like it.

But it will be the unvarnished views from the front lines of American politics.

Mark Harris

Mark is the founding partner of ColdSpark, a Republican political consulting and public affairs company. Mark is a leading general consultant who focused on winning big, complex statewide races. Most recently, he was the lead strategist for Nikki Haley’s presidential super PAC, SFA Fund Inc.

Mark also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Political Consultants.

Just days after completing his studies at George Washington University, Mark was on the ballot in Pennsylvania, ousting an incumbent state House member in the primary and standing for election at the age of 22. Mark Harris went on to become one of the most sought-after consultants in Pennsylvania, guiding big and small campaigns across the nation, including Marco Rubio’s super PAC, Nikki Haley’s super PAC and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s reelection victory in Pennsylvania – the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history at the time.

In 2011, Mark co-founded ColdSpark in his native Pittsburgh, where he presides over a growing cast of office characters. Mark is a numbers-driven political analyst, who can be seen burning the midnight oil pouring over the latest poll numbers. When he’s not hopelessly rooting for his Pittsburgh Pirates, Mark is a national strategist, ad maker, and grassroots expert.

Mark lives in Mt. Lebanon with his wife, Krista, and their four children, Abigail, Davin, Clare, and Lucy.