About Eli's coverage

Eli Yokley's most impactful pieces and analyses reveal his evolution from a local, on-the-ground reporter to a national data-driven analyst. 

Throughout his early career, Yokley demonstrated a pattern of leveraging his local, "shoe-leather" reporting to grow a national profile. By covering Missouri's politics during a particularly eventful period, he gained valuable insights into the dynamics of state politics that often foreshadowed national trends — lessons that help ground his data-driven approach today.  

As a young journalist covering Missouri politics, Yokley's work focused on the direct, on-the-ground consequences of state-level actions and events, such as the political ramifications of the Joplin tornado or the fallout from state scandals. His coverage of the Akin-McCaskill Senate race in 2012 drew national attention by highlighting a local event with significant national impact.

• The Joplin tornado's aftermath (2011): Covering the devastating tornado that hit his hometown, Yokley’s reporting showcased his ability to cover stories with deep local impact. He focused on the political and governmental response, combining personal connection to his hometown with journalistic rigor.
• The Akin–McCaskill Senate race (2012): Yokley's coverage of Republican Todd Akin's controversial comments and the subsequent fallout was a breakout moment. He reported on the ground as the race shifted dramatically, demonstrating how a single gaffe could upend a political contest. Yokley's reporting provided granular detail during this period of high national interest.
• On-the-ground in Ferguson (2014): Yokley’s reporting on the unrest following the killing of Michael Brown provided crucial local perspective for national outlets. His work helped inform the debate about race and policing.
• Missouri's tumultuous state legislature (2013, 2015): His work during these years documented the high-stakes, contentious atmosphere of Missouri politics. 

His work was featured in The New York Times. These contributions helped build his national reputation during his time running PoliticMo.com. Another national outlet that published Yokley's early freelance work was The Daily Beast. His ability to provide on-the-ground reporting from Missouri for national publications underscored the importance of state politics during a tumultuous period. 

Yokley moved to Washington, D.C., in 2015, working first as a national reporter for Roll Call before transitioning to a data-focused role at Morning Consult in 2016. His work shifted to synthesizing public opinion data with news events in Washington and in campaigns nationwide.

His analysis gave insight into big  national trends, particularly on how public opinion was shaping the Trump and Biden presidencies. He specialized in breaking down Morning Consult's polling data, highlighting the increasing partisan divide and voter behavior patterns that were often missed by traditional reporting.

• The 2016 election (2016): After the 2016 election, Yokley offered nuanced analysis explaining surveys and the full scope of Trump's support, contributing to the post-election discussion of how Trump won.
• Analyzing Trump's support (2017–2020): Through Morning Consult's daily tracking, Yokley repeatedly demonstrated the shifts, stability and polarization of  Trump's approval ratings. His analysis highlighted that Trump's base was largely unshaken by controversies, a narrative that countered much of the mainstream media's reporting.
• Asymmetric polarization (2018): Yokley’s analysis of ideological trends showed that the Republican Party was moving further right at a faster rate than the Democratic Party was moving left. This insight provided a key data-driven explanation for the growing partisan divide.
• Voter sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020): Yokley tracked public approval for various figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, highlighting how public perception of leadership shifted throughout the crisis. 
• Post-Trump approval ratings (2021): He reported on the decline in Trump's approval ratings following his rhetoric about the 2020 election results, providing data-backed insight into public reaction to the aftermath of the election. 

In 2023, Yokley assumed a more senior role at Morning Consult, providing high-level analysis and commentary based on the company's data. He broadened his reach by frequently appearing as an analytical expert on television, radio, and at industry events.

His analysis became more strategic and predictive. He focused on interpreting voter sentiment on specific policy issues and candidate vulnerabilities, such as Trump's declining approval on the economy or the political risk of rising energy prices. His work also examined broader trends, like the impact of media consumption on voter behavior.

This highlighted his expertise in synthesizing large-scale data and communicating its implications to a wide audience. He effectively translates polling data into actionable insights for political professionals, business decision makers and the broader public.

• Fox News and persuadable voters (2023): Yokley's analysis, based on Morning Consult data, showed that Republicans who stick exclusively to watching Fox News are missing a significant number of persuadable voters. This piece was highly relevant as the GOP looked to expand its media outreach.
• Kamala Harris's early support (2024): His analysis highlighted voter concerns about Joe Biden's age and his inability to receive credit for economic gains that preceded his historic departure from the campaign. At the beginning of Harris's campaign, Yokley published polling that showed her in a stronger position than Biden had been at a similar point in 2020, with fewer voters considering third-party options. 
• Trump's victory (2024): In partnership with Bloomberg News, Yokley chronicled swing-state voters' views about Trump and Harris, noting just how tight the contest was despite the media narrative that the former president was losing. He consistently noted the Democratic candidates' weaknesses with their own 2020 voters, and Trump's above-average backing among young people — especially men and people of color.
• RFK Jr.'s rise and public opinion (2024): Following RFK Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health, Yokley’s analysis examined voter perceptions, noting how pre-existing opinions made public opinion difficult to shift and how many Americans backed pieces of the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda. 
• Trump's declining economic approval (2025): Yokley reported on Trump's dwindling approval ratings regarding his handling of the economy and trade, noting a significant slide before a period of market instability that led the president to calm his approach.
• Rising energy prices (2025): Yokley highlighted Morning Consult data showing that rising energy prices were becoming an increasing political risk for the GOP, and why voters trust who they do to handle the issue in Washington.

Yokley's ability to connect specific, high-profile event to broader, long-term trends has provided both timely and actionable insights to help stakeholders make better decisions across all three phases of his career.