Norman Jay Ornstein was born inGrand Rapids, Minnesota,[2] on October 14, 1948.[3] His father was a traveling salesman, and the family spent much of Norman's childhood in Canada. He was a child prodigy, graduating from high school when he was fourteen and from college when he was eighteen.[4] He received his BA from theUniversity of Minnesota,[5] and subsequently, received aPhD in political science from theUniversity of Michigan in 1974.[6] By the mid-1970s, he had become a professor of political science at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and was establishing a reputation as an expert on theUnited States Congress.[7]
Ornstein studies American politics and is a frequent contributor toThe Washington Post and many magazines, such asThe Atlantic and theNational Journal.[8] He wrote a weekly column forRoll Call from 1993 until April 10, 2013, and was co-director, withThomas E. Mann, of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. He helped draft key parts of theBipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as theMcCain-Feingold Act.[9] Ornstein is a registered Democrat[1] but considers himself a centrist and has voted for individuals from both parties.[10]
Foreign Policy named Ornstein, together withThomas E. Mann, one of its 2012 Top 100 Global Thinkers "for diagnosing America's political dysfunction".[15]
As of 2013, Ornstein has become known for "blistering critiques of Congress", which he has been following for the past three decades.[8][16]
He opposed PresidentDonald Trump.[17] He also criticized theElectoral College, saying that the more that presidents are elected without the popular vote, "the more you get the sense that voters don’t have a say in the choice of their leaders".[18]
Ornstein is married to Judith L. Harris, alitigationattorney specializing in regulatory matters. He is a longtime friend of former U.S. senator and comedianAl Franken.[10] A fictional version of Ornstein appears in Franken's political spoof novelWhy Not Me? as the campaign manager for Franken's improbable presidential run.[19]
Ornstein and his wife, as well as their younger son, Danny, established the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation in memory of the couple's elder son, who died in 2015 at age 34 from accidentalcarbon monoxide poisoning.[20][21][22]
Ornstein, Norman J.; Pope, Jeremy C. (1996).Campaign Finance : an Illustrated Guide. Washington: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.ISBN978-0-8447-7108-3.OCLC922978724.
Ornstein, Norman J.; Mann, Thomas E. (2000).The permanent campaign and its future. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute.ISBN978-0-8447-4133-8.OCLC70731759.
Dionne, E. J.; Ornstein, Norman J.; Mann, Thomas E. (2017).One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported.St. Martin's Press.ISBN978-1-250-16405-6.OCLC1005504853.
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