Whit Ayres’ comments in USA Today regarding immigration and presidential politics: Indeed, Republican efforts to appeal to Hispanics, seen as promising targets because they often are culturally conservative, has been undercut by unyielding views toward undocumented workers. “Immigration is not the most important issue to Hispanic voters — jobs and the economy lead by a...
Whit Ayres’ comments in the Wall Street Journal about immigration reform and changing demographics in the United States: Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster and strategist, says merely attacking illegal immigration—which is viewed by many Hispanics as an attack on their entire community—isn’t enough for a candidate, and that the GOP’s immigration-reform complacency could be costly...
Whit Ayres’ comments in The Economist on the demographic challenges facing Republicans at the presidential level: The idea that a Republican could win without becoming more appealing to minority voters was disproved in 2012. Mitt Romney ran up a record score with non-Hispanic white voters, yet still lost. Both Mr Romney and John McCain, the...
Whit Ayres was featured on Morning Joe to discuss his book 2016 and Beyond:
Whit Ayres spoke about client Marco Rubio at The Monitor Breakfast this morning: “Marco Rubio is the Michael Jordan of American politics,” Ayres said on Tuesday, comparing the 43-year-old Florida senator to the basketball prodigy’s celebrated run in the 1980s at the University of North Carolina. “Anyone underestimates his ability at their peril….He’s substantive, he’s talented and I...
Whit Ayres spoke at today’s Christian Science Monitor Sperling breakfast: While a majority of Americans support gay marriage, nearly three-quarters of Republicans do not, according to Gallup. That’s not true for young Republicans, however. More than 60 percent of Republican voters under 30 do support gay marriage, said Ayers, the founder and president of North...
Whit Ayres was cited in the New York Times regarding the 2016 presidential contest and the need to appeal to Hispanic voters: Mr. Bush’s calculus is based in part on the 2012 election: Mitt Romney received 17 percent of the nonwhite vote, meaning that if the next Republican nominee does no better, he or she will...
Dan Judy’s comments in The Hill on the importance of likability in the presidential contest: “Part of [Ted Cruz’] problem is not being likable to voters, but another part of it is not being likable enough to the people [within the party establishment] whose help you need to get a campaign off the ground,” said GOP...
Whit Ayres’ comment in The Washington Post regarding the Republican presidential nomination contest and factions: Whit Ayres, a pollster who advises Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), has a rule about his party’s nomination contests: “No one faction is large enough to nominate its favorite candidate,” he says. “Whoever is nominated will be rooted in one of...
Whit Ayres’ comments in the Atlanta Journal-Constititution regarding opinion on “income inequality”: Veteran Republican pollster Whit Ayres has tested extensively whether Americans respond more to cries to do something about income inequality or to increase middle class opportunity. The latter is a key part of the platform of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whose nascent presidential...
