Whit Ayres’ comments on President Obama’s health care law in Politico: “President Obama never persuaded the majority of the country that the direction he wanted to go with health care was the right direction,” said GOP pollster Whit Ayres. “Consequentially, he can’t possibly run on it because Americans think overwhelmingly it will not decrease their...
Dan Judy’s comments on the presidential election: Dan Judy, a vice president at the Republican firm North Star Opinion Research, insisted Romney could beat Obama even if he were regarded as less likable. “I don’t think likability is the most important thing,” he said. “I expect Mitt Romney’s numbers to come up a bit and...
Dan Judy’s comments on the presidential race: But when it comes to moving his fire from Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich to President Obama — and to presenting himself primarily as a president-in-waiting rather than a tribune of the conservative grass roots — many GOP insiders feel he has managed the transition well. In doing...
Whit Ayres’s comments on the presidential race: Other strategists say the groundwork has been laid for their passion for Romney to grow — by the Democratic Party and Obama. “They will come around because they believe that four more years of Barack Obama will be an unmitigated disaster for the country that will drive us...
Dan Judy’s comments on the Republican veepstakes: “The specter of Sarah Palin does hang over the whole process. There’s no doubt about that,” said Dan Judy, a Republican strategist. “That whole experience ended up not being particularly positive, and I think that picking a woman — even one who is incredibly well qualified — would...
Whit Ayres’s comments on Latino voters in the 2012 election: In addition to the support gap, Republicans face challenges in their messaging to Hispanic voters. At a breakfast meeting with reporters last month, veteran GOP pollster Whit Ayers said the tone of the immigration debate has hurt the party and cautioned that eventual nominee will have to...
Whit Ayres’s comments on the presidential race: “With only a few exceptions, evangelicals were not opposed to Romney, they just preferred another candidate as their first choice,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. “They will now rally around Romney, just as the liberals who were upset that Obama followed Bush’s anti-terrorism policies will rally around...
We are proud to announce that the American Association of Political Consultants has named North Star Opinion Research its 2012 Republican Pollster of the Year: Whit and his firm, North Star Opinion Research, founded Resurgent Republic with former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie. Resurgent Republic conducts polling and focus groups for center-right political candidates and organizations. Through the use...
Whit Ayres’s comments on the Republican primary race: Whit Ayres, a longtime Republican pollster, who worked on Jon M. Huntsman Jr.’s campaign this year, offered Mr. Romney this advice: “Let your smart operatives do the process stuff. You do the vision thing.” The emphasis on delegates explains why Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney are dedicating...
Whit Ayres’s comments on New Hampshire’s law regulating “push polls”: A top national pollster says stepped-up enforcement by the New Hampshire attorney general of the law governing political push polling is hindering pollsters’ ability to do legitimate market research and “persuasion” calls in the state. The law, coupled with the way the attorney general’s office...
