Campaigns - Public Opinion Strategies

Public Opinion Strategies provides the strategic information that gives our clients a WINNING edge. In the last eight election cycles, Public Opinion Strategies (POS) has helped elect over 90 new members of the U.S. House, more than any other polling firm, Democrat or Republican. We are the largest polling firm in the country. Our political client base includes nine U.S. Senators, five Governors, over 40 Members of Congress, and numerous state legislative caucuses.

We don’t take credit for these victories, but we DO feel we help make a difference for the campaigns we are involved in by providing accurate numbers and solid advice.

Partners at POS have been named “Pollsters of the Year” numerous times by the American Association of Political Consultants. Glen Bolger and Neil Newhouse have both won this award three times — the only two three-time winners of this award.

Recent successes include:

2022

Public Opinion Strategies polled on behalf of winning candidates in 13 key statewide races in 2022 including the re-election of Governors Abbott, Reynolds, and Scott.
Conducted polling in support of 16 Congressional Republicans in Biden-won districts.
Polled for winning legislative campaigns in five states: California, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Kentucky. Our work helped maintain a majority in the Missouri State House and supermajorities in the Ohio State House as well as the Kentucky State Senate and State House.
The firm also conducted the opinion research which guided successful ballot issues in two states, including defeating the effort to further regulate dialysis clinics in California with over 70% of the No vote.

2020

Public Opinion Strategies polled on behalf of winning candidates in 11 key statewide races in 2020, including Thom Tillis’ win in the most expensive Senate race in the country.
We polled for seven new Members of Congress, helped flip at least four seats to the GOP, and our firm now polls for approximately one-quarter of the House GOP caucus.
This year, we polled for winning legislative campaigns, including critical down-ballot races from Attorney General to Supreme Court Justice to Mayor in twelve states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
We also conducted the opinion research which guided successful ballot issues in four states: Alaska, California, Ohio, and Virginia. Included in the wins was the most expensive ballot initiative in history, the successful California Proposition 22, to allow app-based drivers to continue to be independent contractors.

2018

Re-elected Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona.
Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, who came from behind to win both his primary and general election races.
Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa, who won her first election on the top of the ticket to become the state’s first woman Governor.
Governor Kristi Noem, who came from behind to become the first woman Governor of South Dakota.
Re-elected Governor Phil Scott of Vermont.

2016

Senator Todd Young of Indiana, who trailed heavy favorite Evan Bayh by 21 points in July.
The re-elections of Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, John McCain of Arizona, Jerry Moran of Kansas, and John Thune of South Dakota.
Governor Phil Scott of Vermont who had a resounding victory in a state where Hillary Clinton won by nearly 30 points.
The GOP takeover of the Kentucky State House for the first time since 1920, the GOP takeover in the Minnesota State Senate, and outright control of the New York State Senate.

2014

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina who took over a Democratic seat in a race that many viewed as the most competitive in the country.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the first woman to ever be elected to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia.
Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota who cruised to victory and took a seat that was in Democratic hands since 1997.
Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, for whom POS polled during the last three weeks of his come from behind win.
Polling for five Gubernatorial winners including Robert Bentley of Alabama, Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, Doug Ducey of Arizona, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, and Paul LePage of Maine.

2012

Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska who was the only Republican U.S. Senate pick-up of the cycle.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
Polling in 69 Congressional victories including two of the four seats wrested away from Democrats by Republican challengers this cycle.
Polling for the Republican Governors Association Independent Expenditure campaign, the only gubernatorial campaign to change partisan control.
Down ballot statewide victories, including Attorneys General Patrick Morrissey (WV), the first Republican Attorney General in West Virginia in 80 years, and Tim Fox (MT).

2010

Senator Scott Brown’s stunning special election victory in Massachusetts. Brown came from twenty points behind to win the people’s seat in January 2010.
Senator Rand Paul’s win in Kentucky, capturing a seat that many analysts thought would go to the Democrats.
Governor Susana Martinez’s history-making win as the first female Latino governor in the country. Martinez won in New Mexico, a traditionally Democratic state.
Polling for 22 Republicans who captured Democratic held seats – more than one out of every three GOP House gains in the country.
Work on Independent Expenditure efforts in another 34 winning House races that defeated Democratic incumbents. Overall, of the 60 seat GOP gain, POS worked for the campaign or an IE in 56 of the districts.

Our firm does not just begin assisting campaigns at the Congressional level. In fact, we have been working with many of our clients from their days serving on city councils and in state legislatures. The same skills that make us successful in statewide and Congressional campaigns translate into victories for our clients in critical down-ballot races from Attorney General to Supreme Court Justice to Mayor.

Public Opinion Strategies has polled for legislative caucuses and candidates in 45 states, completing over 5,700 separate surveys and over 1.7 million interviews on behalf of state legislative candidates and committees.

In addition, we are proud of the record we have established in initiative campaigns at the state, regional and local level. This is an increasingly important area of expertise in our political campaign research – from local school bond initiatives to multi-million dollar statewide ballot measure campaigns. For example, no other polling firm in the country has more experience or seen more success in stadium and sports-related research.