North Star Opinion Research

What North Star Opinion Research does

North Star Opinion Research is a privately held, Alexandria, Virginia-based public opinion research firm founded in 1991 by Whit Ayres (originally as Ayres & Associates in Atlanta; rebranded to its current name in 2012). The firm provides survey research, focus groups, message development, and strategic consulting services to Republican political candidates at all levels of office, conservative and business-oriented trade associations and nonprofits, and corporations. Its service portfolio centers on landline, mobile, and online survey design and fielding, qualitative focus group research with dial testing, and principal-led strategic advisory and public speaking engagements.

The firm operates as a partnership-style professional services practice with a senior team of four principals — President Whit Ayres (AAPC Hall of Fame 2024, Republican Pollster of the Year 2012), Vice Presidents Jon McHenry and Dan Judy, and Administrative Director Cheryl Martin Glenn — supported by 11-50 total employees across its Alexandria headquarters and a second Atlanta office opened in 2023. North Star does not sell software, does not offer a public API, and has no disclosed technology platform; the underlying "technology" is methodological rigor in sample design and survey execution, with research output delivered as consulting deliverables rather than packaged products.

Revenue is generated on a project and retainer basis from three primary streams: political campaign research (its largest and most visible segment), association and nonprofit public affairs research (with over 80 historical association clients including AMA, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Federalist Society, Nature Conservancy, and Bipartisan Policy Center), and corporate research (employee satisfaction, transportation, healthcare, and industry studies for clients such as AT&T, Home Depot, and Georgia-Pacific). The firm is privately held with no external investors, no disclosed funding history, and no M&A activity; it conducts business nationally with a stated focus on the United States.

Name

North Star Opinion Research

Legal name

North Star Opinion Research

Website

https://northstaropinion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Star Opinion Research is a privately held Alexandria, Virginia-based political opinion research firm providing polling, focus groups, and strategic consulting to Republican candidates, trade associations, nonprofits, and corporations across the United States. Founded in 1991, it operates with 11-50 employees under a four-principal leadership team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Polling & Public Opinion Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Management Consulting Services (54161), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Political polling services
• Public opinion research
• Focus group research
• Campaign survey research
• Strategic message consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Political Campaign Research Services: Polling and research services for Republican candidates at all levels of office, from presidential campaigns to local elections. Projects include survey design, fielding, and strategic analysis.
2. Association and Nonprofit Research: Public affairs research for trade associations and nonprofit organizations on policy issues, message development, and stakeholder attitudes.
3. Corporate Research Services: Employee satisfaction research, transportation studies, health care research, and other corporate public affairs projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

North Star Opinion Research is a national public opinion research firm that designs and conducts surveys, focus groups, and dial testing for Republican political candidates, trade associations, nonprofits, and corporations. The firm provides message development advice and strategic consulting alongside data collection, helping clients interpret voter attitudes and stakeholder opinions to inform campaign and policy decisions. All services are delivered as consulting engagements by firm principals without a software platform.

Product overview

North Star Opinion Research is a full-service public opinion research firm offering a unified suite of services centered on survey research, focus groups, strategic consulting, and public speaking. The firm provides polling and research services exclusively for Republican candidates, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and corporations. The core offerings include survey design and fielding across multiple methodologies (landline, cell phone, online), qualitative research through focus groups and dial testing, strategic message development, and professional speaking engagements on political and electoral topics. The firm operates without a software platform or product modules; all services are delivered as consulting engagements by the firm's principals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Survey Research Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully worked on multiple winning Senate campaigns including Bill Frist's upset win over Jim Sasser (1994) and numerous gubernatorial victories
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and notable.

• Resurgent RepublicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Whit Ayres with Ed Gillespie in 2009. Resurgent Republic is a conservative polling initiative that conducts and releases national public opinion research on behalf of Republican causes and candidates. North Star conducts research for Resurgent Republic projects.
• Global Strategy GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Star partnered with Global Strategy Group to conduct statewide polls such as the Louisiana coastal restoration survey for Restore the Mississippi River Delta. This represents a bipartisan research partnership.
• Bipartisan Policy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Star has partnered with the Bipartisan Policy Center on multiple national surveys, including child care research and electoral reform studies. The firm has worked with BPC on bipartisan research initiatives.
• The Mellman GroupnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Star conducted bipartisan research with The Mellman Group on behalf of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, winning the AAPC 2012 Public Affairs Campaign of the Year award.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Mellman Group: Leading Democratic-aligned polling firm and named partner of North Star on bipartisan research (e.g., Alliance for American Manufacturing). Mirror-image competitor with overlapping methodology but partisan-focused on the other side.
• Hart Research Associates: Major Democratic-aligned polling and research firm providing survey work for campaigns, associations, and corporate clients. Comparable in service depth and association business to North Star.

Direct peers

• McLaughlin & Associates: Long-tenured Republican polling firm conducting surveys for GOP campaigns and conservative clients. Comparable in service offering, methodology, and target market.
• The Tarrance Group: Well-established Republican polling firm providing survey research, focus groups, and strategic research for campaigns and associations. Closely matches North Star's service mix and client base.
• Public Opinion Strategies: Largest Republican-aligned polling firm in the U.S., conducting survey research for GOP campaigns, associations, and corporations. Directly comparable in target customer, methodology, and service model.
• Basswood Research: Republican public opinion research firm providing polling and strategic research to campaigns, associations, and corporate clients. Directly comparable niche player.
• WPA Intelligence (formerly Wilson Perkins Allen): Major Republican polling and campaign strategy firm serving federal, state, and association clients across the country. Closely comparable business model and clientele to North Star.
• Fabrizio, Lee & Associates: Republican polling firm serving presidential, Senate, and association clients with survey research and message testing. Highly comparable in scope and prestige of engagements.
• OnMessage Inc. Republican polling and campaign consulting firm providing survey research and strategy to GOP candidates and conservative causes. Directly competitive in the same polling services category.

Others

• Resurgent Republic: Conservative polling initiative co-founded by Whit Ayres and Ed Gillespie. Not a direct competitor but a closely affiliated organization for which North Star conducts research; serves as both partner and referral pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/northstaropin
• Facebookfacebook.com/northstaropinion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northstar-research-assoc-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Star Opinion Research