Abacus Associates - an international public opinion and strategic research firm

Abacus Association worked in political campaigns at every level: presidential, gubernatorial, statewide ballot initiatives, congressional, mayoral and state legislative. In 2004, Abacus Associates was named "one of the most sought-after political pollsters around" by The Hill, Capitol Hill's largest circulating newspaper. Campaigns and Elections magazine has included Abacus on its list of "Big Winners" and its list of consultants with the "Best Clients."

In 2006, Abacus helped maintain the largest Democratic majority in the Connecticut State Senate in 40 years. In New York, Abacus helped John Hall defeat both the DCCC's choice in the Democratic Primary and the 12-year Republican incumbent, Representative Sue Kelly, in the General Election, despite being vastly outspent by both candidates. Our efforts in developing a winning message and targeting strategy and seeing it through helped make Hall's victory among the biggest upsets of 2006--an outcome not predicted by any major pundit or election prognosticator and never rising higher than 50th in the National Journal's Hotline ranking of likely congressional turnovers.

If you are looking for a pollster for your campaign, please contact us. We bring a decade of practical experience in many different campaigns at every level across the country and believe our experience and extensive training would make us valuable consultants for your campaign.

Conducting Surveys and Focus Groups in a Political Campaign
This PDF file is a handout from our Campaigns and Elections seminars on how to develop an effective campaign strategy and message using surveys and focus groups.

How to Hire a Campaign Consultant
This PDF file is a handout from our Campaigns and Elections seminars on how to hire campaign consultants and considers what kinds of consultants a candidate needs, what to look for in a consultant, and what are the potential conflicts of interests in the industry. (Note: this seminar handout was developed a number of years ago. While most of it is still very relevant, a few areas of political campaigns--like using the internet--have changed quite a bit and make the discussion on those topics somewhat dated. Call us and we will happy to discuss these recent changes.)

Beating Paper

This PDF file is an article we wrote for Campaigns and Elections magazine that explains our successful campaign to defeat a ballot initiative that would have expanded the practice of clearcutting in Maine's North Woods. This is a great example of how a research-driven message and targeting strategy can build support for an initiative--despite being outspent 8-to-1 by the opposition.

What Candidates Say About Campaigning

This PDF file is an article we wrote for Campaigns and Elections magazine. The article covers candidates' perspectives on the campaign process, based on interviews with 10 candidates who have run for a variety of offices in previous elections. This project was sponsored by Campaigns and Elections and the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland, funded through a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Watching Debates: A Focus Group Analysis of Voters

This PDF file is an article we wrote for Campaigns and Elections magazine. The article covers voter opinion on candidate debates and how they should be improved. It is based on focus groups conducted in Virginia and New Jersey. This project was part of the Debate Standards Advisory Project, sponsored by the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland, funded through a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.


	Political Campaigns Abacus Association worked in political campaigns at every level: presidential, gubernatorial, statewide ballot initiatives, congressional, mayoral and state legislative. In 2004, Abacus Associates was named "one of the most sought-after political pollsters around" by The Hill, Capitol Hill's largest circulating newspaper. Campaigns and Elections magazine has included Abacus on its list of "Big Winners" and its list of consultants with the "Best Clients." In 2006, Abacus helped maintain the largest Democratic majority in the Connecticut State Senate in 40 years. In New York, Abacus helped John Hall defeat both the DCCC's choice in the Democratic Primary and the 12-year Republican incumbent, Representative Sue Kelly, in the General Election, despite being vastly outspent by both candidates. Our efforts in developing a winning message and targeting strategy and seeing it through helped make Hall's victory among the biggest upsets of 2006--an outcome not predicted by any major pundit or election prognosticator and never rising higher than 50th in the National Journal's Hotline ranking of likely congressional turnovers. If you are looking for a pollster for your campaign, please contact us. We bring a decade of practical experience in many different campaigns at every level across the country and believe our experience and extensive training would make us valuable consultants for your campaign. Conducting Surveys and Focus Groups in a Political Campaign This PDF file is a handout from our Campaigns and Elections seminars on how to develop an effective campaign strategy and message using surveys and focus groups. How to Hire a Campaign Consultant This PDF file is a handout from our Campaigns and Elections seminars on how to hire campaign consultants and considers what kinds of consultants a candidate needs, what to look for in a consultant, and what are the potential conflicts of interests in the industry. (Note: this seminar handout was developed a number of years ago. While most of it is still very relevant, a few areas of political campaigns--like using the internet--have changed quite a bit and make the discussion on those topics somewhat dated. Call us and we will happy to discuss these recent changes.) Beating Paper This PDF file is an article we wrote for Campaigns and Elections magazine that explains our successful campaign to defeat a ballot initiative that would have expanded the practice of clearcutting in Maine's North Woods. This is a great example of how a research-driven message and targeting strategy can build support for an initiative--despite being outspent 8-to-1 by the opposition. What Candidates Say About Campaigning This PDF file is an article we wrote for Campaigns and Elections magazine. The article covers candidates' perspectives on the campaign process, based on interviews with 10 candidates who have run for a variety of offices in previous elections. This project was sponsored by Campaigns and Elections and the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland, funded through a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Watching Debates: A Focus Group Analysis of Voters This PDF file is an article we wrote for Campaigns and Elections magazine. The article covers voter opinion on candidate debates and how they should be improved. It is based on focus groups conducted in Virginia and New Jersey. This project was part of the Debate Standards Advisory Project, sponsored by the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland, funded through a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.