Overview
Ayres, McHenry & Associates, Inc., is a national public opinion and public affairs research firm located in Alexandria, Virginia, that specializes in providing research and strategic advice for corporations, associations, and Republican candidates for public office. Roll Call, a widely-read newspaper on Capitol Hill, called the firm "one of the best in the nation," and Campaigns and Elections magazine cited Whit Ayres and Jon McHenry as two of the political world's "Movers and Shakers."
Ayres, McHenry & Associates belongs to the American Association of Public Opinion Research, the National Association of Republican Campaign Professionals, where Ayres serves as a member of the Board of Directors, and the American Association of Political Consultants, where Ayres serves as a member of the Board of Directors and President.
Dr. Whit Ayres, Founder and President
Whit Ayres is Founder and President of Ayres, McHenry & Associates, President of the American Association of Political Consultants, and co-founder (with former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie) of Resurgent Republic.
Ayres, McHenry conducts public opinion research through surveys and focus groups for associations, corporations, and Republican candidates for elective office.
The American Association of Political Consultants is a bi-partisan national association that helps political and public affairs consultants grow their businesses, keep up-to-date with the latest technology and techniques, and defend political communication from those who would limit freedom of speech.
Resurgent Republic is a research and educational effort to craft creative conservative political messages for the 21st century. It conducts surveys and focus groups, and releases its findings to the public. It is modeled on Democracy Corps, the successful message project for left-of-center politicians.
Whit graduated cum laude from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, with a major in political science. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
His firm provided polling for Georgia Senator Paul Coverdell's upset of Wyche Fowler in 1992 and Tennessee Senator Bill Frist's upset of Jim Sasser in 1994. Other political clients include U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Governors David Beasley and Carroll Campbell of South Carolina, and the 1996 Lamar Alexander for President campaign. Corporate clients include Georgia-Pacific Corporation, America's Health Insurance Plans, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
His comments and analysis appear periodically in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and numerous regional newspapers. He also appears periodically on Fox News, CNN, and National Public Radio. He has been a guest speaker at the prestigious Sperling Breakfast for Washington's leading journalists, and he has on several occasions addressed the Policy Lunch attended by most Republican members of the United States Senate.
Before establishing the firm, Ayres served as Senior Executive Assistant for Budget and Policy to Governor Carroll Campbell in South Carolina. He has also served as a tenured member of the political science faculty at the University of South Carolina.
He is an active private pilot, flying his Beechcraft Baron throughout the eastern U.S., and he is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. In addition to the American Association of Political Consultants, he serves on the Boards of the National Association of Republican Campaign Professionals and the Paul Coverdell Leadership Institute.
You can contact Whit here.
To read Whit's "Consultant Candids" feature from "The Hotline," click here.
Jon McHenry, Partner and Vice President
Jon McHenry is Vice President of Ayres, McHenry and Associates. In addition to working with the firm’s political, public affairs, and corporate clients, he oversees the firm’s fielding procedures and methodology.
Jon has spent a significant amount of time helping clients looking at multiple races target their time and resources. His work with the Business Council of Alabama helped target resources in state senate races and the BCA team helped Bob Riley’s campaign oust a sitting Democratic governor in 2002. In 2008, despite a difficult environment for Republicans, his work with the National Republican Campaign Committee helped regain Louisiana’s 6th congressional district for a Republican and hold onto Louisiana’s 4th congressional district.
Jon’s corporate and public affairs work has focused on telecommunications, including AT&T as a client; transportation, working with both government and private firms; and employee satisfaction research, most notably with Georgia-Pacific.
Jon’s comments and analysis have appeared in a variety of media settings, including FOX News, CNN, NBC Nightly News, BBC television and radio, National Public Radio, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post.
Jon graduated cum laude from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in political science while earning spots on the North Atlantic Conference All-Conference Soccer Academic Team in 1990 and 1991. He held his first job in polling at UNH as well, working in the Survey Center as an interviewer during the 1992 primary season.
Jon received his M.A. in political science from the University of Georgia, with an emphasis on American politics and statistics. He served both as a research assistant and teaching assistant to faculty there.
Jon is a member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research and American Association of Political Consultants. He ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC in 2005 and 2007.
You can contact Jon here.
To read Jon's "Consultant Candids" feature from "The Hotline," click here.
Dan Judy, Vice President
Dan Judy joined Ayres, McHenry and Associates in 2001. He works on a wide variety of political, non-profit, and corporate projects from the early stages of questionnaire development, to fielding, to strategic analysis.
Dan’s political work includes assisting with the election and re-election of U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Lindsey Graham, numerous gubernatorial elections, and a wide variety of state and local races ranging from down-ballot statewide races to state legislative, mayoral, and county commission contests.
Dan’s public affairs work has focused on the environment, where he has worked with the Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Land on conservation initiatives, and the Environmental Defense Fund and Kansas Climate and Energy Project on issues related to the intersection of energy and environmental policy. He also has extensive experience with transportation issues, having worked with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Transit Planning Board in metropolitan Atlanta, and a variety of other local entities. Other clients include the Republican Governors Association and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Dan graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in political science and history, and developed an interest in politics while interning with House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the late Senator Paul Coverdell. He has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia, run two marathons, and reached the summit of Washington's 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier.
You can contact Dan here.
To read Dan's "Consultant Candids" feature from "The Hotline," click here.
Cheryl Martin, Administrative Director
Cheryl Martin founded the firm with Whit Ayres in 1991, and manages the day-to-day operations of the company. Her wide variety of responsibilities include managing the firm’s finances and editing all analyses and memos that are released publicly and privately.
Cheryl has an extensive background in survey research and data management, and specializes in creative graphic presentation of survey data. In addition to creating presentations for Resurgent Republic’s national releases, her presentations have been seen by a wide variety of groups throughout the country, including the annual Awakening Conference, the American Association of Political Consultants, and the U.S. Senate Republican Conference.
Cheryl attended the University of South Carolina. In her free time, she enjoys history and international travel.
You can contact Cheryl here.
