The Winston Group

U.S. News features a piece focusing on Newt Gingrich’s campaign, particularly his “21st Century Contract with America,” an economic plan that shows Americans how he hopes to change the country’s current economic situation. The WG’s David Winston comments:

“What’s that compelling idea that says to the electorate: You should be president?” he explains. “I think that’s what [Gingrich] would like to be able to present; I think that’s what all the Republican candidates would ultimately like to present.”

To read the full article, access it at usnews.com

Wednesday’s Washington Examiner takes a look at the perceived pessimism growing in voters about the prospects for 2012 Republican candidate. But Byron York writes that this unhappiness is something mostly perpetuated by the media, and that voters simply haven’t made their minds up yet, as David Winston says:

“I’m not sure I’ve seen any,” says Republican pollster David Winston. “There is this sense that since we haven’t gotten to a clear, decisive winner, then that means there must be dissatisfaction. But it could mean that people are still thinking it through.”

To read the full article, you can access it at campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com.

The Fiscal Times released an article this week among the speculation that New Jersey governor Chris Christie is considering running for the 2012 presidency. Christie recently spoke at an event at the Ronald Reagan library in California, talking about American exceptionalism and investment. The WG’s David Winston says even among his recent publicity, Christie’s decision is still completely up in the air:

David Winston, a GOP political strategist, told The Fiscal Times on Tuesday afternoon before the speech: “[Christie] is a major figure. But his impact on the primary race at this point is unclear.”

To read the full article, turn to thefiscaltimes.com.

Jason Noble of the Des Moines Register takes a look at the current status of Michelle Bachmann’s campaign in light of her recent poll numbers where she reached only 5% and 8% in two different polls. Noble says Rick Perry has much to do with this, and David Winston says this is nothing out of the ordinary:

“I don’t think what happened to her is unusual,” said Winston, who is based in Washington, D.C. “But she clearly missed an opportunity in growing her support.”

To read the full article, turn to desmoinesregister.com

While the country is desperate for more jobs, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehnerc can both afford to gain each other’s support, write Carrie Brown and Jake Sherman of Politico. They turned to David Winston for insight, who said that Republicans have a slight advantage:

He pointed to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that found voters prefer a Republican-controlled Congress by the widest margin, 6 points, in more than a year.

“The House is going to take the proposals the White House put forward, look through them and try to find out where there can be clear common ground, and once that emerges, then we’ll see what the White House’s reaction is to that,” Winston said.

Read more on politico.com

CSM writes about Rick Perry’s initial success in the campaign front among high numbers in recent polls. Though he is showing to be a strong contender and not just a “flavor of the month,” Perry’s campaign has downplayed all this, knowing that this is just the beginning of the election season. The WG’s David Winston agrees that this is the best approach:

“In terms of building a majority coalition within the Republican Party, he has quite a bit of work to do,” says David Winston, a Republican pollster. In addition, “his lead is based on some initial perceptions of him, things he has said that have intrigued people. But the Republican electorate has not gone through the vetting process with him yet.”

To read more, click to csmonitor.com

Politico’s Alexander Burns chronicles Texas governor Rick Perry’s quick rise as a front-runner ahead of Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for 2012′s presidential elections. David Winston says this sudden popularity in the polls may just be temporary:

“There’s a difference between saying, ‘He’s slightly ahead,’ and saying, ‘He’s the front-runner,’” said Winston.

“For a lot of people, they’re hearing the specifics about him for the first time. They initially saw him as this charismatic speaker, had some interesting things to say that intrigued them,” continued Winston. “It’s a natural period of initial engagement, followed by some vetting.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/

Today’s Politico chronicles President Obama’s Midwestern campaign efforts “to leverage public support for his positions on entitlements, taxes and job creation against the GOP.” The WG’s David Winston says that Obama needs more than just speeches to win the vote of a particular group:

And anxious independent voters, in the words of Republican pollster David Winston, “aren’t looking for a conversation, they are looking for a plan.”

To read more, check out politico.com