Republican consultants launch Latino Edge Research

Two Republican consulting shops have joined forces to create a Latino-focused polling firm.

John Nienstedt of Competitive Edge Research and Communication (CERC) and Hector Barajas of California-headquartered Revolvis are together offering their services under the banner of Latino Edge Research. 

According to a release, Nienstedt, who is Mexican-American, will head up research while Barajas, a native of East Los Angeles, will focus on messaging.

Jason Roe, a principle at Revolvis, said the new endeavor fills a void in the GOP consulting world.

“There are a lot of Anglo pollsters out there who are doing survey research in the Latino community. I think having people who come from the community and are actively engaged in the political persuasion business is a niche that doesn’t exist right now and is something that Republicans really need,” he tells C&E.

“We’re not seeking business from the Latino community. We’re selling this to Anglos who want to understand Latinos.”

The new firm will be run out of the existing Revolvis and CERC offices in California and Washington, D.C. The surveys will be conducted through CERC’s fully functioning facility, according to Roe.

Those in the market for this kind of research can expect to pay a little more than they would for English-language polling. “One of the challenges of polling Spanish language is the screening process,” says Roe. “You have to call more people and screen out more people.”

Still, he’s confident the new firm can help the GOP navigate this increasingly important part of the electorate.

The firm will be able to tell clients “who are the gettable voters, where are they getting their information and who influences them,” he says. “That’s more than just understanding a set of issues.”