Welcome to the Winston Group, a strategic consulting and research firm in Washington, D.C. Our site offers in-depth analysis on key policy issues that inform decision-makers and industry leaders. Explore our site content that includes political and election analysis, insights into policy issues, inflation trends, and videos. We invite you to return often for timely, data-driven perspectives.

Are Republicans Turning The Corner On The Economy?

The newest BLS numbers for inflation and weekly wages (from December) showed that November’s positive numbers were sustained. This change has largely been as a result of decreased gas prices, and has only emerged in the last two BLS monthly reports. As seen in our most recent survey for Winning the Issues (January 8-12), this moved the electorate to a less negative view of inflation, but that view is still very challenging. Here are some

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Policy and Politics

The Politics Of The Status Quo May Be Near A Breaking Point

After the longest government shutdown in history, voter frustration with the political system is high. Both parties are viewed negatively, and among independents, the unfavorables of both parties are close to 70% (Republicans in Congress, 25-68; Democrats in Congress, 23-68). Reflecting the frustration with the status quo, independent voters are

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What’s Next After The Shutdown?

The longest federal government shutdown in history is over, with Democrats getting very little in the end. From our new numbers for Winning the Issues (November 15-17), the shutdown was overwhelmingly seen as not worth it (67%) rather than worth it (17%). Only 17% of liberal Democrats and 14% of Democrats said the shutdown was

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The Political Center Gets The Last Word On The Shutdown

The longest shutdown in history finally came to an end as eight Senators (7 Democrats and 1 Independent who caucuses with Democrats) voted with Republicans to reopen the government. There are many reasons no one wins in a shutdown, especially the American people. It was a base-driven political exercise that

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Are Republicans Turning The Corner On The Economy?

The newest BLS numbers for inflation and weekly wages (from December) showed that November’s positive numbers were sustained. This change has largely been as a result of decreased gas prices, and has only emerged in the last two BLS monthly reports. As seen in our most recent survey for Winning

Read More »

The Chart That Explains Why Cost Of Living Is Such A Problem

Given the current policy discussion about affordability, some Republicans think that the sudden focus on the issue is a political play by Democrats. While there is more issue focus on affordability and cost of living over the last couple of months, the problem has been hiding in plain sight all

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New Year, New Education Issue Handling Numbers

Winning the Issues is just out of the field with a brand new survey (January 8-12; 1,000 registered voters). Among the new numbers in this latest survey is an updated look at whether voters have more confidence in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party to handle the issue of

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How Serious A Problem Do Voters Think Antisemitism Is?

2025 was a tumultuous year for higher education. It began with DOGE and its funding cuts, including cuts to health care programs and research. Shortly after, many well-known institutions found themselves in the news as the administration announced it would halt or significantly curtail their federal funds. In the latter

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What Does “Return Education To The States” Actually Mean?

Last month, the Trump administration announced that it was taking action to “break up” the department of education by rehoming certain functions to the Departments of Labor, the Interior, Health and Human Services, and State. The move, the announcement says, is meant to “move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to

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Roll Call: There’s No Sugarcoating Inflation

The Winston Group’s David Winston writes in today’s Roll Call about the White House’s renewed focus on the economy and affordability, and puts in the context of the elections earlier this month. He argues there is still time for Republicans to take on these issues, and that, while tackling them

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