2025 AAPC Pollie Awards

Esquire magazine once dubbed the Pollie Awards “the Oscars of political advertising.” They are a bipartisan honor awarded annually by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) and judged by a blind jury of 263 professional peers. In 2025, we were honored with 11 Pollie Awards.

In total, our work has won 64 Pollie Awards – and more than any other firm in America (Democrat or Republican) in 2024 and 2022. Watch some of our award-winning ads below:

There’s nothing more devastating than when voters laugh at your opponent.

In San Francisco, we needed an ad that would, well, make a splash. This ad titled, “Speedo” was created for the Residents Opposing Aaron Peskin for Mayor 2024.  Mayoral elections in San Francisco are run by a ranked choice system. Our internal research showed that it wasn’t enough to get voters to simply vote for someone else, we needed voters to not rank Aaron Peskin anywhere on their list. 

In this spot, we leaned into Peskin’s personal predilection for swimming in a Speedo. In fact, our opponent even cut his own positive ad swimming in the San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz (sans speedo). We knew our follow-up ad could shed some light on Peskin’s well-documented record. 

In politics, few tools are as effective as humor when it comes to disarming your opponent. When voters laugh at your opponent, it not only diminishes their credibility but also fosters a sense of camaraderie among the electorate. By showcasing your opponent’s flaws in a humorous way, you empower voters to see beyond the rhetoric, encouraging them to choose candidates who resonate with their values and sense of integrity.

“San Francisco…boosts police powers in stunning tough-on-crime shift” – LA Times

San Francisco’s Prop E was always going to be an uphill battle to pass.  While crime was at record levels in the city, voters were initially reluctant to provide the police with expanded authority to fight crime. Prop E would allow officer to pursue violent suspects if done fairly and safely and it gave officers access to modern technology like publicly available camera footage and drones. But, the aspect of the proposition we focused most on was the amount of paperwork that officers had to do throughout their day that prevented them from actually getting out of the office to fight crime.  Instead of a hard-line “POLICE NEED THIS” message, we went with a light-hearted approach that proved to be memorable and persuasive to San Francisco voters.

On Election Day, Prop E passed with 54% of the vote – shocking many political observers.

“Winning statewide in deep-red Montana

In Montana, amid the strong currents of the 2024 red wave, we played a pivotal role in securing Judge Katherine Bidegaray’s election to the State Supreme Court. Our strategy was clear: highlight her unwavering commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law, while also sharing the powerful story of her roots—growing up on a farm and ranch, where hard work and integrity are the foundation of everything she stands for. Montana Muckracker wrote,  “Judge Bidegaray ran an exceptional campaign and (that) moves that associate justice seat to the left from Justice Sandefur.” Slate wrote of the race, “This election’s surprising bright spot for progressives is a very big deal.”

“From “longest of long shots” to winner: the underdog victory of Portland’s new mayor Keith Wilson

In a stunning political upset, Portland’s mayoral race delivered a victory for Keith Wilson that defied all expectations. Widely regarded as a long shot throughout the campaign, Keith Wilson overcame significant odds to secure a place in city history. The campaign was laser-focused on building Keith’s narrative as an outsider, successful businessman, and non-profit leader who would work to enact bold reforms to end unsheltered homelessness in the city. The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported, “The race for mayor of Portland vaulted little-known businessman Keith Wilson into a smashing win over three council members, a result few people would have anticipated months ago.” Wilson was the first mayor elected in Portland in nearly 40 years with no background in politics.

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