Skip to content
"RABA Research works hand in hand with clients to develop comprehensive strategies that propel candidate and organizational goals. With accurate and timely results, RABA is a terrific partner.”
Jim Kottmeyer
Partner, GPS Impact
"RABA's opinion research is helping us build momentum for action in Congress and agricultural states to support farmers and fight climate change. Their well-designed, thoughtfully-written surveys have been extremely helpful to our work.”
Karen Perry Stillerman
Union of Concerned Scientists
“RABA helped our client move the needle with their legislative goals. RABA’s consistently accurate and insightful data frames issues in an exceptional impactful way.”
Jon Murphy
Principal, Cope Murphy + Co
"My colleagues and I worked closely with RABA to develop a unique series of presidential campaign surveys that looked at voter trends in a variety of geographies across the country. RABA's findings produced fascinating content that were utilized for academic purposes and also reported on by national political journalists."
Marc Dunkelman

“At the beginning, not many people expected Mayor Cownie’s race to be close,” said Scott Harrington, Senior Advisor to Cownie for Mayor. “Fortunately for us, RABA’s polling showed that the race was uncomfortably tight, giving our campaign the early warning sign it needed to prepare for battle – and ultimately prevail.”

Campaigning for re-election for a fifth term, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie (D) faced a late—and unexpectedly strong—challenge from former state legislator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch.

While Hatch’s internal polling reportedly showed him trailing Cownie by 32 percentage points before jumping into the race, RABA Research’s poll for the Cownie campaign found a much closer race. Combining telephone (IVR) and text-message (SMS) surveys, RABA found Cownie at 44 percent and Hatch at 38 percent.

After reorienting their campaign strategy, Cownie defeated Hatch 50.6 to 49.2, the closest mayoral election in Des Moines since 2003.