Ashley Pratte Oates
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Ashley Pratte Oates is a Senior Vice President at The Herald Group. She brings to The Herald Group extensive experience in crisis communications, policy, strategic campaigning, traditional media, and brand reputation management for clients.
Prior to The Herald Group she was the Director of Media Relations & Public Affairs at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Previously she served as the Director of Media Relations and consultant for Better For America during the 2016 presidential election. Prior to consulting for Better For America she was a Senior Political Reporter at LifeZette covering the 2016 presidential election and before that was the Vice President of Communications at FP1 Strategies where she managed a variety of nonprofit and corporate accounts.
She previously served as spokeswoman for Young America’s Foundation (YAF) the largest youth conservative organization in the country. Prior to working for YAF, Ashley served as executive director for Cornerstone Policy Research & Cornerstone Action, a prominent political action group in New Hampshire. Before her work at Cornerstone, Ashley served as project director and press assistant, and interim communications director to Congressman Frank Guinta (R-NH). She also worked on his congressional campaign in 2010.
Ashley has made frequent appearances on MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, and CBS News. She is also an opinion contributor for NBC Think. She has been published in The Washington Times, U.S. News & World Report, Washington Examiner, National Review and The Hill. She sits on the board of Republican Women for Progress and was named as one of Red Alert Politics’ 30 Under 30 in 2014 and named as one of Maverick PAC’s 30 Under 30 in 2017.
Ashley now resides in Washington, D.C. but is proud to call New Hampshire home. She graduated from Saint Anselm College with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Communication.
Education:
Saint Alsem College
Hometown:
Manchester, NH
Reddit and other online forums can reveal where an issue is taking shape, which narratives are spreading, and when an informal conversation is becoming a public affairs threat.
Recognition reflects the firm’s commitment to employee growth, mentorship and a collaborative culture.
Unconventional public affairs advocacy tactics can make an issue impossible to ignore by using targeted activations to reach decision-makers, create earned media opportunities, and strengthen every element of a broader public affairs campaign.
Veteran Advocacy Executive Joins THG Leadership Team and Adds Further Depth to Firm as 15th Addition in 2026
Research alone rarely drives action. Learn how to translate complex data into compelling stories, reach key decision-makers, and build a public affairs strategy that ensures your findings land.
In litigation, regulatory investigations, and reputational crises, organizations often find themselves trapped between two competing realities: legal counsel wants to minimize risk, while stakeholders want answers. Here’s how to communicate when you cannot share the whole story.
Technology companies changing the defense industrial base need visible leaders who can shape policy conversations, build credibility, and secure a seat at the table before procurement decisions are made.
Audience research can do more than inform one campaign. Synthetic audiences help public affairs teams pressure-test messaging, extend research value and adapt faster as issues, audiences and news cycles shift.
Prince William County’s data center votes aren’t the end of the industry. They’re a reminder that communities need more than facts and figures. They need to understand what these projects mean for their future and why they should welcome them.
SCOTUS ruling reshapes campaign spending, giving party committees new leverage and changing how corporate advocacy teams plan for 2026.
Mergers are no longer judged on financial merits alone. Public affairs strategy is essential to defining the narrative, managing scrutiny, and moving stakeholders toward approval.
Most organizations have no idea what AI engines say about them — and that blind spot is costing them. As AI visibility becomes the new first impression for journalists, staffers, and advocates, the stakes have never been higher.
A congressional investigation is never just a legal matter. Companies that prepare now—with legal, communications, government affairs, and stakeholder teams aligned—will be better positioned to protect their reputation before a negative narrative takes hold.
Modern advocacy requires more than a strong lobbying strategy or broad public awareness campaign. To drive real policy outcomes, organizations need a synchronized inside-outside game that pairs Capitol-level strategy with constituent-driven pressure.
Most organizations treat media relations as a crisis tactic—but the ones that weather storms best build press relationships long before trouble hits. Here's why a sustained media strategy is essential in public affairs.
The Herald Group earns seven Hermes Creative Awards—four Gold, three Honorable Mentions—for work spanning blog content, website design, paid media, outdoor advertising, and LinkedIn performance.
In public affairs, audience strategy is too often treated as a list rather than a discipline. Here are four principles that separate effective targeting from wasted spend.
As AI floods the information landscape, policymakers struggle to know who to trust. Here's why strategic alliances with credible third-party voices have become a defining advantage in public affairs.
The public affairs landscape in 2026 looks nothing like it did two cycles ago. Here's what practitioners need to understand—from the midterm environment to state-level fights to media fragmentation.
The Herald Group earned Gold and Silver at the 2026 MUSE Creative Awards for work on the Alliance for IRS Accountability—a reflection of how integrated strategy and creative drive results in public affairs.