Persad-Bissessar will become T&T’s first female Prime Minister after her coalition won an impressive 29 of 41 seats in Parliament.

The multi-party coalition, comprised of the United National Congress (UNC), Congress of the People (COP), and Tobago Organization of the People (TOP), joined together against the current Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his PNM Party in an unexpectedly powerful rebuke against the status quo.

Manning had ruled the country for 13 of the past 17 years, and called a snap election last month when faced with a potential no-confidence vote in Parliament.

The Miami Herald called Persad-Bissessar’s victory a “crushing rejection” for the incumbent after his team was “hoping to catch the opposition off-guard.”

“Today marks the beginning of a new era of reform in Trinidad and Tobago,” said AKPD Managing Partner Larry Grisolano. “We are proud to have helped usher in a leader who will bring much-needed transparency and accountability to her government.”

AKPD worked with the People’s Partnership to develop campaign message and strategy, oversee opinion research and implement new media targeting. Their new media consulting work included online strategy, social networking (Kamla.tt and ManningMustGo.com), and placing voter-education Internet ads.

AKPD has a long history as media and message consultants to successful campaigns at every level of government. A partial client list is available here.

For press inquiries, please contact Larry Grisolano at (312) 664-7500.

Fisher scored a convincing win over his opponent, earning 55% of the primary vote.

“Fisher handily defeated his primary challenger,” reports today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Ohio Democrats nominated Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher to champion their interests in what will be one of the country’s most closely watched battles for U.S. Senate.”

“By staying focused on his message of standing up for Ohio values and fighting for Ohio jobs, Lee Fisher forged a connection with Ohio voters that sets the stage for a spirited general election campaign,” said AKPD vice president Isaac Baker. “Lt. Governor Fisher’s commitment to ending tax breaks and trade policies that ship Ohio jobs overseas while holding Wall Street accountable speaks directly to the concerns of Ohio’s hard-working families.”

AKPD serves as the Fisher campaign’s media strategists, helping develop the campaign message and generating TV, radio, and Internet advertising. Watch Lee Fisher’s final primary campaign ad here.

AKPD has a long history of serving successful Democratic campaigns at every level of politics. A partial client list is available here.

Before joining AKPD, Caroline worked for a year as a Program Assistant for SummerLinks, a public service internship program at the University of Chicago. While there, she recruited student applicants, designed outreach materials, and provided program support.

Caroline developed her political communications skills running an issue campaign for the Working Group on Sexual Assault Policy, where she conducted extensive outreach and online organizing through Facebook and email groups. She assisted in message development and issue research, and created various campaign materials.

Caroline graduated from the University of Chicago, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies in 2009.