Equis Research

Equis Research oversees two related nonprofits: EquisLabs, a social welfare advocacy group, and the Equis Institute, a grantmaking foundation. ²

Equis Research uses the terms “Latino,” “Latinx,” “Latine,” and ‘Hispanic” to refer to its target demographic group. It claims to do so “to embrace the many cultures and complexities within our community.” ³

Background

In 2018, Stephanie Valencia and Carlos Odio convened a group of Latino leaders to discuss challenges facing their community. In 2019, Valencia and Odio founded Equis Research to study the demographics and politics of American Latinos during the 2020 election cycle. ²

Activities

Equis Research engages in political and demographic research into the American Latino community. As of May 2026, Equis Research claimed to have interviewed over 70,000 Latinos across 12 states, and to have sourced data from 125 state and national nonprofit partners since its founding in 2019. ²

In 2024, Equis Research published “Equis’ Latino Playbook” to guide voter outreach efforts to Latinos. The Playbook advocates the left-of-center campaigners to use more Spanish language content, frame messaging toward “selfless” goals and family, and use online ads targeted at Spanish websites or Spanish content on mainstream websites like YouTube. The Playbook emphasizes that Latino voters are not particularly different from other Democratic voters. ⁴

Moonshots

In 2022, Equis Research launched Moonshots, its program to enact campaign strategies in Latino communities based on Equis’s research. ^{2 5}

During the 2022 midterm elections, Moonshots initiated Latino Political Innovation Zones to target Latinos in regions with historically low voter turnout using “inclusive,” “smart, sustained, and culturally competent outreach.” Throughout the election cycle, the program held 49 organizing events, initiated over 33,000 door knockings, contacted over 56,000 people in-person, and made over 77,000 phone calls. ⁵

Moonshots claims to have identified “invisible,” or low propensity to vote, Latino voters. ²

Partnerships

As of 2026, Equis Research listed left-of-center partner organizations in 14 states and nationally. These groups include Planned Parenthood, the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, the Latino Victory Project, Jolt Action and the Jolt Initiative, the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Casa in Action, the Analyst Institute, and the Alianza Center. ⁶

Leadership

Stephanie Valencia

As of May 2026, co-founder Stephanie Valencia was the owner, president, and executive board chair of Equis Research. Valencia has a long career in left-of-center nonprofit work, work with the White House, and Democratic political campaigns. ¹

Prior to launching Equis Research, Valencia was the director of outreach for the Biden-Harris Transition Team, a founding board member of Civic Nation, and a national committee member of the Latino Victory Project. From 2015 to 2018, Valencia had a stint in the private sector running strategic partnerships and outreach at Google. ¹

From 2009 to 2015, Valencia worked in the Obama White House. From 2013 to 2015, she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2013, she briefly served as President Barack Obama’s special assistant. From 2009 to 2013, she worked in numerous roles in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement. ¹

Valencia worked in the 2008 Obama presidential campaign as the deputy director of the Latino Vote Program, and then for the Obama-Biden Transition Team. Earlier in her career, Valencia worked in numerous roles for the Democratic Party and candidates, including as assistant to the general counsel at the Democratic National Committee. ¹

Valencia is a former board member of Community Change, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence. ¹

Carlos Odio

As of May 2026, co-founder Carlos Odio was Equis Research’s senior vice president of research. From 2013 to 2018, Odio was the executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. From 2011 to 2012, he worked as the director of special projects at the New Organizing Institute. From 2009 to 2011, Odio also worked at the Obama White House, as the deputy associate director of the Office of Political Affairs. Earlier, Odio was the deputy Latino vote director of the 2008 Obama Presidential campaign. ⁷

Nick Ahamed

As of May 2026, Nick Ahamed was the managing director of Equis Research. From 2018 to 2025, Ahamed worked at Priorities USA, a left-of-center advocacy group founded by senior Obama administration staffers Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney. In 2012, Ahamed was a field organizer for then-President Obama’s presidential re-election campaign. ⁸