Upper Left Strategies

Strategy for winning campaigns and organizations.

Campaigns, independent expenditures, public affairs and voter texting since 2018.

Seattle, Washington

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The record

Full case studies on request
Girmay Zahilay with his family in the Leaders We Trust ad Girmay Zahilay, “Leaders We Trust”Primary TV, King County Executive2025
Reed Award winner, Charleston 2026 My Guy Girmay Trailing 25 to 16 in our first poll, with a name voters struggled to say. We gave them a line to repeat. Girmay finished first in the primary with 44% and won the general with 54%.
Protect Pay Transparency mailer with a Magic 8 BallProtect Pay TransparencyPublic affairs mail for Emery Reddy2026
Columbia Snake River Campaign postcard with an orcaNez Perce Tribe, Columbia Snake River CampaignPublic affairs mail2025 to 2026
Sharon Tomiko Santos mailerSharon Tomiko SantosMail, State House, 37th LD2026
Eamonn Collins mailerEamonn CollinsMail, State Senate, 42nd LD2026
Women for Girmay event invitationWomen for GirmayEvent and print2025
Still from the Results ad Girmay Zahilay, “Results”General TV, King County Executive2025
Two Reed Awards for text messaging Text message video Fifteen seconds, built for the phone and sent through Downballot.
Michael Charles and Michael Fertakis of Upper Left Strategies

Michael Fertakis, Senior Principal, and Michael Charles, Partner.

Michael Charles is one of Washington's leading Democratic strategists. He has guided winning campaigns from city hall to statewide office, built the independent expenditures that decide legislative majorities, and represented tribes, companies and institutions in Olympia and Washington, D.C.

Clients hire Upper Left for judgment: the plan, the message, and the call on where the last dollar goes. Then we stay on the work until the last ballot is counted or the bill is signed.

Numerous national political awards, including three 2026 Reed Awards and three Pollies from the American Association of Political Consultants.

2026 Reed Awards Winner AAPC Gold Member
$10M+

In campaign and client programs managed since 2018.

2M+

Text messages sent to voters through Downballot.

3M+

Mail pieces designed and dropped since our founding in 2018.

250+

TV, digital and text message videos produced.

What we do

Three practices, one senior team. The people who write your plan are the people who run it.

Campaign strategy
Independent expenditures
Public affairs
Campaign plansBudget, calendar, targets and the win number, on paper before the first dollar moves.

Managed political texting, built for the races further down the ballot.

Downballot is our texting practice. We handle 10DLC compliance, the copy, the send and the replies, then report back. Programs start as low as 8¢ a text and can launch in as little as 48 hours.

Where we've worked

Larger circles mean more of our work there.

Statewide