The Scarlet Letter
Campaign Insider
Obama's former campaign manager opens consulting firm
by Geordy Boveroux / Feb 27 2013
Jim Messina, who managed President Obama’s 2012 reelection effort, has launched his own consulting firm—the Messina Group.
“The Messina Group advises political campaigns and organizations who want to build movements, services, and products that succeed by being data-driven, digitally savvy, and grassroots focused,” reads a message atop the new firm’s website.
In an interview with Politico, Messina said he wants to advise his clients based on the lessons learned in
Prominent GOP consultants join gay marriage brief
by Geordy Boveroux / Feb 26 2013
Nearly a dozen notable Republican political consultants are among the 80 members of the GOP submitting a friend of the court brief to the Supreme Court before justices hear arguments in two cases that could legalize gay marriage.
The consultants who signed the letter:
• Alex Castellanos, Founding Partner, Purple Strategies
• Ben Ginsberg, Partner, Patton Boggs
• Dave Kochel, Founder, Redwave Communications
• Alex Lundry, Vice
Former Bush aide heads effort to elect Latino Republicans in California
by Geordy Boveroux / Feb 25 2013
The California-based PAC GROW Elect, which launched in 2011 with the goal of increasing the ranks of Latino Republican elected officials in California, is expanding.
GROW Elect has brought on its first president and CEO in former George W. Bush aide Ruben Barrales, and in the wake of an abysmal showing among Hispanic voters nationally for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, the PAC is pledging an “aggressive expansion” of its
Revolution Messaging adds new partners, opens campaigns division
by Geordy Boveroux / Feb 25 2013
The mobile firm Revolution Messaging is expanding. The firm has brought on two new partners and is expanding its offerings with a new “Campaigns Division” headed Tim Tagaris, Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-Conn.) former digital director.
Along with Tagaris, Revolution has also named Obama campaign veteran Arun Chaudhary partner. Chaudhary worked on the Obama digital team in 2008. He was a part of four videographers traveling with the campaign to create in-house documentaries—a role
Ex-lawmaker drives passage of Utah push poll bill
by Sean J. Miller / Feb 22 2013
Utah Republican Brad Daw might have lost a primary last June, but the four-term lawmaker is hoping to have the last laugh on the state's political operatives Daw thinks cost him his seat.
Daw has been the driving force behind an anti-push polling bill that state House Majority Whip Greg Hughes (R) has championed in the legislature.
A final vote on H.B. 44, as it's
MRA and AAPC come to the aid of ex-Rep. Bass in legal battle
by Sean J. Miller / Feb 21 2013
New Hampshire election law doesn't apply to federal candidates. It's the argument made this week by Congressman Charlie Bass's legal team and two industry groups who joined in the former Republican lawmaker's effort to dismiss the civil case against him.
Attorney General Michael Delaney’s office has accused Bass’s camp of making a “deliberate attempt to avoid” the state’s disclosure requirements while conducting a poll during his 2010 race against Democrat
Gingrich: GOP strategists 'kidding themselves'
by Geordy Boveroux / Feb 20 2013
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich ripped into his party’s consulting class yet again on Wednesday in a scathing column for the conservative magazine Human Events and in a morning interview with CBS News.
Gingrich told CBS that Republicans are at risk of being non-competitive at the presidential level thanks to shifting demographics and that the party’s consultants are “kidding
Tea Party group blames vendor for Rove-as-Nazi email
by Sean J. Miller / Feb 20 2013
The vendor the Tea Party Patriots says used an unauthorized picture of Karl Rove in a Nazi uniform in an email pitch issued a mea culpa as the conservative group issued an apology for the solicitation Tuesday.
In a bid to raise $1 million by Feb. 27 as part of its four-year anniversary campaign, the non-profit Tea Party Patriots said it had Active Engagement, a Virginia based online fundraising firm,
Online advertising isn't a desktop experience anymore
by Geordy Boveroux / Feb 19 2013
Mobile content has grown so exponentially that online advertising is “no longer a desktop experience,” says Scott Goodstein, founder and CEO of the mobile firm Revolution Messaging.
The rapid expansion of mobile in the campaign space was one of the most important developments over the course of the 2012 election cycle and advertisers need to do a better job of adjusting by making their online content mobile-based.
Goodstein, who served as
For speechwriters, knowing the candidate is key
by Dave Nyczepir / Feb 12 2013
You don’t need to be a policy wonk to be a succesful political speechwriter, according to four former presidential speechwriters who previewed President Obama's State of the Union address and analyzed the art of speechwriting at a panel discussion on Tuesday.
President Bill Clinton’s former speechwriters Don Baer and Jeff Shesol, President George W. Bush’s former speechwriter John McConnell and President Obama’s former speechwriter Adam Frankel spoke at an event hosted
2013 Rising Star nominations now open
by Shane D'Aprile / Feb 11 2013
Campaigns & Elections has a long tradition of recognizing the best and the brightest in the political industry. It’s a tradition that is anchored by our annual Rising Star award. Since 1988, C&E has honored up-and-coming campaign pros with Rising Stars and over the years recipients have reached the heights of the campaign business.
David Axelrod, James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Ben Ginsberg, Hal Malchow and Mark Mellman are among the inaugural
Making the most of a career fair
by Ashley Spillane / Feb 08 2013
Searching for a job in the political world can be a daunting task and feel like a full-time job itself. It can be particularly overwhelming in a career fair setting, with so many job seekers competing for potential employers’ attention.
Here are some tips on how to maximize your time and make the best impression when attending a career fair:
1) Prep your resume: Don’t just describe the job you
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