Alex Conant

Alex Conant
Basic facts
Current Campaign:	Marco Rubio 2016 U.S. Senate
Role:	Communications advisor
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Affiliation:	Republican
Education:	• University of Wisconsin (2002, B.A., economics) • University of Wisconsin (2003, MPA, domestic policy)
Prior Experience • Tim Pawlenty 2012 presidential • Joni Ernst 2014 U.S. Senate • Marco Rubio 2016 presidential

Alex Conant is a Republican political operative and co-founder of the consulting firm Firehouse Strategies. He was a communication advisor for Marco Rubio's (R) 2016 U.S. Senate campaign.

Conant was the communications director for Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign.

Conant's past campaign work includes Tim Pawlenty's (R) 2012 presidential bid and Joni Ernst's (R) successful 2014 Iowa senatorial campaign.

Conant started Firehouse Strategies with two former Rubio staffers, Terry Sullivan and Will Holley, in June 2016.

Career

Early career

While a college student, Alex conant worked on Norm Coleman's (R-Minn.) 2002 U.S. Senate campaign, and after graduating from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in domestic policy, Conant officially launched his political career in 2005, serving as press secretary to Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). He was in this position for less than a year before moving on to become the deputy press secretary at the White House from 2005 to 2006.

He subsequently served as a White House spokesman for two years before leaving to work as press secretary for the Republican National Committee (RNC). Writing of his role with the RNC, Campaigns and Elections noted, "If you’re a reporter in Washington, you know Alex Conant. As the RNC’s national press secretary during the 2008 election, Conant waged an assault on the media’s e-mail inboxes—but he did it in a friendly way."

Tim Pawlenty 2012 presidential campaign

In October 2009, he started work on Pawlenty's presidential campaign, where he served first as communications director and then as press secretary. As spokesperson for the campaign, Conant frequently discussed the campaign's stances on economic issues. In August 2011, after a deal that kept the government from defaulting on its loans, Conant stated, "This deal is nothing to celebrate. Only in Washington would the political class think it’s a victory when the government narrowly avoids default, agrees to go further into debt, and does little to reform a spending system that cannot be sustained by our children and grandchildren."

Marco Rubio press secretary

Conant became press secretary to Rubio, then a newly-elected Senator, in 2011. Upon hiring him, Rubio said, "He is a skilled and experienced communicator who will be a great asset to me in the Senate as we work to create jobs, tackle the debt, and keep America safe."

Joni Ernst 2014 U.S. Senate campaign

Though proving an asset to Rubio's team, he took time in 2014 to assist Joni Ernst with her U.S. Senate campaign in Iowa. According to Politico, Conant and his wife Caitlin, "two respected Capitol spokesmen with presidential campaign experience," were dispatched by the National Republican Senatorial Committee near the end of the campaign. Conant told the Tampa Bay Times, "As you know, Marco was an early supporter of [Ernst] and his team is doing everything we can to help out. It'll be great to have a woman, soldier, and independent leader like her in the Senate."

Marco Rubio 2016 presidential campaign, 2016

See also: Marco Rubio presidential campaign, 2016

On April 13, 2015, Rubio announced his presidential run on a conference call with donors. He referred to himself as "uniquely qualified" for the nomination. The call came hours before a scheduled campaign rally in Miami. In March 2015, Conant moved from Rubio's Senate office to his political action committee (PAC). The Washington Post noted that the move served as an strong indicator that Rubio was gearing up for a presidential run before he officially announced.

After Rubio officially announced his candidacy in April, Conant was named communications director for the campaign. Politico highlighted Conant's connections to Joni Ernst, writing, "Conant assisted Sen. Joni Ernst in her 2014 race in Iowa, building relationships in the first-in-the-nation Hawkeye State, a boon for Rubio as the Iowa Caucuses near." In March 2016, Conant made news when CNN cancelled an appearance after he responded to the network's report that Rubio's campaign was debating whether to suspend its operation. He said, "I was sitting in a senior staff meeting planning out next week's schedule when I saw this report suddenly air and I came racing across town to correct it. CNN is doing a disservice to voters by doing that sort of reporting." Rubio suspended his presidential campaign on March 15, 2016.

Firehouse Strategies

In June 2016, Conant and former Rubio presidential staffers Terry Sullivan and Will Holley started the consulting firm Firehouse Strategies. According to The New York Times, the group was formed under the theory that Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign changed the rules of campaigning to put a premium on producing content. In the article, Conant identifies that "there’s just a steady flow of information, and if you don’t try to provide the content, your opponents or your critics will." Sullivan told the paper, "The solution is always more content, not less." One of Conant's first clients after forming the organization was Marco Rubio. He was the communications advisor for Rubio's 2016 campaign for the U.S. Senate.

See also

• Marco Rubio
• Marco Rubio presidential campaign, 2016
• Terry Sullivan

External links

• Alex Conant LinkedIn profile
• Alex Conant Twitter account