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Bill Hyers
| Bill Hyers | |||
 | |||
| Basic facts | |||
| Organization: | Hilltop Public Solutions | ||
| Role: | Political strategist | ||
| Location: | Baltimore, Md. | ||
| Expertise: | Campaign strategy | ||
| Affiliation: | Democrat | ||
| Education: | St. Cloud State University | ||
| Website: | Official website | ||
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| Connections | |||
| •Bill de Blasio | |||
Bill Hyers is a Democratic strategist and partner at Hilltop Public Solutions.[1] Hyers was the chief strategist for Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign.[2] Hyers previously worked on presidential campaigns for Barack Obama (D) and Bill de Blasio's (D) 2013 New York City mayoral campaign.[1]
Career
Bill Hyers spent five years in the Army as a Military Police officer, working in South Korea and as a peacekeeper in Bosnia.[3] He began working in politics after graduating college, beginning with local elections in Minneapolis, Minn., and moving to field positions on national campaigns:[4]
| “ | I started in field on local campaigns such as Rybak for Mayor and then Dutcher for Governor. After several campaigns in my home state of Minnesota I branched out nationally on John Edwards for President in 2004. After several more campaigns in Field, I started managing campaigns, several small ones before jumping to a congressional, a major mayors race, then onto statewide.[5] | ” |
Hyers managed Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-N.Y.) 2006 U.S. House campaign, which Gillibrand won against four-term incumbent John E. Sweeney.[6] Hyers then went on to manage the mayoral campaign for Michael Nutter (D) in Philadelphia, Penn. The Democratic primary election was contested by businessman Tom Knox, and U.S. Representatives Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah. Nutter won the primary election "after surging in the final weeks of the campaign."[7] Nutter won the general election with 83 percent of the vote.[8]
Bill de Blasio Campaign Ad
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Hyers managed a number of other campaigns, including Tom Barrett's (D) 2010 campaign for Wisconsin governor and the re-election campaign for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) in 2011.[1]
Hyers' highest profile race was Bill de Blasio's (D) 2013 campaign for Mayor of New York City. De Blasio avoided a run-off in the primary election. In the general election, the campaign capitalized on a message of fatigue with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and featured de Blasio's family in advertisements.[9] The New York Times called de Blasio's campaign "a highly disciplined political machine that committed few errors and took little for granted."[10] De Blasio won the general election with 73 percent of the vote.[11] The de Blasio campaign, along with victories for Gillibrand and Nutter, earned Hyers a "reputation for a pulling off upsets," according to the Baltimore Sun.[12]
In 2014, Hyers joined Democrat Pat Quinn's campaign for Illinois governor as a senior advisor.[13] At the time of his hire, Hyers said:[14]
| “ | I’m proud to go to work for one of the nation’s leading reform governors. I’ve long admired Governor Quinn’s leadership. After inheriting a huge mess from two corrupt governors in a row, he’s been turning the state around and getting big things done to improve life for working families. It is critical that we re-elect Governor Quinn in Illinois so he can finish what he started.[5] | ” |
In addition to managing statewide campaigns, Hyers has worked on both presidential campaigns for Barack Obama (D). In 2008, Hyers was Obama's Midwest director.[15] In 2012, he served as Obama's Pennsylvania state director.[1]
Hyers is a partner at Hilltop Public Solutions, a consulting firm in New York City.[16] While at Hilltop, Hyers has worked as a consultant for Airbnb, a popular apartment sharing website, and he has led UPKNYC, de Blasio's "privately financed campaign to offer prekindergarten to all 4-year-olds in New York City."[17][18]
Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016
On December 3, 2014, the Washington Post reported that Bill Hyers had been informally advising Martin O'Malley for months and had officially joined O'Malley's leadership PAC, O'Say Can You See PAC.[19] Martin O'Malley announced his presidential run on May 30, 2015.[20] Hyers remained in a senior advisory role for the campaign itself.[21]
O'Malley suspended his presidential campaign on February 1, 2016.[22]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hilltop Public Solutions, "Bill Hyers," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ P2016, "O'Malley for President," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "To campaign manager Bill Hyers, home is where the vote is," November 24, 2013
- ↑ Democratic Gain, "Interview with Bill Hyers," May 28, 2009
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Post Star, "Election 06: Kirsten Gillibrand unseats Sweeney; Clinton, Spitzer lead Democrat win," November 8, 2006
- ↑ Washington Post, "Ex-Philly Pol Wins Dem. Mayoral Primary," May 15, 2007
- ↑ Philly.com, "2007 Election Results - Philadelphia Races," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ WNYC, "De Blasio's Long, and Lucky, Campaign," November 5, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "De Blasio Is Elected New York City Mayor in Landslide," November 5, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "New York City Mayor," November 6, 2013
- ↑ Balitmore Sun, "O'Malley hires campaign manager with expertise in long-shots," December 3, 2014
- ↑ NBC Chicago, "Quinn Grabs de Blasio Guru to Run Campaign," February 25, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Quinn taps DeBlasio’s ‘hot commodity’ Bill Hyers as strategist," February 26, 2014
- ↑ Quinn for Illinois, "Governor Quinn Taps Bill Hyers As Chief STrategist for 2014 Re-Election Bid," February 22, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Bill Hyers to join Hilltop Public Solutions," December 12, 2013
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Former de Blasio campaign manager Bill Hyers joins Airbnb payroll," July 22, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "Familiar Consultants Hired by de Blasio’s Pre-K Drive," March 19, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "O’Malley hires former Bill de Blasio campaign manager as senior adviser," December 3, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Martin O’Malley Announces Presidential Campaign, Pushing Image of Vitality," May 30, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "The power players behind Martin O'Malley's campaign," May 30, 2015
- ↑ ABC News, "Martin O'Malley Suspends Presidential Campaign," February 1, 2016
