David Kochel
| David Kochel | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Location: | Des Moines, Iowa, and Miami, Fla. | ||
| Expertise: | Iowa politics, communications | ||
| Affiliation: | Republican | ||
| Education: | Iowa State University (1987, B.A., political science) | ||
| Website: | Official website | ||
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| Connections | |||
| Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander | |||
David Kochel is a Republican political strategist, originally hailing from Iowa. Kochel served as chief strategist for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1987 with a B.A. in political science.[1]
Career
Kochel launched his political career in 1995 when he began serving as the executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa. During his tenure, he managed daily operations and organized the Iowa caucuses and straw polls.[1][2]
He left this role in 1996 to work as executive director of Michigan's Republican Party, a position he held for approximately eight months. He went on to manage Lamar Alexander's (R) Iowa campaign during the Tennessee Senator's 1999 presidential bid.[1][2]
From December 1996 through February 2002, Kochel worked as the executive vice president at DCI Group, a public relations lobbying and consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. He then served as a senior Iowa advisor for Mitt Romney's (R) Iowa caucus campaign during the former Massachusetts Governor's failed 2008 presidential bid. During the 2012 election cycle, Kochel again worked on Romney's presidential bid, serving as treasurer of Romney's PAC and senior advisor on his Iowa caucus campaign.[3][1][2]
Kochel has been the owner of a Des Moines-based communications firm, Redwave Communications, since 2009. The group provides various campaign-related services, including direct mail strategies, media consulting and branding efforts.[4][1][2]
Jeb Bush presidential campaign, 2016
- See also: Jeb Bush presidential campaign, 2016
After exploring the possibility of a presidential run for several months, Bush officially announced his candidacy on June 15, 2015, at Miami Dade College. He largely focused on economic issues and said he would "take Washington – the static capital of this dynamic country – out of the business of causing problems." Bush, who served as governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, is the son of former President George H.W. Bush and the brother of former President George W. Bush. He is the first brother of a president to run for the office since the Kennedy family, Robert in 1968 and Ted in 1980.[5]
Kochel first joined the Bush team in January 2015, moving from Des Moines to Miami.[6] Initially, Kochel was rumored to be the campaign-manager-in-waiting and would step into the role once the campaign officially got underway.[7] However, shortly before Bush announced the launch of his campaign, Danny Diaz was named as the campaign manager. Sally Bradshaw, one of Bush's most trusted senior advisors, said the following regarding the last-minute change: "David can best position us for success by playing a key leadership role focusing on how Jeb wins primaries, caucuses, and ultimately the general election and Danny’s skill at rapidly moving content and campaign organization makes him perfectly suited for running the day-to-day operations.”[8][9][1]
His role had Kochel "build[ing] and oversee[ing] a political operation in the early states and beyond." Kochel said of Bush, "Gov. Bush is uniquely suited to take on the Democrat nominee and win the White House by welcoming every American regardless of race, class, or gender."[10][1]
Bush ended his run for the White House after faring poorly in the Iowa Caucuses as well as primary elections in New Hampshire and South Carolina.[11] At a gathering of supporters in the Palmetto State on February 20, 2016, he said:
| “ | The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision, so tonight I am suspending my campaign.[11][12] | ” |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 P2016.org, "Jeb 2016, Inc.," accessed June 17, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 LinkedIn, "David Kochel," accessed June 17, 2015
- ↑ DCI Group, "Homepage," accessed June 22, 2015
- ↑ Redwave Communications, "Services and Capabilities," accessed June 22, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "In Announcing Run, Jeb Bush Plays Down His Surname," June 15, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "David Kochel, Romney’s Iowa Strategist, Jumps to Bush," January 29, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "In surprise shakeup, Jeb Bush taps Danny Diaz as campaign manager," June 8, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Jeb Bush names Danny Diaz as campaign manager," June 8, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Jeb Bush adds veteran consultants to likely campaign team," February 2, 2015
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "Iowa's David Kochel goes all in for Jeb Bush," January 29, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 NBC News, "Jeb Bush Suspends 2016 Presidential Campaign," February 20, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
