Ed Brookover
| Ed Brookover | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Organization: | Greener and Hook | ||
| Role: | Chair of political practice | ||
| Location: | Alexandria, Va. | ||
| Expertise: | Campaign communications | ||
| Affiliation: | Republican | ||
| Website: | Official website | ||
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Ed Brookover is a Republican campaign consultant. As of August 2017, he was the chair of political practice at the communications firm Greener and Hook in Alexandria, Virginia.[1] During the 2016 election cycle, Brookover was Ben Carson's campaign manager and then served as a senior advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, specializing in delegate selection.[2][3][4] Brookover was fired from the campaign on August 1, 2016.[5]
He previously worked as political director for the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Career
Republican National Committee
- See also: Republican National Committee
For the 1986 election cycle, Brookover worked as the national field director for the Republican National Committee, where he "managed a staff of 47 with offices located all across the country."[1]
National Republican Senatorial Committee
- See also: National Republican Senatorial Committee
In the 1988 election cycle, Brookover served as the national political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The cycle saw 33 Senate races in 1988, of which the NRSC focused on eight.[6] Believing that "most Senate candidates are just giving the standard GOP line on low taxes, a strong defense, a healthy economy," Brookover worked to develop a cohesive message across races.[6] Brookover made news in Michigan that year when U.S. Senate candidate Jim Dunn (R) filed a lawsuit against the NRSC. According to The Argus-Press, Brookover "visited the state and told reporters that it would give $638,928—the limit set by the Federal Election Commission—to the winner of the Aug. 2 primary." However, in September, Dunn issued a statement "quoting Brookover as saying the promise was a lie and strictly a media hype."[7]
National Republican Congressional Committee
Brookover's official bio notes that during his time as political director at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) he "helped Republicans regain control of Congress and maintain its majority for the next two cycles."[1] In the 1998 election cycle, Brookover made issue advertising one of the NRCC's focuses with a "$37 million 'Operation Breakout' issue advocacy campaign."[8] At the NRCC, one of Brookover's specific roles was "as the staff liaison to the Republican leadership in Congress, briefing the leaders on political activities across the country and coordinating the Republican Congressional message."[1] It was in this capacity that Brookover became "a close ally" to John Boehner (R-Ohio), who appointed Brookover as an NRCC consultant in 2008.[9]
During his time at the NRCC, Brookover was also called as an expert witness in a case involving the National Black Police Association. The group challenged the constitutionality of a Washington, D.C., initiative that limited campaign contributions. Brookover testified as an expert in campaigning and claimed that these particular contribution limits "skews candidates' time toward fundraising and away from other campaign activities which may be more substantive."[10]
Greener and Hook
In addition work on specific campaigns, Brookover is the chair of political practice at Greener and Hook, a communications firm in Alexandria, Virginia. During his time with the firm, Brookover worked on Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) 2006 U.S. House re-election campaign, joining the campaign staff mid-way through the election.[11] That same year, after Democratic candidates won a majority of seats in Congress, Brookover said the Democrats didn't win, Republicans "handed it to them on a silver platter." He went on to criticize the party's tendency to "spin too much" and said the election was "a rejection of behaviors, not ideas."[12]
Presidential election, 2016
Ben Carson
- See also: Ben Carson presidential campaign, 2016
Senior strategist
On March 3, 2015, Carson formed an exploratory committee for a possible presidential run, and Brookover was named a senior strategist for the committee.[3] When Carson announced his candidacy on May 5, 2015, Brookover maintained his position in the campaign.[13] At Carson's announcement, Brookover commented on Carson's appeal to Republican voters: "Dr. Carson’s leadership, his style, the way he thinks, I think is fresh. I think I fit in with many Americans who are looking for something fresh. Plus, a lot of us who grew up in the Reagan era are looking for something."[13]
Campaign manager
On December 31, 2015, Barry Bennett and communications director Doug Watts resigned their positions with the campaign.[14] On January 1, 2016, CNN reported that Brookover would take over as campaign manager.[2]
On March 2, 2016, after receiving the lowest total votes during the elections on Super Tuesday, Carson announced he saw no "political path forward" for his presidential campaign.[15] On March 4, Carson announced that he had joined the nonprofit organization My Faith Votes as national chairman.[16] He officially suspended his campaign the same day.[17]
Donald Trump
- See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
On March 11, 2016, when Ben Carson endorsed Donald Trump for president, Brookover was announced as the head of a delegate selection team for the Trump campaign. According to a campaign press release, the team would be "handling delegate selection and management." Brookover was also hired to "serve as the campaign liaison to the Republican National Committee and Members of Congress."[4] Early in the process, on March 16, Brookover told The New York Times that the delegate selection team was building off the primary election infrastructure the campaign already had in place in many states. He said, "The good news is, in going through my review of Mr. Trump’s operations in these states, these folks have not dropped the ball."[18]
Brookover was fired from the campaign on August 1, 2016. According to Politico, Brookover's firing was part of a campaign shakeup, and two other Trump aides, William McGinley and Mike McSherry, were set to take on expanded roles in the campaign.[5]
See also
External links
- Ed Brookover on Twitter
- Greener and Hook
- Ed Brookover Speaking to American University Students on Campaign Communications
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Greener and Hook, "Leadership," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 CNN, "Ben Carson tries to salvage campaign," January 1, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Politico, "Ben Carson’s general election strategy," March 3, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Donald J. Trump for President, "Donald J. Trump Receives Endorsement from Dr. Ben Carson and Announces Delegate Selection Team," March 11, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Politico, "Trump aide Brookover fired," August 1, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Carnegie Mellon University Digital Collections, " Memorandum -- April 18, 1988," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ The Argus-Press, "Dunn Starts Legal Battle," October 12, 1988
- ↑ USA Today, "Avalanche of advocacy ads on the way," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Changes Afoot at the NRCC," May 21, 2008
- ↑ Leagle, "National Black Police Association v. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics," April 18, 1996
- ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "What was the matter with the old team?" June 21, 2006
- ↑ CNS News, "GOP Must 'Return to Conservatism,' Says Strategist," July 7, 2008
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Breitbart News, "Dr. Ben Carson Announces He's Running for President in Detroit," May 4, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Two of Ben Carson's Top Aides Quit Campaign," December 31, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Ben Carson to end presidential campaign," March 2, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Ben Carson to lead Christian voter group," March 4, 2016
- ↑ NBC News, "Ben Carson Suspends 2016 Campaign at CPAC," March 4, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Republicans Enter a Shadow Campaign to Sew Up Delegates," March 16, 2016
