Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Jeb Bush presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016
- See also: Jeb Bush presidential campaign, 2016
Jeb Bush was a Republican candidate for the office of president of the United States in 2016.
Bush served as the governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is the son of President George H.W. Bush and the younger brother of President George W. Bush. Bush was the first brother of a president to run for the office since Robert Kennedy in 1968.
Bush hinted at his intention to run when he posted the following comments on his Facebook page on December 16, 2014: "I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States. In January, I also plan to establish a Leadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation. The PAC’s purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America."[1]
On April 19, 2013, former President George W. Bush said that he hoped his brother Jeb would consider running for president and would not "be afraid of entering the arena" because of the family name.[2] Seventeen presidents, including George W. Bush, have also served as governors.[3] Bush officially announced his candidacy on June 15, 2015.[4]
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.[5] At a gathering of supporters 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.[5][6] | ” |
Key staff and advisors
The table below details some of the key staff and advisors for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign at the time the campaign was suspended in February 2016. The leftmost column indicates the individual staff member or advisor. The middle column details that individual's relationship to Bush's campaign. The final column indicates the individual's previous political experience. More detailed profiles of individuals can be found by clicking the links in the leftmost column.
Mike Murphy was employed by Right to Rise, a super PAC in support of Jeb Bush that could not coordinate with the Bush presidential campaign. A super PAC is not allowed to contribute directly to a politician or political party but can spend independently to campaign for or against political figures. Hence, super PACs are officially called independent expenditure-only committees.[7] Murphy is listed here because of his influence on the Bush presidential campaign as a whole.
| Jeb Bush key staff and advisors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Role | Previous Experience |
| Danny Diaz | Campaign manager | • George W. Bush 2004 presidential • RNC deputy communications dir. • John McCain 2008 presidential • Susana Martinez 2010 gubernatorial • Mark Kirk 2010 U.S. Senate • Mitt Romney 2012 presidential • Ken Cuccinelli 2013 gubernatorial • Susana Martinez senior advisor • Doug Ducey 2014 gubernatorial • FP1 Strategies founding partner |
| David James | National political director | |
| David Kochel | Chief strategist | • Republican Party of Iowa exec dir. • Michigan Republican Party exec dir. • Lamar Alexander 2000 presidential • DCI Group executive vice president • Mitt Romney 2008 presidential • Mitt Romney 2012 presidential • Redwave Communications owner |
| Heather Larrison | Finance director | • George W. Bush 2000 presidential • Haley Barbour 2012 presidential • Finance dir., NRSC • Founder, The Larrison Group |
| Jon Downs | Head of media and advertising | • George W. Bush 2000 presidential • Mark Earley 2001 gubernatorial • Office of Congressional & Public Affairs at U.S. Justice Department • DMN Media Group • Bright Media owner • Allen West 2010 congressional • Ted Cruz 2012 U.S. Senate • Ron Paul 2012 presidential • Dan Sullivan 2014 U.S. Senate • FP1 Strategies founding partner |
| Kristy Campbell | National press secretary | • Comm dir., Florida Department of Community Affairs • Press sec., Gov. Jeb Bush • Mitt Romney 2008 presidential • Comm dir., Foundation for Florida's Future • Bill McCollum 2010 gubernatorial • Comm dir., American Conservative Union • Mitt Romney 2012 presidential |
| Mike Murphy | Super PAC manager | • John Engler 1990 gubernatorial • Bob Dole 1996 presidential • Jeb Bush 1998 gubernatorial • John McCain 2000 presidential • Rick Lazio 2000 U.S. Senate • Jeb Bush 2002 gubernatorial • Mitt Romney 2002 gubernatorial • Arnold Schwarzenegger 2003 gubernatorial • Revolution Agency partner |
| Sally Bradshaw | Senior advisor | • Webb Franklin staffer • Haley Barbour internship • George H.W. Bush 1988 presidential • White House associate director of political affairs • House Republican Office staff director • George H.W. Bush 1992 presidential • Republican Party of Florida political director • Jeb Bush 1994 gubernatorial • Jeb Bush 1998 gubernatorial • Gov. Jeb Bush chief of staff • Foundation for Florida's Future executive director • Jeb Bush 2002 gubernatorial • Mitt Romney 2008 presidential • Florida Republican Party senior advisor • Haley Barbour PAC general consultant • Florida state board of education member • RNC Growth and Opportunity Project • Rep. Will Weatherford senior advisor |
| Tim Miller | Communications director | • Bill Lee 2004 gubernatorial • Jerry Kilgore 2005 gubernatorial • Bill Dix 2006 congressional • Jeff Lamberti 2006 congressional • John McCain 2008 presidential • Berman and Co. comm. strategist • Glover Park Group dir. of digital comm. • Jon Huntsman 2012 presidential • RNC deputy comm dir. • America Rising executive dir. |
Departures
Money, McCarley, Aleksander
Fundraising contractors Kris Money, Trey McCarley and Debbie Aleksander left the Bush campaign the last week of August 2015 amid conflicting reports about whether they resigned or were terminated. An unnamed Bush staffer said, "They were glad to go. This wasn’t a shock to anybody. There were just some personality problems."[8]
Donald Trump commented Twitter, saying, "Wow, Jeb Bush just lost three of his top fundraisers — they quit!"[8]
Christine Ciccone
The chief operating officer of Bush's campaign resigned in the last week of October 2015, "the highest-ranking official to leave the Bush campaign since deep payroll cuts were announced." According to the Washington Examiner, Ciccone had made $12,000 a month in her role. She was quoted as saying about her exit that, "I've got no comment. I've just got to go".[9]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jeb Bush Campaign Staff. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Jeb Bush
- Jeb Bush presidential campaign key staff and advisors experience, 2016
- Jeb Bush presidential campaign, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Facebook, "Jeb Bush," December 16, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "Bush Urges His Brother to Run for President," April 19, 2013
- ↑ Center on the American Governor, "The Governors Who Became President: Brief Biographies," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ The New York Times, "In Announcing Run, Jeb Bush Plays Down His Surname," June 15, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 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.
- ↑ New York Times, "Who's Financing the 'Super PACs?" May 7, 2012
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Politico, "Top Jeb fundraisers leave campaign amid troubling signs", August 29, 2015
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Jeb team's chief operating officer quits," October 30, 2015
