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John Kasich presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016
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- See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016
There were two distinct arms to John Kasich's 2016 presidential campaign, the campaign itself and the supporting outside groups. Kasich's campaign staff was perhaps the most traditionally qualified of the final three candidates for the nomination. They were led by senior strategist John Weaver, who was also one of the most visible staff members in the media. Weaver was a longtime aide to John McCain and also advised Jon Huntsman's 2012 presidential bid. He is known for his less conventional strategy of skipping Iowa campaigning to focus on New Hampshire.[1] Beth Hansen, Kasich's campaign manager, was far less known on a national stage but had significant experience in the state of Ohio. She had worked there for decades prior to 2016, beginning with Sen. George Voinovich. Immediately prior to the 2016 presidential election, she managed Kasich's 2010 gubernatorial campaign and served as Kasich's chief of staff in the governor's office.[2]
Kasich was also aided by two groups. A super PAC called New Day for America focused solely on getting Kasich elected, while a 501(c)(4) organization called Balanced Budget Forever called for a constitutional convention to pass a federal balanced budget amendment. New Day for America was highlighted by Fred Davis, a media consultant with a distinct style combining "humor [and] absurdity" in his advertisements. Davis created an ad for McCain comparing President Barack Obama to a celebrity like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. He featured a "demon sheep" in an ad for Carly Fiorina. And he produced the spot in which Christine O'Donnell proclaimed she was not a witch.[3]
As the potential for a contested convention increased, Kasich hired consultants experienced in courting delegates for the Republican National Convention. On March 16, 2016, Charlie Black and Stuart Spencer joined the campaign as advisors on delegate strategy, tasked with gaining unpledged delegates and those pledged to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) before Rubio dropped out of the race.[4] However, after Donald Trump won the Indiana primary in May 2016, Kasich suspended his presidential campaign.[5] After the campaign's suspension, John Weaver commented that the staff was unlikely to move on to the staff of the then-presumed nominee Donald Trump. Weaver told The Wall Street Journal, "There’s no one in a senior- or midlevel position in the campaign in Ohio or in any of the states where we had staff who would or will be going to work for Donald Trump. The very things that attracted them to John are the things that would keep them from working for Trump."[6]
Key staff and advisors
The following tables detail the 11 key staff and advisors Ballotpedia identified for John Kasich's 2016 presidential campaign. At the time of Kasich's campaign suspension, these staffers had worked on a total of 29 presidential campaigns since 1976, a relatively high number when compared to other 2016 presidential campaign staffs. They also had significant experience working together on past presidential campaigns—strategist John Weaver had the same role in John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, where he worked alongside Fred Davis and Charlie Black. Weaver and Davis were also involved in Jon Huntsman's 2012 presidential run, as was Paul Collins. Black and Stuart Spencer were both longtime aides and strategists for former President Ronald Reagan and were on opposite sides of the 1976 contested convention between Reagan and then-President Gerald Ford.
These staff tables are divided based on campaign roles at the time the campaign was suspended in May 2016. The leftmost column indicates the individual staff member or advisor. The middle column details that individual's relationship to Kasich's 2016 campaign. The final column indicates the individual's experience prior to 2016. More detailed profiles of individuals can be found by clicking the links in the leftmost column.
Management and strategy
| Individual | Role | Previous Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Beth Hansen | Campaign manager | ••George H.W. Bush 1988 presidential •Republican Party of Michigan, 1992 •Bob Dole 1996 presidential •George Voinovich 1998 U.S. Senate •Sen. George Voinovich state director •John Kasich 2010 gubernatorial •John Kasich 2014 gubernatorial |
| John Weaver | Senior strategist | •Bill Clements 1986 gubernatorial •Phil Gramm 1996 presidential •John McCain 2000 presidential •John McCain 2008 presidential •Rick Snyder 2010 gubernatorial •Jon Huntsman 2012 presidential |
| Charlie Black | Delegate strategist | •Ronald Reagan 1976 presidential •Ronald Reagan 1980 presidential •Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential •Jack Kemp 1988 presidential •Republican National Committee, 1990 •George H.W. Bush 1992 presidential •Phil Gramm 1996 presidential •George W. Bush 2000 presidential •George W. Bush 2004 presidential •John McCain 2008 presidential •Mitt Romney 2012 presidential |
| Michael Biundo | Delegate selection advisor | •Pat Buchanan 1996 presidential •Frank Guinta 2010 U.S. House, 2005 and 2007 Manchester, NH mayoral •Rick Santorum 2012 presidential •Mitt Romney 2012 presidential •Rand Paul 2016 presidential |
| Stuart Spencer | Advisor | •Ronald Reagan 1966 gubernatorial •Ronald Reagan 1970 gubernatorial •Gerald Ford 1976 presidential •Ronald Reagan 1980 presidential •Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential •George H.W. Bush 1988 presidential |
Communications
| Individual | Role | Previous Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Schrimpf | Senior communications advisor | •Sonny Perdue 2006 gubernatorial •Republican Governors Association, 2007–2008 •Scott Walker Governor's Office, 2011–2012 •Republican Party of Ohio |
| Mike Schrimpf | Communications director | •Bruce Rauner 2014 gubernatorial |
Outside groups
| Individual | Role | Previous Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Fred Davis | Media advisor at New Day for America | •Morry Taylor 1996 presidential •George W. Bush 2004 presidential •John McCain 2008 presidential •Rick Snyder 2010 Mich. gubernatorial •Christine O'Donnell 2010 U.S. Senate •Jon Huntsman 2012 presidential •Rick Snyder 2014 Mich. gubernatorial •Ben Sasse 2014 U.S. Senate •David Perdue 2014 U.S. Senate |
| Matt Carle | Executive director at New Day for America | •George Voinovich 2004 U.S. Senate •Mike DeWine 2006 U.S. Senate •John Kasich 2014 gubernatorial |
| Sarah Nelson | Advisor at Balanced Budget Forever | •Brian Krolicki 2006 lieutenant gubernatorial •Mitt Romney 2008 presidential •Meg Whitman 2010 gubernatorial Mitt Romney 2012 presidential •Mike Crapo 2016 U.S. Senate |
State staff
| Individual | Role | Previous Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Collins | New Hampshire senior advisor | •John H. Sununu 1983 gubernatorial •John H. Sununu 1984 gubernatorial •John H. Sununu 1986 gubernatorial •Steve Forbes 1995 presidential •John E. Sununu U.S. House 1996 •John E. Sununu U.S. House 1998 •John E. Sununu U.S. House 2000 •John E. Sununu U.S. Senate 2002 •John E. Sununu U.S. Senate 2008 •Jon Huntsman 2012 presidential •Ovide Lamontagne 2012 gubernatorial •Dan Innis 2014 U.S. House |
Departures
Blake Waggoner
On March 5, 2016, Kasich's campaign fired deputy digital director Blake Waggoner. In November, Waggoner was arrested in Washington, D.C., "after a woman accused him of choking her and punching her in the back," according to Cleveland.com. After a reporter asked the campaign about Waggoner's arrest and enrollment in a diversion program, Waggoner was fired. Campaign manager Beth Hansen issued a statement, saying, "We were unaware of the incident concerning Blake, and he is no longer an employee of the campaign."[7]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms John Kasich Campaign Staff. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- John Kasich
- John Kasich presidential campaign key staff and advisors experience, 2016
- John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ National Review, "Kasich’s Squishy Svengali," June 10, 2015
- ↑ Examiner, "Ohio Gov-Elect John Kasich names top staffers," November 3, 2010
- ↑ Inc.com, "Tips From the GOP's Most Notorious Ad Man," August 21, 2012
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "Kasich Hires New Talent Aimed At Contested Convention," March 16, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Kasich dropping out of presidential race," May 4, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Lags Behind Hillary Clinton in Organizing Key State," May 22, 2016
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "John Kasich campaign staffer fired for domestic violence arrest," March 5, 2016
