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John Weaver (campaign strategist)
| John Weaver | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Organization: | Network Companies | ||
| Role: | Founder | ||
| Expertise: | Campaign strategy | ||
| Affiliation: | Republican | ||
| Education: | Texas A&M University | ||
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John Weaver is a Republican campaign strategist. Most recently, he was the senior strategist to John Kasich's 2016 presidential campaign. The Washington Post described him as "a hard-charging strategist who does not shy away from the rigors of a tough campaign."[1]
Career
Early career
John Weaver began working in politics in 1978 while still a student at Texas A&M University. He was assigned to write a profile of Phil Gramm, who was then working as a professor there. According to Politico Magazine, Gramm "liked Weaver’s piece and offered him a campaign job in exchange for $200 a month and free rent in the apartment above his garage." Weaver continued to work for Gramm through his 1996 presidential campaign, where Weaver met with Gramm supporter John McCain.[2]
Early in his political consulting career, Weaver worked in Texas on the successful gubernatorial campaign of Bill Clements in 1986. On that campaign, Weaver also worked with Karl Rove, the political architect behind George W. Bush's presidential campaigns.[3] After the campaign, Weaver decided to open his own consulting firm, "lured away one of Rove's top employees" and was named the executive director of the Texas Republican Party.[4] According to The Atlantic, Weaver grew disillusioned with the Republican Party when "Rove spread a rumor that Weaver had made a pass at a young man at a state Republican function."[5] Weaver left the Republican Party in 2000, only returning in 2007 for John McCain's presidential campaign.[6]
John McCain advisor
John McCain presidential campaign, 2000
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According to Texas Monthly, John Weaver sketched a path for John McCain's (R) presidential campaign on a cocktail napkin in Alabama. Once he convinced McCain to run, Weaver became the campaign's political director.[7] Weaver was responsible for what became a symbol of the campaign itself, McCain's "Straight Talk Express" campaign bus. Speaking with The New York Times in 2000, Weaver said, "The bus just kind of evolved. I'm a big believer in bus tours. John [McCain] wanted to have the press with him, and one thing led to another and it became a tradition that, unfortunately, I don't think we could ever stop."[8]
Texas Monthly described the effects of the campaign bus, saying, "On the bus, the media had complete and unlimited access to McCain. The frankness and comfort he displayed carried him to a nineteen-point upset victory over George W. Bush" in the New Hampshire primary that year.[7]
The Washington Post further described Weaver's role in McCain's 2000 New Hampshire primary:[9]
| “ | In New Hampshire in 2000, it was Weaver who put the game plan into action on the ground each day. He conducted a daily 6 a.m. campaign conference call and took attendance, with no exceptions: If any individual joined the call late, it would move up half an hour, to 5:30 a.m., the following day.[10] | ” |
According to Politico Magazine, after McCain failed to win the nomination, Weaver complained that "Karl Rove tried to blackball him after the election by allegedly telling Republican candidates that if they hired Weaver, they would find themselves on the wrong side of the White House."[2]
John McCain presidential campaign, 2008
Weaver was chief strategist for McCain in 2008. However, on July 10, 2007, Weaver left the campaign as McCain "sought to reverse a months-long downward spiral that has left him short of cash and struggling for support."[9] Politico Magazine described the internal struggle in the campaign between Weaver and Rick Davis, another McCain strategist:[2]
| “ | According to Weaver, the conflict was over money. Weaver believed, as he subsequently told reporters, that Davis was using the campaign to feather his own nest through more than $2 million in contracts that went to an Internet services firm co-owned by Davis and a property management company that was represented by Davis’ friend Scott Reed. (Davis denied any wrongdoing at the time.) The infighting intensified, and in the spring of 2007, McCain began contemplating replacing Weaver’s handpicked campaign manager, Terry Nelson, with Davis, who had been lobbying for the job. Weaver and another longtime aide told McCain that if he got rid of Nelson, he would be getting rid of them, too. “We thought … he’d never cross that line,” Weaver says. “We fooled ourselves.” In July, McCain fired Nelson, and Weaver cleaned out his office at McCain’s campaign headquarters.[10] | ” |
After Weaver left, McCain's campaign began airing more negative ads, including one produced by Fred Davis comparing President Barack Obama (D) to celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Of the negative ads, Weaver said, "For McCain to win in such troubled times, he needs to begin telling the American people how he intends to lead us. That McCain exists. He can inspire the country to greatness. There is legitimate mockery of a political campaign now, and it isn't at Obama's. For McCain's sake, this tomfoolery needs to stop."[11] Weaver commented further to Texas Monthly, saying, "You’d think we’d be having a serious debate. But so far, all we’ve been hearing about is Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. I do have to ask my opponent: Is that the best you can come up with? Is that really what this election is about? Is that what is worthy of the American people?"[7]
Rick Snyder advisor
In 2007, Weaver began his own consulting firm, Network Companies. Politico Magazine reported that "Weaver’s McCain-acquired reputation as a consultant who can help outsider candidates" attracted Rick Snyder as a client. Snyder was a venture capitalist in Michigan who ran for governor in 2009 with Weaver as his chief political strategist.[2] AnnArbor.com noted that Weaver was the one who "identified early on that Snyder should emphasize his political inexperience and business credentials."[12] Along with fellow strategist Fred Davis, Weaver helped to develop Snyder's campaign message that the candidate was "One Tough Nerd." According to Politico, the campaign ran an ad during the 2010 Super Bowl with Snyder calling himself a nerd, an ad which aimed "to add a narrative to Snyder's wonky profile, noting that he started reading Fortune at the age of eight, and that 'his ten-point plan to reinvent Michigan is so detailed that, well, it’s likely no politician could even understand it.'"[13] Davis, the ad's producer, later said, "I can’t think of many general consultants who’d let me do that kind of ad. ... But that’s what makes John a genius." Weaver and the campaign parted ways after the primary elections.[2] Snyder won the 2010 election with 58.1 percent of the vote.[14]
Jon Huntsman presidential campaign, 2012
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In the 2012 election cycle, Weaver worked as a senior advisor for Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign. According to Esquire, Weaver saw Huntsman's opportunity to win beginning in New Hampshire rather than Iowa. The magazine wrote that Weaver "stood before potential staffers and mapped out several divergent paths to victory. But all of them began in New Hampshire ... and all of them began with a win there."[15]
Huntsman, former governor of Utah and former ambassador to China, ended his campaign in January 2012.[16] Buzzfeed called the Huntsman campaign the "latest and purest version" of Weaver's campaign strategy, which the site defined as:[17]
| “ | A Republican campaign that embraces the mainstream media, sets itself against elements of conservative dogma, and builds a coalition of moderate Republicans and independents that – if it could only survive the primary – would be formidable in a general election.[10] | ” |
After Huntsman's loss, Weaver and Huntsman both received criticism for lacking conservative credentials.[18] Weaver responded to critics by outlining what might be his basic philosophy on running national campaigns: "That response is typical of those who don't yet get it that we've lost the majority of national elections since 1994 and the demographic trend lines point to more trouble ahead. Jon Huntsman put his country first, not his political party or his ambitions, when he agreed to serve as Ambassador to China. Country first. Quaint, but perhaps if we did more of that we might regain the trust of the majority of Americans and be placed in a position to govern."[19]
John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016
- See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016
On May 22, 2015, the Columbus Dispatch reported that John Weaver had met with John Kasich about a possible campaign role if Kaisch were to run for president.[20] On June 9, 2015, the Washington Post reported that Weaver had agreed to join Kasich's presidential campaign, and Kasich announced his bid for the presidency on July 21, 2015.[1][21]
According to National Review, Weaver's hiring was a result of his previous work in Michigan: "Kasich’s team had been impressed with Weaver’s creativity and experience, and singled out the work Weaver did for Michigan governor Rick Snyder, who won a tough reelection fight in 2014 in a purple state with a similar makeup to Ohio."[6]
Weaver was one of the more noticeable members of Kasich's staff. As the chief strategist he was involved in the campaign's highest decisions, including the decision to campaign heavily in New Hampshire as opposed to Iowa early on in the primary elections.[22] But, according to Politico Magazine, his role in the campaign was more restricted than what he had done in earlier presidential campaigns with McCain and Huntsman: "Kasich’s operation—unlike Huntsman’s, which relied on Weaver to make almost all of its key hires—is stocked with longtime aides who are unquestionably loyal to, and protective of, the governor. According to people familiar with the campaign’s internal operations, these aides, not Weaver, hold the campaign’s purse strings."[2]
As the potential for a contested convention increased, Weaver's strategy focused on adding delegates and supporting Kasich's decision to remain in the race. In an April 2016 piece for The New York Times, Weaver defended the campaign's strategy of relying on a contested convention, saying, "When the Super Bowl goes into overtime, does it matter what happened in the first quarter?"[23]
On May 4, 2016, after Donald Trump won the Indiana primary, Kasich suspended his campaign.[24] In an interview with Cleveland.com on May 9, 2016, Weaver said that the highlight of the campaign for him was seeing Kasich interact with voters:[25]
| “ | He grew as a person, he grew as a man, he grew as a leader during the campaign. You don't see that from most politicians. Most politicians are reluctant to absorb information from voters. His events – his town halls – evolved into more than your typical town halls. It became a forum where people became comfortable telling him the most intimate details of their lives. Those things stick with me more than beating our goals in New Hampshire or winning Ohio or outlasting Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Scott Walker. Those things matter more to me.[10] | ” |
Comments on potential 2020 Kasich campaign
In October 2016, Weaver commented on what he saw as Trump's effect on the Republican Party, suggesting that Kasich would be in a position to change the party's tone after the 2016 election. Weaver told Politico, "There has been significant damage done to the party, long-term damage to the brand with women, Hispanics, all people of color. And it's not going to be solved in the midterm. Solving it will begin with a new nominee in 2020 and it's not going to be easy. We know what we need to do, it's a question of do we have the willpower?"[26]
Campaign consulting style
John Weaver is a particularly divisive campaign consultant. The Daily Caller began a profile of Weaver by noting, "The Republican campaign and consulting world is divided into two categories: those who passionately hate John Weaver and those who ardently defend his political expertise."[27] Jason Zengerle's profile of Weaver for Politico Magazine aptly summarized the nature of Weaver's reputation:[2]
| “ | Part of the controversy is ideological. Weaver has been a vocal critic of some of the GOP’s more conservative elements—he memorably called the GOP 'the angry-white-man party' amid the 2013 government shutdown—and, in recent years, he has worked for a number of candidates who don’t toe the typical Republican line. In fact, some of his clients haven’t even been Republicans. But it’s Weaver the sharp-elbowed businessman who really draws the ire of a wide array of Republican consultants and politicians, more than two dozen of whom I spoke with for this article. Over the course of his three decades in politics, Weaver has collected millions of dollars working for dozens of campaigns, and a number of those who have hired him told me they believe he did them wrong.[10] | ” |
Weaver's falling out with Karl Rove is often cited as one example of his combative presence in campaigning. He was also at the center of internal campaign struggles in John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, Rick Snyder's 2010 gubernatorial campaign, and Jon Huntsman's 2012 presidential campaign.[2][28] He has also been criticized for his handling of campaign finances. According to The Daily Caller, "At the top of the list of complaints against him is overspending."[27]
Weaver is also credited with developing a number of campaign strategies that were instrumental in his candidates' campaigns, including McCain's "Straight Talk Express," Snyder's "One Tough Nerd" advertisements, and the early and favorable media profiles of Jon Huntsman.[2]
Noteworthy events
Admission of sexual harassment allegations (2021)
In January 2021, several media outlets, including The New York Times and The American Conservative, published stories alleging that Weaver sexually harassed young men online, often under the guise of possible employment. The articles outlined multiple stories from young males accounting their interactions with Weaver, which ranged from messages and phone calls to consensual sex. The youngest on record was 14 years old at the time of his initial contact with Weaver. None of the men accused Weaver of illegal behavior but, instead, highlighted issues of grooming and misuse of power.[29][30]
Weaver released a statement to Axios on January 15, 2021, apologizing for his behavior and addressing his sexuality. "The truth is that I'm gay. And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place," he said. "To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry. They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you," Weaver wrote.[31] As a result of the reports, Weaver decided to leave the Lincoln Project, a political action committee he co-founded.[31]
See also
External link
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Post, "Kasich taps two veteran advisers for expected presidential campaign," June 9, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Politico, "Winning Isn’t Everything," November/December 2015
- ↑ The Nation, "This Is Exactly How Karl Rove Works," May 13, 2014
- ↑ Begala, P. (2008). Third term: Why George W. Bush (loves) John McCain. New York: Simon and Schuster. (page 5)
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Karl Rove in a Corner," November 2004
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Review, "Kasich’s Squishy Svengali," June 10, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Texas Monthly, "Leave it to Weaver," September 2008
- ↑ The New York Times, "THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: THE POPULIST APPEAL; The Inside Outsiders Behind John McCain," February 6, 2000
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Washington Post, "Top Aides Leave McCain Camp," July 10, 2007
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ New Republic, "Weaver Unloads," accessed July 1, 2015
- ↑ AnnArbor.com, "Three key members of Rick Snyder's campaign team sign up for Jon Huntsman's presidential run," June 21, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "Snyder's Super Bowl ad: 'One tough nerd,'" February 7, 2010
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election 2010, Michigan," accessed April 13, 2016
- ↑ Esquire, "Jon Huntsman Did Everything Humanly Possible," January 10, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Huntsman Says He’s Quitting G.O.P. Race," January 15, 2012
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Meet The Man Behind Jon Huntsman’s Failed White House Bid," January 16, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Huntsman talks to Huffington," November 28, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Weaver: Huntsman 'was the electable conservative,'" November 29, 2012
- ↑ Columbus Dispatch, "Kasich talks to former McCain adviser," May 22, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "John Kasich makes 2016 bid official in freewheeling announcement," July 21, 2015
- ↑ National Review, "No More Johns: New Hampshire’s ‘Moderate Republican’ Quagmire," February 10, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "John Kasich Sees Path to Nomination Despite Low Delegate Count," April 11, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Kasich dropping out of presidential race," May 4, 2016
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "A Q&A with John Weaver, chief strategist behind the John Kasich presidential campaign," May 9, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Kasich: I told you so," October 8, 2016
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 The Daily Caller, "The curious case of John Weaver," September 16, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "Inside the Huntsman 'drama,'" August 4, 2011
- ↑ The New York Times, "21 Men Accuse Lincoln Project Co-Founder of Online Harassment," January 31, 2021
- ↑ The American Conservative, "The Lincoln Project’s Predator," January 11, 2021
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Axios, "John Weaver, Lincoln Project co-founder, acknowledges “inappropriate” messages," January 15, 2021
