Nick Ayers

Nick Ayers
Basic facts
Organization:	Mike Pence vice presidential administration
Role:	Chief of staff
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Affiliation:	Republican
Education:	Kennesaw State University

Nick Ayers is a Republican political strategist. He was the chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence (R). He left the position in December 2018.

Ayers was formerly a partner at the strategy firm Target Enterprises. He was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, a group of advisors tasked with recommending presidential appointments for the incoming administration.

Career

Early career

Ayers' first role in politics was in the gubernatorial campaign of Sonny Perdue (R-Ga.) in 2001. Ayers left college at Kennesaw State University to work for the campaign as an executive aide for Perdue. After Perdue won the election, Ayers joined his gubernatorial staff as a senior advisor, a role he would hold until transitioning to Perdue's re-election efforts, which he managed.

Republican Governors Association

In 2006, Perdue chose Ayers to run the Republican Governors Association (RGA), a political organization that provides resources for Republican governors and gubernatorial candidates. At 24 years old, Ayers became the youngest person to serve as the organization's executive director, and he worked closely with RGA chair Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi. In a 2010 profile of Ayers, The Washington Post credited him with having "transformed the creaky committee into a tight ship that has attracted Republican money bundlers disillusioned with Michael Steele's Republican National Committee and its spending sprees."

The Daily Caller summed up Ayers' work with the RGA, noting successful fundraising and organization for the organization: "Barbour, of course, is known as one of the most successful fundraisers in America, and also as one of the most brilliant strategists in the Republican Party. Moreover, in the wake of Obama’s 2008 election (and Obamacare), 2010 was destined to be a good year for Republicans."

Tim Pawlenty presidential campaign, 2012

In April 2011, Ayers signed on to manage the presidential campaign of then-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R). In an email announcing his decision to manage Pawlenty's campaign, Ayers stated, "My decision to join the Pawlenty campaign is in total affirmation of Governor Pawlenty's record as a conservative, two-term governor of a blue state, his character and principles and his vision for this Nation, which is second to no one running for president." Speaking with The New York Times ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Ayers described what he saw as Pawlenty's appeal, saying, "He doesn’t just appeal to the Tea Party faction of our party. Some candidates just appeal to them, which won’t be enough. You have other candidates who may just appeal to the moderate ring of the party, or the foreign-policy hawk wing of the party, or just the D.C. establishment part of the party. He really appeals all those facets, and he’s done that without changing what he believes or who he is."

Pawlenty's campaign never gained momentum in the early stages, and he dropped out of the race in August 2011.

Other advisory roles

Ayers has also served as an advisor to a number of political organizations and campaigns. According to The Washington Post, he was part of Reince Priebus' advisory team when Priebus became the head of the Republican National Committee in 2011. He also worked with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) in his 2014 campaign. During the 2016 election cycle, Ayers began as a consultant for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's re-election efforts; he was reassigned as part of Pence's vice presidential staff after Pence accepted an offer to run with Donald Trump (R).

Donald Trump presidential transition team, 2016-2017

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition team

Ayers was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team in his first presidential term. The transition team was a group of around 100 aides, policy experts, government affairs officials, and former government officials who were tasked with vetting, interviewing, and recommending individuals for top cabinet and staff roles in Trump's administration. He was part of the leadership staff.

Mike Pence vice presidential chief of staff

On June 29, 2017, The New York Times reported that Ayers would replace Josh Pitcock as Vice President Mike Pence's (R) chief of staff. He was sworn in on July 28, 2017.

Comments on Republican leadership, October 2017

At a Republican National Committee event in October 2017, Ayers spoke to Republican donors about what he saw as a lack of support for Trump's legislative agenda in Congress. According to Politico, which obtained a recording of his comments, Ayers told donors:

“

Just imagine the possibilities of what can happen if our entire party unifies behind him? If — and this sounds crass — we can purge the handful of people who continue to work to defeat him. ... I’m not speaking on behalf of the president or vice president when I say this. But if I were you, I would not only stop donating, I would form a coalition of all the other major donors, and just say two things. We’re definitely not giving to you, No. 1. And No. 2, if you don’t have this done by Dec. 31, we’re going out, we’re recruiting opponents, we’re maxing out to their campaigns, and we’re funding super PACs to defeat all of you. Because, look, if we’re going to be in the minority again, we might as well have a minority who are with us as opposed to the minority who helped us become a minority.

”

See also

• Mike Pence
• Donald Trump presidential transition team

External links

• Nick Ayers on Twitter
• Nick Ayers on LinkedIn