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Stuart Jolly
| Stuart Jolly | |||
 | |||
| Basic facts | |||
| Organization: | Great America PAC | ||
| Role: | Political director | ||
| Location: | Oklahoma City, Okla. | ||
| Education: | •The Citadel •East Carolina University | ||
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Stuart Jolly is the political director for Great America PAC, a super PAC that supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign.[1]
Career
Stuart Jolly—a graduate of the Citadel and East Carolina University—is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. He is a veteran of the Gulf War, having earned a Bronze Star and two Air Medals while serving in Iraq.[5]
From 2006 to 2013, Jolly worked as the state director for Americans for Prosperity in Oklahoma.[6] As state director, Jolly was involved in promoting a number of AFP positions on policy. In 2010, he organized a trip for AFP members to Cancun, Mexico, where they protested a United Nations meeting on climate change. Jolly explained the group's opposition to proposed cap-and-trade policies to Tulsa Today, "There is nothing in cap-and-trade that will prevent what is occurring naturally. It’s nothing more than a hidden tax to get you to use less energy and rely on the government for your needs. President Obama should not pledge emission reductions that Congress has not passed."[7]
Jolly was also a strong proponent of a plan to repeal Oklahoma's income tax in 2012. He co-authored a piece for National Review that argued for the repeal, saying: "Oklahoma has been strong economically over the past decade, but has lagged behind Texas in every measure. And while Oklahoma is business-friendly, Texas — with no income tax — is an attractive option for Oklahoma companies looking to relocate."[8]
In January 2013, Jolly left AFP to work for a free-market and school choice organization, the Education Freedom Alliance. The organization aims "to improve public education by expanding school choice, and enhancing charter school opportunities for all children through advocacy and legislative actions at the federal, state, and local levels."[9] Jolly worked as the organization's executive director until joining the Trump campaign in 2015.
Presidential election, 2016
Great America PAC
- See also: Great America PAC
On May 27, 2016, Politico reported that Jolly had joined Great America PAC, one of the leading super PACs supporting Donald Trump's presidential campaign. According to the article, Jolly thought his experience with the Trump campaign made him valuable for an outside organization like Great America. He said, "I think I can be effective from the outside."[1]
Donald Trump campaign
- See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his bid for the presidency at Trump Tower in New York City.[10] Jolly was originally hired as the campaign's Southeast regional political director.[2] In February 2016, Jolly emerged as a key advisor for states outside the Southeast. He told The McCarville Report that he took over Trump's "ground game" in New Hampshire ahead of its primary election.[11] Politico reported that Jolly's move to New Hampshire was to aid state director Matt Ciepielowski. The site noted, "One person familiar with the move said Jolly was brought in because New Hampshire state director Matt Ciepielowski, a 2011 college graduate, was 'in over his head.'"[12]
After winning the primary election in New Hampshire, Trump praised his "ground game" in the state.[13] Citing the role of Jolly and other campaign staff in his "definitive victories in most of the early state elections and on Super Tuesday," Trump promoted Jolly to the role of national field director on March 2, 2016.[14]
Jolly resigned his position on April 18, 2016, after the campaign hired Rick Wiley to be the national political director. According to CNN, "Jolly was a longtime loyalist to Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and Jolly's departure shrinks the circle of loyal aides Lewandowski has around him as Paul Manafort, Trump's recent hire to manage the convention strategy, gains more clout in the Trump campaign." Jolly also stated, "I left. I wasn't pushed, I wasn't shoved, I wasn't asked to leave."[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Politico, "Trump ally Stuart Jolly joins super PAC," May 27, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Democracy in Action, "Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 CNN, "Donald Trump's field director resigns," April 19, 2016
- ↑ Muskogee Politico, "Stuart Jolly leaving AFP-OK for national post," January 4, 2013
- ↑ Education Freedom Alliance, "Staff," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ Rep. Jason Nelson, "AFP-OK Director Stuart Jolly Resigns, Takes New Position," January 4, 2013
- ↑ Tulsa Today, "Oklahoma contingent joins group assailing ‘climate change’ orthodoxy, December 2, 2010
- ↑ National Review, "Oklahoma Leads on Income-Tax Repeal," January 30, 2012
- ↑ Education Freedom Alliance, "About," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Enters 2016 Presidential Race," June 16, 2015
- ↑ The McCarville Report, "Stuart Jolly Emerges As Key Trump Adviser," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Trump resists staff calls to change course," February 3, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Does Donald Trump have a ground game? We probably still won’t know after South Carolina.," February 18, 2016
- ↑ Donald J. Trump for President, "Donald J. Trump Continues To Expand Campaign Staff," March 2, 2016
