Which Political Insiders Are Advising Elizabeth Warren
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Those consultants, which include political advisors Doug Rubin and Kyle Sullivan and fundraising consultants Paula Levine and AJ Goodman, have been paid more than $408,000, just in the first seven months of Warren’s run for Senate.
Chris Pinto, vice chairman of the Worcester City Republican Committee, said Warren's choices were predictable.
"It's just like the Obama Administration," Pinto said. "Everyone had high hopes for him, but all he has are a bunch of retreads. Warren is following the Obama playbook."
Rubin disagreed. "Elizabeth is committed to the people of Massachusetts," he said. "She is running a strong grass roots campaign, just like we did with Governor Patrick in 2006 and 2010. She's very field oriented - we've been all about building a strong volunteer base."
Alethea Harney, a spokesperson for the Warren campaign, said the campaign has more than 54,000 volunteers, who have made nearly 143,000 phone calls and knocked on more than 30,000 doors.
"Elizabeth Warren is proud of her strong grass roots support across the Commonwealth," Harney said. "These are working men and women who know that Massachusetts needs a senator who will stand with them, not with Wall Street, big oil and billionaires. They know who is on their side."
Political Consulting
Rubin's firm, DR & Associates, which has been paid more than any other Warren consultant, has collected $115,000 in the first seven months of Warren's campaign.
Rubin, a former chief of staff and campaign strategist for Governor Deval Patrick, who has lobbied for the gaming industry, is considered one of the state's highest powered lobbyist. Sullivan, who is also part of Rubin's firm, is a former staffer for Sen. John Kerry and worked as communications director for Gov. Patrick. DR & Associates is also currently consulting for Joseph Kennedy III, who is running for Congress in the 4th Massachusetts District.
After providing $20,000 of consulting services to the Warren campaign in January and February, Roger Lau, a former campaign manager for Congressman Richard Neal and staffer for John Kerry, joined the Warren staff in March.
Boston and Washington based Dewey Square Group, a political consulting firm, provided $32,500 worth of strategic advice.
Fundraising Consultants
In addition to the political advice, the Warren campaign has spent $175,000 on fundraising consultants, a move lauded by Massachusetts political consultant Anthony Cignoli, who opted not to advise either camp in the Mass. US Senate race.
“A big war chest can scare off other potential challengers,” Cignoli said. “You have to raise the money to be a player. Unfortunately, the money now dominates.”
Warren's $16 million war chest proved beneficial to her at the state Democratic convention, when she easily won the party's nomination for US Senate with 96 percent of the delegates' vote, which allowed her to avoid a primary race. Harney attributed the win to Warren's grass roots level engagement.
"That grass roots strength was on display just last week when Warren had a historic victory at the state convention, earning more than 95% of the vote from delegates from all over Massachusetts," Harney said.
Paula Levine, who is also fundraising for Priorities USA Action, a super PAC supporting President Obama’s re-election campaign, has been paid $65,000. Levine brings a wealth of fundraising experience with her, having raised money for Vice President Biden.
According to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising website, Levine has sponsored seven different events for Warren, and brought in $312,857 during the first seven months of Warren’s campaign.
AJ Goodman, who has worked on the presidential campaigns of Howard Dean and John Edwards and was on California Senator Barbara Boxer’s payroll for the 2010 election cycle, has been paid $57,717.
Mary Liz Ganley, the former deputy finance director for Senator Ted Kennedy, has been paid $27,500, and Andrew Wright, Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee, has been paid $25,359 for fundraising consulting services and travel.
Former Worcester County Sherriff and political strategist Guy W. Glodis said he was not surprised by the amount of money Warren has spent on consultants.
“The consultants tend to do very well in a campaign like this,” he said. “I think both sides will be gearing towards communication as we get closer to the election.”
Despite all the high powered advice, Harney maintains that this is a campaign by and for the local people. "Elizabeth is honored by her grass roots supporters who are the foundation of this campaign and who go out and work hard every day," Harney said.
Later this week, GoLocalWorcester will bring you a look into the consultants advising the Brown campaign.
Related Articles
- Top Central Mass Donors to Warren Campaign
- NEW: Brown: Warren’s Heritage Blunder About ‘Character, Honesty’
- NEW: Gov. Patrick Endorses Elizabeth Warren
- NEW: Poll has Warren and Brown in Virtual Tie
- EXCLUSIVE: Warren Demands Apology to Family
- Elizabeth Warren MIA in Central Mass
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It