Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee announced his national campaign team today. The group includes over 25 individuals who bring a wealth of experience at senior levels of the top Republican presidential campaigns of the last two decades, including the Bush, Romney, Huckabee and Santorum campaigns and major party committees. The national campaign team will be based out of Huckabee for President headquarters in Little Rock, Ark.
Senior Team – Strategy, Political and Communications
Sarah Huckabee Sanders – Campaign Manager: Sarah is a campaign and government relations expert. TIME Magazine named Sarah one of its Top 40 under 40 political stars in America. Sarah served as senior advisor to Tom Cotton’s U.S. Senate campaign and was campaign manager for John Boozman for U.S. Senate. Sarah led Boozman’s campaign to a record-breaking victory – the largest margin of victory for a challenger over any U.S. Senate incumbent in more than 25 years. Sarah has served as the national campaign manager for The ONE Campaign and senior advisor to Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s campaign for president. In 2008, Sarah was the national political director for Huckabee for president, directing Gov. Huckabee’s Iowa campaign to a landslide upset victory in the Iowa caucuses.
Chip Saltsman – Senior Advisor: Chip was campaign manager for Governor Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign in 2008. Before managing Governor Huckabee’s campaign, Saltsman was senior political advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist at VOLPAC, and served as Development Director for Senator Frist at the NRSC. Saltsman has also served as Chairman of the Tennessee GOP, and has worked closely with Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann.
Bob Wickers – Pollster and Media Strategist: Bob is a veteran Republican media consultant and pollster. In 2012 he served as senior advisor and media consultant to Mitt Romney’s primary and general election campaigns for president. Four years earlier he served as strategist, media consultant and pollster for Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign and was widely recognized for creating some of the most innovative advertising that helped Gov. Huckabee win the Iowa caucuses and seven other states. His current and past clients include Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Congressman French Hill, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, former Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns and former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman.
Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin – Senior Policy Advisor: Tim was elected to Congress in 2010 and served on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and as a Deputy Majority Whip. Tim was Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush and served as Research Director and Deputy Communications Director for the RNC during the 2004 presidential campaign. Tim previously served as General Counsel and Managing Director of Mercury Public Affairs, and is currently a senior advisor to Purple Strategies. Griffin is serving in his 18th year with the U.S. Army Reserve, was deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Jim Terry – Political Director: Jim is longtime veteran of Capitol Hill. Jim has served as campaign manager, political director and advisor on some of the most high profile races in the nation and at the NRCC. He served as chief of staff to Congressman John Campbell (R-CA), and was executive director of the Free Enterprise Fund. Jim cut his political teeth running targeted legislative races in California and went on to serve in the California Legislature as Deputy Chief of Staff to then Minority Leader, now U.S. House Maj. Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Alice Stewart – Communications Director: Alice served as press secretary on the Huckabee 2008 presidential campaign, communications director for the presidential campaigns of Michele Bachmann in 2012, and deputy communications director for Rick Santorum in 2012. Stewart worked as communications director for Governor Mike Huckabee’s administration, served as deputy Secretary of State for Arkansas, and worked as a communications consultant for the RNC, NRSC, NRCC and Concerned Women for America. Stewart is a former Emmy-award winning news reporter and anchor and talk radio show host.
J. Hogan Gidley – Senior Communications Advisor: Hogan was most recently senior communications strategist for BrabenderCox. Hogan also served as the Director of Communications for then-Governor Mike Huckabee and the Executive Director of HuckPAC. In addition, Hogan has worked as the Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party. Other posts include National Communications Director for the 2012 Santorum for President Campaign and Communications Director for the 2008 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole’s re-election campaign.
Chris Maiorana – Digital Strategist and Chief Technology Officer: Chris is partner and co-founder of LCM Strategies, and served as digital director for Huckabee for President in 2008. In 2011-2012, he served as digital consultant to Senator Rick Santorum and Gov. John Huntsman’s presidential campaigns. He has also managed digital operations for numerous U.S. Senate and congressional campaigns throughout the country. Chris has also worked in various roles at the RNC, NRSC, and Senators George Allen’s and Bill Frist’s senior campaign staff.
Bryan Sanders – Media Consultant: Bryan is a partner at the Wickers Group, and has done polling, message development, and produced award-winning television, video and radio advertising for the firm’s major clients, including Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR), Gov. Robert Bentley (AL), Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (TX), Attorney General Scott Pruitt (OK), State Treasurer Lynn Fitch (MS), Congressman French Hill (R-AR), and Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL). In 2011, Campaign and Elections Magazine named Bryan one of its “Rising Stars of American Politics,” a distinction given to only 15 Republicans and 15 Democrats in the country each year.
Carolyn Barber – Director of Media Placement: Carolyn is a partner at the Wickers Group and is one of the top political media directors in America. She has over a decade of political media planning and placement experience overseeing the television, radio, print, outdoor and digital advertising campaigns. Carolyn managed the media placement for Governor Mike Huckabee’s 2008 campaign for President. In the 2014 cycle, she directed the statewide placement for Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama, Congressman French Hill and numerous additional Wickers Group clients.
Jim Ferguson – Media Creative Director & Advisor: Jim has been an adman for over 30 years, having worked on the Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign and the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign. Jim was the President/Chief Creative Officer of Young & Rubicam/New York, Vice-Chairman/Chief Creative Officer of DDB/Dallas and Chicago, and Senior Vice-President/Creative Director of Leo Burnett/Chicago. During his career, Ferguson has garnered over 250 national and international creative awards, for clients such as McDonald’s, Hallmark, The Beef Industry Council, Tabasco, Nationwide Insurance, Sony, and the National Football League. His McDonald’s commercial “Nothing But Net”, featuring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, was named the best Super Bowl ad over the last 25 years by USAToday. He is also credited with writing the feature film, Little Giants, for Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Production.
Miles Hargrove – Director/Filmmaker: Miles is a director, cinematographer, and editor at Kilometric Files. He has worked on three “Harry Potter” films, “Fast and the Furious”, and most recently directed “The Starck Club.” Born in Abilene and raised in the Philippines, Miles and his family moved to Colombia when he was in his teens and soon after his father was kidnapped for ransom by leftist rebels, whose story formed the basis of the movie “Proof of Life,” starring Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan. Miles has worked extensively in Sierra Leone to shoot and edit the documentary film “Forgotten Diamonds” and short film “Road to Change.”
Chadwick Gallagher – Senior Leadership Director: Chad is the founder and senior consultant with Legacy Consulting, and started working with Gov. Huckabee in 1992. Since 2012 he has overseen and ran the Governor’s leadership PAC. Prior to opening his own firm, Gallagher worked in Huckabee’s 2008 bid for the White House and served as his political director during his last term as Arkansas’ governor. In this capacity Gallagher handled appointments, city, county and local affairs and the liaison the Governor’s relationship with the White House, Bush campaign, RNC, RGA, NGA, the state GOP, and candidates.
Jordan Powell – Deputy Campaign Manager: Jordan served as founder and president of RedRight Strategies and provided strategic advice and digital consulting services to campaigns for governor, congress, and the state house. Before starting his consulting firm, he served as senior advisor, campaign manager, and spokesman for Congressman Chuck Fleischmann’s 2010 and 2012 campaigns, as well as his Capitol Hill office. He also served on the staff of Gov. Huckabee’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Jack Sisson – Director of Research and Rapid Response: Jack has a mix of Capitol Hill and campaign experience. For four years, he worked for Senator John Boozman (R-AR), covering a range of domestic issues in the U.S. Senate as a Legislative Assistant, including health care, entitlements, labor and telecommunications. For the past year, he served as campaign manager for newly-elected Congressman French Hill (AR-2). His professional career began under Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) where he held various positions in a campaign and official capacity.
Pratik Chougule – Policy Coordinator: Pratik served as a George W. Bush appointee at the State Department in the Office of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. He has helped a number of fmr. government officials with the writing and research of their memoirs. Chougule holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and an A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Brown University.
Aaron Chang – Director of Advance: Aaron brings over twenty years of experience in event planning and production. Aaron’s government and political experience includes serving as an Advance Representative for President George W. Bush, Managing Director of Credentialing for the first post-9/11 presidential inauguration, Deputy Director of Credentialing for the G8 Summit hosted by the United States in 2004, and Director of Advance for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert. Aaron also facilitated the start-up operation of the Washington Nationals after a 34-year absence of Major League Baseball from the nation’s capital. As Event Services Manager, Aaron was responsible for game day operations of the 46,000 seat RFK Stadium, serving over 2 million fans a year.
Steele Shippy – Personal Aide, Gov. Mike Huckabee: Steele has worked for Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford and for Victory Enterprises, a Missouri-based GOP political consulting firm. He has done advance and staffing work for candidates and 501c4 organizations around the country. Steele was 2007 Missouri State Wrestling Champion.
David John – Chief of Staff, First Lady Janet Huckabee: David served in Gov. Huckabee’s administration and worked on his campaign for president in 2008, and later was political director at HuckPAC. Since 2012, he has worked in the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office as Director of Creative Services.
Senior Team – Finance
Alice Tadlock – National Finance Coordinator: Alice is Senior Vice President at Capital Campaigns and has more than decade of experience in campaign fundraising. In 2007, Alice served as the California finance director for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. Alice has also performed work for political clients including the RNC, Mitt Romney’s Commonwealth PAC, Congresswoman Mimi Walters, Congressman Ken Calvert, former Congressman Connie Mack, former Congresswoman Mary Bono, and several US Senators.
Linus Catignani – Senior Digital and Finance Advisor: Linus is partner and co-founder of LCM Strategies, and has worked as a political fundraising and online marketing consultant for a number of federal office holders including Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and U.S. Senator John Thune, among others. During the 2002 election cycle, he served as Director of Finance and Administration of the NRSC, where he managed a historically successful $120 million fundraising operation.
Stacy DeJarnette – Senior Finance Advisor: Stacy has worked in politics for over 20 years and was Arkansas state finance director for the presidential campaigns of Senator John McCain and Governor Mitt Romney. She was national finance director for Governor Mike Huckabee’s 2008 presidential Campaign. She has also held the position of finance director of the Republican Party of Arkansas and was most recently finance director for Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s campaign for Governor of Arkansas.
Katy Faulk – Director of Major Donors and Bundlers: Katy has provided fundraising and event management services for over 13 years. She founded her firm, KLF & Company, in August of 2007, which serves a variety of clients including political candidates and organizations, as well as nonprofits. Her most recent projects include serving as lead fundraiser for Congressman Rick Crawford, Congressman Bruce Westerman, and Senator John Boozman. She has also served as a regional field finance director for the RNC during the 2014 cycle and as fundraiser for several judicial, state senate, and statewide races including Asa Hutchinson’s gubernatorial race in 2006.
Cathy Lanier – Regional Finance Director: Cathy has worked as a fundraising consultant on various campaigns at both the state and national level, most recently serving as finance director for Congressman French Hill’s successful bid for US Congress. Past campaigns include Arkansas Lt. Governor Tim Griffin’s congressional race and Governor Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
Jenna Recker – Regional Finance Director: Jenna has both state and federal fundraising experience. As a native of Nebraska, she has worked for Governor Dave Heineman, was deputy finance director for Attorney General Jon Bruning’s campaign for US Senate, and finance director for the Nebraska Republican Party. Most recently, Jenna served at deputy finance director for Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s campaign and finance director for his Inauguration.
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