Michele Bachmann formally announced today who her top campaign staffers were. There are some former Mike Huckabee staffers, including campaign manager Ed Rollins and press secretary Alice Stewart, and some who worked for the John McCain campaign, including pollster Ed Goeas and senior policy adviser Brett O’Donnell. Full list and bios, as provided by the Bachmann campaign:
Ed Rollins – Campaign Manager – Ed is a veteran campaign consultant and advisor who has worked on several high-profile political campaigns. He served as White House Political Director under President Ronald Reagan, National Campaign Director for Reagan-Bush in 1983-1984, Campaign Chairman for Jack Kemp for President in 1988, Campaign Chairman for Ross Perot in 1992, and was the first non-member of Congress to serve as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. In December 2007, he was named the National Campaign Chairman for the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign.
David Polyansky – CEO and Deputy Campaign Manager – David served as Chief Operating Officer and senior policy and political adviser on Mike Huckabee’s 2008 Republican presidential campaign. During that campaign, he was instrumental in Huckabee’s come-from-behind victory in the 2008 Iowa caucus. David has counseled local, state and federal candidates across the nation in a management and general counselor role. He also served as Chief Operating Officer for Americans for Fair Taxation. David is a Marine Corps veteran having served with Texas’ “Lone Star Battalion” in Al-Anbar, Iraq in 2004-2005.
Ed Goeas – Pollster / Strategist – Ed is President and CEO of The Tarrance Group, one of the most respected and successful Republican survey research and strategy teams in American politics today. In the 2008 election cycle he served on the polling team and provided strategic counsel for the McCain-Palin presidential campaign. In addition, Goeas served as Program Director of the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Brett O’Donnell – Senior Policy Advisor – Brett is President of O’Donnell and Associates and served as the Director of Messaging for the McCain-Palin presidential campaign overseeing the implementation of the McCain message, particularly in debates and speeches. He also served on the debate preparation team for the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign and has consulted on numerous United States Senate and gubernatorial races. Alice Stewart – Press Secretary / Spokeswoman – Alice is a veteran of the 2008 presidential election cycle, serving as National Press Secretary for former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. She worked in communications for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee in the 2010 midterm elections, and has served as Campaign Manager and Communications Director for campaigns in Florida, New York and Arkansas.
Keith Nahigian – Senior Advisor for Strategy and Communications – Keith is President of Nahigian Strategies, LLC. and has fulfilled the communications strategies objectives for the nation’s most prominent presidential candidates, Congressional candidates, governors and Fortune 100 corporations. Keith has designed and executed some of the largest political and educational campaigns in U.S. history, with his hallmark skill-set being the creative generation of earned media. His expertise in coalition building and earned media have driven a reputation for delivering outsized results in the face of sometimes imposing constraints. With experience working in 28 countries and every state in the United States, he is one of the nation’s most experienced political communications strategists.
Bob Heckman – Senior Advisor / Coalitions – Bob is a veteran political and public affairs consultant with more than 25 years of experience in national, state and local campaigns and issues advocacy efforts. He has served in seven presidential campaigns, including the candidacies of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Jack Kemp and Phil Gramm. He most recently served as a member of the Senior Staff in the 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain. Bob has helped more than 200 successful Republican candidates for Congress, including Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Becki Donatelli – Social Media Advisor – Becki is President of Campaign Solutions / Connell Donatelli, and has raised more online money for Republican candidates and public affairs clients than any consultant in history. As Chief Internet Consultant to John McCain’s two presidential races, she directed the online campaigns that brought the Internet to the forefront of politics and public affairs. She also managed the successful online fundraising efforts for Bush-Cheney ‘04, nearly all of the national GOP committees, and scores of Senate, House, and gubernatorial campaigns.
Mary Heitman – National Finance Director – Mary is known as one of the GOP’s top fundraisers, having raised money for Republican leaders Governor Haley Barbour, Governor Mitch Daniels and Majority Leader Eric Cantor. She has 20 years of federal and state fundraising experience, having most recently spent time raising money for the Republican National Committee.
Jody Thomas – National Finance Director – Jody managed the national political finance operation for Congressman J.C.Watts, overseeing all campaign and Political Action Committee fundraising. Since then, she has become a nationally recognized fundraiser for various conservative campaigns and issues.