The Facebook page for Rick Wade, the Democrats’ candidate for Senate in South Carolina against Senator Tim Scott, describes the candidate as “a founding partner of the Axelrod-Wade Group, a global business development firm.” That title and affiliation is mentioned in profiles of the candidate, as well.
At first glance, it would be easy to mistake that firm, based in Chicago, for Axelrod & Associates, the Chicago-based political consulting firm founded by Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod — which later changed its name to AKPD Message and Media. The LLC filing with the state of Illnois for the Axelrod-Wade group lists Michael Axelrod, son of David Axelrod.
The Axelrod-Wade Group, a limited-liability corporation, did not last very long, it seems. It was formed on May 25, 2011, shortly after Wade departed the Department of Commerce, and involuntarily dissolved by the State of Illinois on November 9, 2012.
Wade is currently the “Senior Vice President and head of China Operations” at GreenTech Automotive, the electric-car firm formerly headed by Terry McAuliffe, who was elected governor of Virginia in November.