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Jim Messina (political staffer)

April 26, 2024

Jim Messina (born October 29, 1969)[1] is an American political adviser who was the White House deputy chief of staff for operations under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011 and served as the campaign manager for Obama's successful 2012 re-election campaign.[2][3][4] His "innovative fusion of technology and politics led Google chairman Eric Schmidt to call the 2012 race 'the best-run campaign ever'".[5] He is the CEO of the Messina Group.[6]

Jim Messina
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
for Operations
In office
January 20, 2009 – January 26, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byBlake Gottesman
Succeeded byAlyssa Mastromonaco
Personal details
Born (1969-10-29) October 29, 1969 (age 54)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Montana (BA)

Messina became President Obama's White House deputy chief of staff and earned the nickname "the fixer."[7] Dan Pfeiffer called Messina "the most powerful person in Washington that you haven't heard of."[8] Messina was integral to the passage on the Affordable Care Act and was widely credited with the effort to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell.[9][10]

In January 2013, the Obama administration announced the launch of Organizing for Action, an advocacy organization that would promote President Obama's policies, with Jim Messina as national chair.[11] That same year, Messina became co-chair of Priorities USA Action.[12]

In various roles he has advised a number of international campaigns and candidates, including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron,[13] Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy,[14] Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi, and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

Early life and education edit

Messina was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in Boise, Idaho. He graduated from Boise High School in 1988 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and journalism from the University of Montana in 1993.[15][16] In 1993, as a college senior, Messina managed Dan Kemmis's successful re-election bid for mayor of Missoula, Montana.[17]

Career edit

Prior to first Obama campaign edit

In 1995, Messina was hired by Democratic U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana. They describe their relationship as father-son-like.[citation needed] In 2002, he ran Baucus's 2002 re-election campaign. Messina "refused to let Baucus attend any debate that didn't include a third-party candidate whose skin had turned blue from drinking an anti-infection solution",[18] which was a distraction to help take attention away from the more credible Republican candidate. Messina was purportedly responsible for creating an ad for Baucus that observers considered homophobic.[19]

In 2005, he re-united with Baucus and became his chief of staff. Messina was integral in devising the Democratic strategy that prevented the allowance of private accounts within Social Security.[20] Messina was credited by The New York Times Magazine as the brains behind the defeat of President Bush's plan.[21]

Messina has also been involved with other political campaigns from Alaska to New York, including serving as an advisor to Montana State Senator Jon Tester's successful election in 2006.[20] In 1999, he became Chief of Staff to Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York. He then became Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, he made $80,510 and in 2005 made $128,936.[22][23]

Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008 edit

Messina was hired as National Chief of Staff for the Obama campaign in the 2008 general election.[24] He was credited with leading the efforts to staff up for the general election and controlled a $750 million budget.[25]

 
Messina celebrates Obama's reelection in November 2012.

After Obama won, Messina was named Director of Personnel for the Obama-Biden Transition team, helping Obama pick his cabinet.[26]

Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012 edit

Messina was Obama's campaign manager during the 2012 presidential election. In January 2011, Messina left his job at the White House and began "a rolling series of personal seminars with the CEOs and senior executives of companies that included Apple, Facebook, Zynga, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and DreamWorks".[27] His goal, he said, was to learn everything he could about "organizational growth, emerging technologies, marketing",[27] to better serve the President in his role as campaign manager during the 2012 re-election campaign.

For his work, the American Political Consultant's association named him the International Strategist of the Year.[28]

After second Obama campaign edit

In January 2013, Messina became head of Organizing for Action (OFA), using the Obama For America database and other resources to support President Obama's legislative agenda in his second term. While OFA was formed in 2009 by the President-elect, it was reformed as a political-action non-profit group in January, 2013.

He founded The Messina Group,[when?][29] a full-service consulting firm with offices in Washington, New York, San Francisco, and London.[30]

In August 2013, Messina signed on as a consultant to the British Conservative Party, helping them successfully fend off a challenge from the Labour Party in 2015.[31] "Whereas British pollsters consistently missed that the Tories were moving into pole position, Messina's internal numbers showed for weeks they were on course to be the largest party."[32]

While some were surprised by Messina's move to work with the Tories, The Daily Telegraph pointed out that "this makes more sense when you consider that Mr Cameron's policies – such as support for gay marriage and confronting climate change – would probably make him a centrist Democrat in the United States."[32] The combination of "data-driven ground game, relentless messaging and sophisticated social media is Mr Messina's signature",[33] and as stated in The Daily Telegraph, is what Mr. Messina brought to the Cameron campaign, ultimately aiding in a stunning victory for the Conservatives.[34] In a statement, Messina also added his personal admiration for Prime Minister David Cameron.[35]

In January 2016, Messina was hired by Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi as campaign's advisor for the constitutional referendum in December.[36] The campaign was unsuccessful and Renzi was forced to resign as Prime Minister in its wake.[37] Messina received 400,000 euros for his advice.[38]

In June 2016, Messina began working with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy,[14] using data and targeted social media that ultimately helped Rajoy win a bigger than expected victory in that year's elections and take charge of a minority government in October of that year.[39]

Messina worked with Prime Minister Theresa May as a campaign strategist for the 2017 United Kingdom general election.[40] Theresa May and the Conservatives suffered a very underwhelming performance, in which she successfully remained Prime Minister, however, did not manage to keep Conservatives in the majority.[41] For May, the election has been called a "disastrous gamble".[42]

Personal life edit

Messina has Italian ancestry; in 2013 he received the Machiavelli Award as the Italian American Democrat of the Year.[43]

References edit

  1. ^ "Obama's People". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
  2. ^ . The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
  3. ^ Tapper, Jake (January 27, 2011). "Jay Carney Picked as New White House Press Secretary". ABC News. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  4. ^ Zeleny, Jeff (April 2, 2011). "An Obama Insider, Running the Race From Afar". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Parker, George; Allen, Kate (June 13, 2016). "On the In-side: the campaign to keep Britain in the EU". Financial Times. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "The Messina Group". Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  7. ^ Huey, Caitlin (April 11, 2011). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Jim Messina". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  8. ^ "Jim Messina, Obama's Enforcer". The Nation. March 30, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  9. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (August 6, 2009). "White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  10. ^ Gerstein, Josh. "White House sets 'don't ask' strategy session - Josh Gerstein". Politico. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  11. ^ "Obama unveils 'Organizing for Action'". Politico. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "Obama campaign to support super PAC fundraising". Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  13. ^ Jacobs, Ben (May 8, 2015). "Does David Cameron's win mean Jim Messina is better than David Axelrod?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "May Hires Jim Messina for U.K. Conservative Election Team". Bloomberg.com. April 24, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  15. ^ "Messina Honored". School of Journalism, University of Montana. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  16. ^ "Obama Hires Boise High Graduate as Chief of Staff". New West Boise. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  17. ^ "How to get an Obama staff job - Andie Coller". Politico. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  18. ^ Thrush, Glenn. "Can Jim Messina get it done for President Obama? - Page 3". Politico. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  19. ^ Hastings, Michael (June 15, 2012). "Obama Campaign Manager Behind Anti-Gay Ad". BuzzFeed. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  20. ^ a b Kornblut, Anne E. (February 21, 2009). "Low-Profile Aide Messina Tackles Obama's Tough Political Problems". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  21. ^ Bai, Matt (July 17, 2005). "The Framing Wars". The New York Times Magazine. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  22. ^ . Muckety. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  23. ^ — President Truman. "James A. Messina (Jim) - Congressional Staffer Salary Data". Legistorm.com. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  24. ^ "Making a name". Missoula News. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  25. ^ "Battle Plans". The New Yorker. November 9, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  26. ^ Coller, Andie. "How to get an Obama staff job". Politico. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Obama's CEO: Jim Messina Has a President to Sell". Bloomberg.com. June 15, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  28. ^ . theaapc.org. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  29. ^ "JIM MESSINA opens The Messina Group, with focus on Obama and progressives -- GEITHNER plans no-fee college tour on the craft of crisis response -- BIG WIN FOR MAYOR BLOOMBERG in Chicago race". Politico. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  30. ^ "The Messina Group". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  31. ^ "Jim Messina signs on as campaign adviser to Conservatives — in Britain". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  32. ^ a b "Jim Messina interview: how the pollsters got it wrong and why Labour lost". Coffee House. May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  33. ^ "American Way: can Jim Messina do for David Cameron what he did for Barack Obama?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  34. ^ Erlanger, Steven; Castle, Stephen (May 8, 2015). "David Cameron and Conservatives Get Majority in British Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  35. ^ Stratton, Allegra (August 2, 2013). "Tories hire Obama campaign chief Jim Messina". BBC News. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  36. ^ Renzi assume Jim Messina per risolvere i problemi del Pd (come consigliato dal Foglio mesi fa) 2016-09-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ^ "Italy's Matteo Renzi loses vote and offers resignation". BBC News. December 5, 2016.
  38. ^ "Referendum, Jim Messina pagato 400 mila euro dal Pd per la campagna per il sì". The Huffington Post (in Italian). October 5, 2016.
  39. ^ "El secreto mejor guardado del triunfo de Rajoy: Big Data, Facebook y la gurú de Obama". Marketing Directo (in European Spanish). July 4, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  40. ^ "Believe it or not, but the Tories are running an energetic election campaign – you just can't see it". New Statesman. May 10, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  41. ^ Castle, Stephen (June 12, 2017). "Theresa May Battles to Hold On as U.K. Prime Minister". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  42. ^ "Analysis | Theresa May's disastrous gamble on the future of Britain". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  43. ^ "Jim Messina to receive Machiavelli Award as the Italian American Democrat of the Year at Inaugural Reception Sunday". Italian Americans News. Retrieved March 10, 2016.

External links edit

  • Organizing for Action
  • Jim Messina at The Harry Walker Agency
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Jim Messina collected news and commentary at The New York Times
  • official White House site (archived)
  • , Joshua Green, Bloomberg Businessweek, June 14, 2012
Political offices
Preceded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
2009–2011 		Succeeded by

April 26, 2024
messina, political, staffer, messina, born, october, 1969, american, political, adviser, white, house, deputy, chief, staff, operations, under, president, barack, obama, from, 2009, 2011, served, campaign, manager, obama, successful, 2012, election, campaign, . Jim Messina born October 29 1969 1 is an American political adviser who was the White House deputy chief of staff for operations under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011 and served as the campaign manager for Obama s successful 2012 re election campaign 2 3 4 His innovative fusion of technology and politics led Google chairman Eric Schmidt to call the 2012 race the best run campaign ever 5 He is the CEO of the Messina Group 6 Jim MessinaWhite House Deputy Chief of Staff for OperationsIn office January 20 2009 January 26 2011PresidentBarack ObamaPreceded byBlake GottesmanSucceeded byAlyssa MastromonacoPersonal detailsBorn 1969 10 29 October 29 1969 age 54 Denver Colorado U S Political partyDemocraticEducationUniversity of Montana BA Messina became President Obama s White House deputy chief of staff and earned the nickname the fixer 7 Dan Pfeiffer called Messina the most powerful person in Washington that you haven t heard of 8 Messina was integral to the passage on the Affordable Care Act and was widely credited with the effort to repeal Don t Ask Don t Tell 9 10 In January 2013 the Obama administration announced the launch of Organizing for Action an advocacy organization that would promote President Obama s policies with Jim Messina as national chair 11 That same year Messina became co chair of Priorities USA Action 12 In various roles he has advised a number of international campaigns and candidates including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron 13 Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy 14 Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi and UK Prime Minister Theresa May Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Prior to first Obama campaign 2 2 Barack Obama presidential campaign 2008 2 3 Barack Obama presidential campaign 2012 2 4 After second Obama campaign 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksEarly life and education editMessina was born in Denver Colorado and raised in Boise Idaho He graduated from Boise High School in 1988 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and journalism from the University of Montana in 1993 15 16 In 1993 as a college senior Messina managed Dan Kemmis s successful re election bid for mayor of Missoula Montana 17 Career editPrior to first Obama campaign edit In 1995 Messina was hired by Democratic U S Senator Max Baucus of Montana They describe their relationship as father son like citation needed In 2002 he ran Baucus s 2002 re election campaign Messina refused to let Baucus attend any debate that didn t include a third party candidate whose skin had turned blue from drinking an anti infection solution 18 which was a distraction to help take attention away from the more credible Republican candidate Messina was purportedly responsible for creating an ad for Baucus that observers considered homophobic 19 In 2005 he re united with Baucus and became his chief of staff Messina was integral in devising the Democratic strategy that prevented the allowance of private accounts within Social Security 20 Messina was credited by The New York Times Magazine as the brains behind the defeat of President Bush s plan 21 Messina has also been involved with other political campaigns from Alaska to New York including serving as an advisor to Montana State Senator Jon Tester s successful election in 2006 20 In 1999 he became Chief of Staff to Democratic U S Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York He then became Chief of Staff to U S Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota from 2002 to 2004 In 2004 he made 80 510 and in 2005 made 128 936 22 23 Barack Obama presidential campaign 2008 edit Messina was hired as National Chief of Staff for the Obama campaign in the 2008 general election 24 He was credited with leading the efforts to staff up for the general election and controlled a 750 million budget 25 nbsp Messina celebrates Obama s reelection in November 2012 After Obama won Messina was named Director of Personnel for the Obama Biden Transition team helping Obama pick his cabinet 26 Barack Obama presidential campaign 2012 edit Messina was Obama s campaign manager during the 2012 presidential election In January 2011 Messina left his job at the White House and began a rolling series of personal seminars with the CEOs and senior executives of companies that included Apple Facebook Zynga Google Microsoft Salesforce and DreamWorks 27 His goal he said was to learn everything he could about organizational growth emerging technologies marketing 27 to better serve the President in his role as campaign manager during the 2012 re election campaign For his work the American Political Consultant s association named him the International Strategist of the Year 28 After second Obama campaign edit In January 2013 Messina became head of Organizing for Action OFA using the Obama For America database and other resources to support President Obama s legislative agenda in his second term While OFA was formed in 2009 by the President elect it was reformed as a political action non profit group in January 2013 He founded The Messina Group when 29 a full service consulting firm with offices in Washington New York San Francisco and London 30 In August 2013 Messina signed on as a consultant to the British Conservative Party helping them successfully fend off a challenge from the Labour Party in 2015 31 Whereas British pollsters consistently missed that the Tories were moving into pole position Messina s internal numbers showed for weeks they were on course to be the largest party 32 While some were surprised by Messina s move to work with the Tories The Daily Telegraph pointed out that this makes more sense when you consider that Mr Cameron s policies such as support for gay marriage and confronting climate change would probably make him a centrist Democrat in the United States 32 The combination of data driven ground game relentless messaging and sophisticated social media is Mr Messina s signature 33 and as stated in The Daily Telegraph is what Mr Messina brought to the Cameron campaign ultimately aiding in a stunning victory for the Conservatives 34 In a statement Messina also added his personal admiration for Prime Minister David Cameron 35 In January 2016 Messina was hired by Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi as campaign s advisor for the constitutional referendum in December 36 The campaign was unsuccessful and Renzi was forced to resign as Prime Minister in its wake 37 Messina received 400 000 euros for his advice 38 In June 2016 Messina began working with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy 14 using data and targeted social media that ultimately helped Rajoy win a bigger than expected victory in that year s elections and take charge of a minority government in October of that year 39 Messina worked with Prime Minister Theresa May as a campaign strategist for the 2017 United Kingdom general election 40 Theresa May and the Conservatives suffered a very underwhelming performance in which she successfully remained Prime Minister however did not manage to keep Conservatives in the majority 41 For May the election has been called a disastrous gamble 42 Personal life editMessina has Italian ancestry in 2013 he received the Machiavelli Award as the Italian American Democrat of the Year 43 References edit Obama s People The New York Times Magazine Retrieved January 19 2009 Obama makes early appointments The Atlantic Archived from the original on November 17 2008 Retrieved November 18 2008 Tapper Jake January 27 2011 Jay Carney Picked as New White House Press Secretary ABC News Retrieved January 27 2011 Zeleny Jeff April 2 2011 An Obama Insider Running the Race From Afar The New York Times Parker George Allen Kate June 13 2016 On the In side the campaign to keep Britain in the EU Financial Times Retrieved July 24 2017 The Messina Group Retrieved July 24 2017 Huey Caitlin April 11 2011 10 Things You Didn t Know About Jim Messina U S News amp World Report Retrieved April 12 2012 Jim Messina Obama s Enforcer The Nation March 30 2011 Retrieved April 12 2012 Kirkpatrick David D August 6 2009 White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved April 8 2015 Gerstein Josh White House sets don t ask strategy session Josh Gerstein Politico Retrieved April 8 2015 Obama unveils Organizing for Action Politico Retrieved July 24 2017 Obama campaign to support super PAC fundraising Retrieved July 24 2017 Jacobs Ben May 8 2015 Does David Cameron s win mean Jim Messina is better than David Axelrod The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved July 24 2017 a b May Hires Jim Messina for U K Conservative Election Team Bloomberg com April 24 2017 Retrieved July 24 2017 Messina Honored School of Journalism University of Montana Retrieved April 8 2015 Obama Hires Boise High Graduate as Chief of Staff New West Boise Retrieved November 24 2009 How to get an Obama staff job Andie Coller Politico Retrieved April 12 2012 Thrush Glenn Can Jim Messina get it done for President Obama Page 3 Politico Retrieved April 12 2012 Hastings Michael June 15 2012 Obama Campaign Manager Behind Anti Gay Ad BuzzFeed Retrieved June 18 2012 a b Kornblut Anne E February 21 2009 Low Profile Aide Messina Tackles Obama s Tough Political Problems The Washington Post Retrieved May 6 2010 Bai Matt July 17 2005 The Framing Wars The New York Times Magazine ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved April 8 2015 James A Messina relationship map Muckety Archived from the original on July 16 2017 Retrieved April 12 2012 President Truman James A Messina Jim Congressional Staffer Salary Data Legistorm com Retrieved April 12 2012 Making a name Missoula News Retrieved April 8 2015 Battle Plans The New Yorker November 9 2008 Retrieved April 8 2015 Coller Andie How to get an Obama staff job Politico Retrieved April 8 2015 a b Obama s CEO Jim Messina Has a President to Sell Bloomberg com June 15 2012 Retrieved July 24 2017 2013 Pollie Award Winners theaapc org Archived from the original on March 25 2015 Retrieved April 8 2015 JIM MESSINA opens The Messina Group with focus on Obama and progressives GEITHNER plans no fee college tour on the craft of crisis response BIG WIN FOR MAYOR BLOOMBERG in Chicago race Politico Retrieved April 8 2015 The Messina Group Retrieved April 8 2015 Jim Messina signs on as campaign adviser to Conservatives in Britain The Washington Post Retrieved July 24 2017 a b Jim Messina interview how the pollsters got it wrong and why Labour lost Coffee House May 12 2015 Retrieved July 24 2017 American Way can Jim Messina do for David Cameron what he did for Barack Obama The Daily Telegraph Retrieved July 24 2017 Erlanger Steven Castle Stephen May 8 2015 David Cameron and Conservatives Get Majority in British Election The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved July 24 2017 Stratton Allegra August 2 2013 Tories hire Obama campaign chief Jim Messina BBC News Retrieved August 3 2013 Renzi assume Jim Messina per risolvere i problemi del Pd come consigliato dal Foglio mesi fa Archived 2016 09 12 at the Wayback Machine Italy s Matteo Renzi loses vote and offers resignation BBC News December 5 2016 Referendum Jim Messina pagato 400 mila euro dal Pd per la campagna per il si The Huffington Post in Italian October 5 2016 El secreto mejor guardado del triunfo de Rajoy Big Data Facebook y la guru de Obama Marketing Directo in European Spanish July 4 2016 Retrieved July 24 2017 Believe it or not but the Tories are running an energetic election campaign you just can t see it New Statesman May 10 2017 Retrieved June 9 2017 Castle Stephen June 12 2017 Theresa May Battles to Hold On as U K Prime Minister The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved July 24 2017 Analysis Theresa May s disastrous gamble on the future of Britain The Washington Post Retrieved June 9 2017 Jim Messina to receive Machiavelli Award as the Italian American Democrat of the Year at Inaugural Reception Sunday Italian Americans News Retrieved March 10 2016 External links editOrganizing for Action Jim Messina at The Harry Walker Agency Appearances on C SPAN Jim Messina collected news and commentary at The New York Times Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina official White House site archived Obama s CEO Jim Messina Has a President to Sell Joshua Green Bloomberg Businessweek June 14 2012 Political offices Preceded byBlake Gottesman White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations2009 2011 Succeeded byAlyssa Mastromonaco Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jim Messina political staffer amp oldid 1218637417, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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