Potomac Flacks

Lansing Leaves House Budget Committee for NRCC

Gerrit Lansing, the Press Secretary for the House Budget Committee (majority) under Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that we has departed the committee to become the new Digital Director at the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), effective Monday, April 30.

He has previously served as New Media Director for Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and got his start in DC as a blogger at the Heritage Foundation.

Lansing is a native of Lake Forest, IL and a 2007 graduate of Sewanne-The University of the South.  (PF tipster)

NRCC Flack Burgos Tapped by NRCC to Direct Independent Expenditure

First reported by Roll Call, National Republican Congressional Committee Deputy Communications Director Joanna Burgos has been tapped to direct the committee’s independent expenditure (IE) arm for the 2012 cycle. 

Per Roll Call, “in addition to Burgos, the NRCC tapped Todd Johnson as its IE research director and Trent Wisecup to consult on California races.

“Under campaign finance laws, all of these hired hands are prohibited from coordinating with committee staff while they manage millions in spending for top races around the country.

“Burgos boasts a decade long career in communications, spending the past two cycles as a top aide in the NRCC’s press shop. A Miami native, Burgos served as lead strategist and national press secretary for the 2008 Republican National Convention.” (Roll Call)

DCCC Expands Communications Operations for 2012 Cycle

Reported by Roll Call’s “Shop Talk” column, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) made three alterations to its communications staff for the 2012 cycle.

The committee now has five regional press secretaries to handle a playing field widened by redistricting on which the party is aiming to net 25 House seats.

Stephen Carter, Stephanie Formas and Sabrina Singh either just joined or hold new positions on the communications team, which is led by Deputy Executive Director Jennifer Crider and National Press Secretary Jesse Ferguson.

Carter, a former communications strategist at Blue Engine Message & Media and deputy press secretary at the DCCC in 2010, is handling communications on races in the Plains, Rocky Mountain West and Northwest. 

Formas, the new Southern regional press secretary, originally began at the DCCC last year as Southern regional researcher. Formas previously served in the office of former Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX).

Singh was promoted to deputy press secretary. She joined the DCCC in early 2011 as a press assistant after working in the office of Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA).

The other regional press secretaries are Amber Moon (West), Josh Schwerin (Northeast) and Haley Morris (Midwest). Adam Hodge recently left the team to become a regional press secretary at the Democratic National Committee.  (Roll Call’s “Shop Talk” column)

Former Huntsman Spokesman Miller Named Deputy Communications Director at the RNC

National Journal’s Sean Sullivan first reported the hiring of Tim Miller at Deputy Communications Director at the Republican National Committee.

Miller most recently served as National Press Secretary and lead spokesman on the 2012 presidential campaign of former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT).

Miller previously served on the McCain 2008 campaign as Iowa Communications Director, worked as a Director at the Glover Park Group, and was a communications adviser at Berman and Company.  He is an experienced Iowa campaign operative, having worked for Jeff Lamberti for Congress and Bill Dix for Congress.

He is a graduate of The George Washington University.  (National Journal / PF reporting)

2012 Republican National Convention Taps Gonzmart to Serve as Press Assistant

Caroline Gonzmart is now serving as the Press Assistant to the 2012 Republican National Convention Director of Communications James Davis. She brings local news experience to the convention team, having previously worked as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor at the top-rated CBS affiliate, WCTV, in Tallahassee, FL.

Gonzmart received a B.S. in Communications and Media Studies and a minor in Spanish from Florida State University. Her family is from Tampa.

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012.  Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event, including approximately 5,000 delegates and alternate delegates and 15,000 credentialed members of the media.  (PF tipster)

RNC Names Davis Communications Director for 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa

First reported in the Washington Post’s “The Fix” column, James Davis, a well-travelled and well regarded Republican communicator, has been named Communications Director for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa.  Davis starts in Tampa Oct. 10.

Davis had been serving at corporate and crisis PR firm Brunswick Group, and at Gibraltar Associates before that.

He is a convention veteran, serving as Associate Director of Communications at the 2008 Convention in St. Paul, MN.

Earlier in his career Davis worked as Deputy Director of Media Affairs at the Republican National Committee.  He also served as a researcher at the Department of Defense under Secretary Don Rumsfeld.

Davis is a native of Vidalia, GA.  (Washington Post’s “The Fix”)

Longtime DNC Flack Sevugan Departs; DNC Hiring Two in Press Office

First reported in Politico’s “Playbook” by Mike Allen, longtime Democratic National Committee (DNC) National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan departed the DNC office on Friday.  He began at the DNC in March 2009 after serving as a senior spokesman on Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008.

Sevugan was previously Communications Director for Sen. Chris Dodd's (D-CT) presidential campaign, Communications Director for Martin O'Malley's (D-MD) 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Policy Director for Tim Kaine's (D-VA) 2005 gubernatorial campaign and Research Director for Dan Mongiardo's (D-KY) 2004 U.S. Senate campaign.

Sevugan is a native of Chicago and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne and a law degree from Northwestern University.

Sevugan has reportedly accepted a new job at Students First, the education reform advocacy group started by former DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.  Sevugan will be Vice President of Communications.

Sevugan’s departure means that DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse has two openings to fill.  He is hiring to hire a National Press Secretary and a Deputy National Press Secretary, as Brandi Hoffine departed recently to lead communications for Tim Kaine’s U.S. Senate campaign.  (Politico’s “Playbook”)

Clyburn Aide Greco Named Communications Director for 2012 DNC Convention in Charlotte

Roll Call’s “Shop Talk” column reports that Kristie Greco, a longtime communications aide to House Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-SC), has been named Communications Director for the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC.

Greco previously served as Press Secretary for Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Legislative Correspondent for Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA) and at Goodyear Government Relations.

Greco was born in Voorhees, NJ but was raised Springfield, VA.  She is a 1997 graduate of Villanova University. (Roll Call’s “Shop Talk”)

RNC Names Experienced Vet Pounder Research Director and Deputy Communications Director for 2012 Cycle

The Republican National Committee (RNC) today named Joe Pounder as Research Director and Deputy Director of Communications for the 2012 cycle.

Pounder joins the RNC from the office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), where he served as Communications Director.  Previously, Pounder served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Sen. Rubio’s successful 2010 bid for the United States Senate.  He also served as a senior aide for House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) and on the gubernatorial campaign of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).

Before joining the Rubio campaign, Pounder was Director of Rapid Response for Gov. Mitt Romney’s (R-MA) presidential primary campaign and later served in the same capacity for Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) 2008 presidential campaign.  Pounder is also a veteran of the George W. Bush Administration, where he was Deputy Associate Director of the White House Office of Communications.

Pounder is a 2005 graduate of George Washington University.  (PF tipster)

EXCLUSIVE: Experienced GOP Flack Wilcox Named Press Secretary at NRSC for 2012 Cycle

Jahan Wilcox, an experienced 28 year old flack has been named one of two Press Secretaries for the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC) for the 2012 cycle.  The other Press Secretary is Chris Bond.  They are both managed by NRSC Communications Director Brian J. Walsh, in his second consecutive cycle in that role at the NRSC under Chairman John Cornyn (R-TX).

Wilcox was a Regional Press Secretary at the RNC last cycle, based in Las Vegas and primarily focused on the U.S. Senate race in Nevada.  Previously, he has worked in the leadership press office of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the Senate Republican Communications Center.

He also served at the RNC previously under Communications Director Brian Jones and Deputy Communications Director Danny Diaz.

Wilcox is a native of Minnesota.  (PF tipster)