Schmidt to Join Edelman

Steve Schmidt, one of the top public affairs and political strategists in the country, is joining Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, as Vice Chairman, Public Affairs. While providing counsel on a limited basis effective immediately, he will join in full come December 1st. Schmidt most recently has been a partner at Mercury Public Affairs, where he led the firm’s operations in California.

Named by PR Week as one of the top 25 most powerful leaders in the public relations industry, Schmidt has provided high-level strategic counsel to political candidates, elected officials, and major organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood studios and professional sports teams.

Prior to Mercury, he served in positions at the highest levels of politics and government, including Senior Advisor to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign; Campaign Manager for the 2006 re-election of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, an effort The Los Angeles Times called "a nearly flawless campaign"; Deputy Assistant to the President and Counsellor to the Vice President in the White House, where he played leading roles on the confirmation teams for the nominations of both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court; and a member of the senior strategic planning group that directed Former President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign.

Schmidt will serve as a senior strategic counsellor to Edelman on a global basis. He also will serve as an advisor to Edelman’s $60 million U.S. Public Affairs practice, encompassing a team of 170 professionals serving a broad array of clients including API, Business Roundtable, Monsanto, Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners, and Pfizer. He will report to Matthew Harrington, President and CEO, Edelman U.S., and will be based in Sacramento.

During Schmidt’s tenure in the White House, he advised on a wide range of issues and worked at the intersection of public communications, policy development, legislative advocacy and political strategy. Prior to leading Justice Alito’s confirmation team, Schmidt served in Baghdad, where he worked with U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, to perform a month-long assessment of media relations in the war zone.