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Political Consultant Round-Up
Behind every successful candidate is a savvy political consultant. The five Democrats elected to top posts in statewide races were advised by some of New York's top political consultants.
“As in any realm of life, whether you are talking about getting an education, going to the doctor, remodeling your bathroom, etc., you want professionals to do the job. The quality of a campaign makes a difference in the outcome, so you want the best available talent to do the job,” said John Mollenkopf, director of CUNY's Center for Urban Research.
Some political consultants had it easier than others. Howard Wolfson at the Glover Park Group (who advised Sen. Hillary Clinton) and Jefrey Pollock at Global Strategy Group (who advised Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer) were advising candidates who maintained runaway leads throughout the campaign season and went on to win by large margins on Election Day.
“It helps to have an outstanding candidate,” admitted Pollock.
Others consultants, like Kieran Mahoney (advising defeated Republican candidate for attorney general Jeanine Pirro) or Hank Morris (advising Comptroller Alan Hevesi) found themselves advising candidates whose campaigns were beset by allegations of scandal.
Consultants to candidates who win elections are more likely to be called on by future candidates. That in mind, here are some of the big winners among New York consultants from the Nov. 7 election:
Howard Wolfson & Gigi Georges
The Glover Park Group
Advised: Sen. Hillary Clinton
Clinton was the biggest Democratic fundraiser this year, raising nearly $50 million. She was also the biggest spender, according to opensecrets.org, the Web site for the Center for Responsible Politics. Clinton shelled out nearly $40 million in her race against John Spencer of Yonkers. But Clinton did not just run her own campaign; she also aided fellow Democrats by sending two of her longtime political advisors their way.
Gigi Georges and Howard Wolfson, both partners at the Glover Park Group, worked on behalf of candidates in some of the most competitive races upstate, including Kirsten Gillibrand, who beat Republican Rep. John Sweeney in the 20th Congressional District. Earlier in the season, Wolfson and Georges advised Council Member David Yassky in his unsuccessful Democratic primary bid to replace Rep. Major Owens in Brooklyn's 11th Congressional District. Yassky was the only white candidate in a predominantly non-white neighborhood that has always had black representatives. He lost the Democratic primary to Yvette Clarke, who went on to an easy general election win.
Jefrey Pollock
Global Strategy Group
Advised: Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General-elect Andrew Cuomo
Global Strategy Group has become one of the most highly regarded political consulting firms around. It first gained prominence in 1998, when it advised Spitzer's attorney general campaign. Spitzer won that race by a mere 25,000 votes.
“Jef Pollock's organization there has definitely increased both in its ability to successfully advise candidates and the way in which it manages those campaigns,” said Dick Dadey, president of good-government group Citizens Union.
Good political consulting work does not come cheap. Between January and October, Spitzer paid Global Strategy more than $383,000 in consulting fees, according to state campaign finance data. Cuomo paid Global Strategy Group nearly $218,000 in consulting fees during the same period, plus another $180,000 for polls, according to state campaign finance data.
In addition to Spitzer and Cuomo, Global Strategy Group also advised Gillibrand and various other gubernatorial and congressional candidates nationwide.
Bill Lynch
Bill Lynch Associates
Advised: Lieutenant Governor-elect David Paterson
Bill Lynch was the informal advisor to David Paterson's lieutenant governor campaign, which throughout the race remained somewhat apart from Spitzer's. Lynch has more than 35 years of experience as a political consultant, much of it tied to former Mayor David Dinkins (D), and he served as an informal advisor to former Bronx Borough President and mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer.
Hank Morris
Morris and Carrick, Inc.
Advised: Comptroller Alan Hevesi
After retreating into an apparent early retirement from politics, Hank Morris was cast back into the limelight this fall. Comptroller Alan Hevesi's campaign took a hit when a state ethics report found that Hevesi had been using a state worker illegally to chauffer his wife. Hevesi slipped in the polls, Spitzer withdrew his endorsement and Gov. George Pataki questioned Hevesi's ability to perform his job.
Even so, Hevesi's challenger, former Saratoga County Treasurer Christopher Callaghan, was virtually unknown, which, on Election Day, made all the difference.
Aside from simply doing political consultant work for the campaign, which Hevesi paid $90,000 for this year, according to state finance data, the New York Post reported mid-October that Hevesi had put Morris in control of his office, in an apparent attempt to avoid criminal charges.