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Steve McMahon (consultant)

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Steve McMahon
Alma materUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Iowa College of Law
OccupationMedia consultant
Employer(s)Purple Strategies
McMahon Squier and Associates
Known forMedia consultant for Howard Dean's presidential campaign

Steve McMahon is an American lawyer and media consultant who has worked on political campaigns for Democratic candidates including Ted Kennedy, Howard Dean, and Dick Gephardt, in addition to his work with elected officials. He is a founding partner of Purple Strategies, a bipartisan communications firm located in Alexandria, Virginia, and McMahon Squier and Associates, a media consulting firm.

Career

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Early career

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Steve McMahon trained as an attorney, graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Iowa College of Law.[1] He helped with Senator Ted Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign[2][3] before starting his professional career as an assistant press secretary in Kennedy's Senate office. He later became a deputy director of Kennedy's political action committee, the Fund for a Democratic Majority.[4] In 1987, he transitioned into media consulting when he was hired as a vice president at Doak, Shrum and Associates, an Arlington, Virginia-based media consulting firm. While at the firm his notable work included consulting for Dick Gephardt's 1988 presidential campaign and other political campaigns.[4][5][6]

McMahon Squier and Associates

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In 1991, McMahon co-founded the media consulting firm Trippi McMahon and Squier with Mark Squier and Joe Trippi.[4] McMahon's early work for the firm included a role as media strategist for California governor Jerry Brown's 1992 presidential campaign.[7] Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, McMahon and his partners worked on all five of Howard Dean's gubernatorial campaigns.[4] McMahon was also a strategist and consultant for Dean's 2004 campaign for the US presidency.[8] Following Dean's departure from the race, McMahon's firm served as the lead advertising partner for the Media Fund, which produced ads in support of then-Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign.[9][10] After the 2004 presidential election, McMahon worked on Dean's successful 2005 campaign for chairman of the Democratic National Committee.[8][9][11]

In addition to leading Trippi McMahon and Squier, in 1999 McMahon and his partners also established a second company, Issue & Image, which focused on advocacy advertising.[12][13]

During the 2008 election cycle, McMahon produced advertisements for the Democratic National Committee in support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. He also worked as a senior media consultant for the 2008 Democratic National Convention,[14][1] which was co-produced by his partner Mark Squier.[15]

McMahon's firm went through several name changes in the mid to late 2000s, including following the departure of Joe Trippi in 2004.[16][5] From 2009 onwards, the firm has been called McMahon Squier and Associates.[17]

Purple Strategies

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In 2008, McMahon merged Issue & Image, the advocacy advertising firm established in 1999, with Republican Alex Castellanos' firm National Media Public Affairs, to form the communications firm Purple Strategies. McMahon and Castellanos had often met each other while pitching to clients and decided to form Purple Strategies as a bipartisan consultancy, blending their "blue" and "red" political backgrounds.[18][19][20] Other founding partners of the Alexandria, Virginia-based firm include Bruce Haynes and Mark Squier.[18] At Purple Strategies, McMahon has worked with BP, PhRMA and the United States Chamber of Commerce.[21][22][14] Other clients of the firm include Time Warner Cable, Coca-Cola and McDonald's.[23][24]

Other activities

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In addition to his role as a consultant, McMahon is a regular guest commentator on television and has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Meet the Press, MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell Reports not to mention frequent appearances on C-SPAN's morning call-in show, Washington Journal.[17][1][25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Steve McMahon". purplestrategies.com. Purple Strategies. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  2. ^ Mark Leibovich (13 March 2013). "Ted Kennedy Jr. Is (Finally) Ready for the Family Business". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Obama Beyond the Beltway". The New York Times. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "2004 Tip Sheets Howard Dean (D)". National Journal. November 2004. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b Eliza Newlin (31 August 1991). "Washington's Movers and Shakers". National Journal. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  6. ^ "Key Staffers" (PDF). National Journal. 27 September 2003. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  7. ^ Jim Rutenberg (27 May 2008). "The Trouble With June 1992 as a Case for Pressing On". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  8. ^ a b Thomas Schaller (28 October 2008). "What Barack Obama needs to do to close the deal". Salon. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  9. ^ a b Josh Kurtz (9 September 2004). "Media Fund's Media Firm". Roll Call. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  10. ^ Meg Kinnard (15 October 2004). "Kerry & Media Fund Tell Voters: Don't Be Fooled". National Journal. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  11. ^ Susan Adams (22 March 2012). "What Should Romney Do About His Etch-A-Sketch Aide?". Forbes. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  12. ^ "Personnel News". The Bulletin's Frontrunner. 25 March 1999. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  13. ^ Noreen O'Leary (9 May 2013). "Purple Strategies Hires From Burnett, Emanuel Team". Adweek. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  14. ^ a b Jaimy Lee (23 September 2009). "US Chamber awards largest campaign to Powell Tate, Purple Strategies". PRWeek. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  15. ^ Ian Donnis (20 May 2010). "Costantino adds staff for mayoral run". Rhode Island NPR. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  16. ^ "CongressDaily". National Journal. 12 May 2004. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  17. ^ a b Chris Cillizza; Perry Bacon Jr. (19 January 2009). "2010: The Year of the Obama Effect?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  18. ^ a b Mary Lu Carnevale (21 January 2009). "New Lobby Shop Sees Gold in Going Purple". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  19. ^ "Former Democratic Strategists Now Boost the GOP". The Nation. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  20. ^ Mike Allen (18 July 2011). "Rob Collins, Jim Jordan join Purple Strategies". Politico. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  21. ^ "Washington PR firms cashing in on BP spill". The Washington Post. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  22. ^ "Drug Industry Helping Obama Overhaul Health Care". FoxNews.com. 8 August 2009. Archived from the original on August 9, 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  23. ^ "In Negotiations, Corporate Antagonism Goes Public". The New York Times. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  24. ^ Lynn Sweet (20 February 2012). "Chris Mather joins Purple Strategies: Opening Chicago office". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  25. ^ "Steve McMahon". bipartisanpolicy.org. Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
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