Michael DuHaime
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Mike DuHaime (born 1974), a prominent Republican strategist in the United States, is the campaign manager of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
DuHaime served as Political Director of the Republican National Committee from January 2005 to December 2006, where he become known for his ability to effectively organize on the grassroots level.
He is considered a protege of Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman, and Terry Nelson, who is the Campaign Manager for Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
At age 32, he is one of the youngest people to manage a campaign for the Presidency.
The National Journal's Hotline called Giuliani's pick "The Get of the Week": "He is is unknown outside Washington and Republican circles; you can't Google his picture. Inside the Beltway, he is a rising star and a political natural."
As a Regional Political Director for Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in 2004, DuHaime helped develop the national "get out the vote" and Election Day efforts, and directed the day-to-day campaign operations in 11 northeastern states, which yielded millions more votes for the President in the region and kept John Kerry tied up in his Northeastern base.
Prior to working on the Bush campaign, DuHaime has already built an impressive resume in state and national politics by helping Republicans win elections on the local, state and federal level. He is known for his ability to coordinate genuine grassroots politics with creative campaign communications, strategies and tactics.
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[edit] Personal
DuHaime was born in 1974 and grew up in Bloomingdale, New Jersey.
His father, Richard DuHaime, a well-known conservative Republican, was a four-term Passaic County Freeholder and ran for the U.S. Senate in 1996. He finished second in a three-way Republican primary, losing to Rep. Richard Zimmer. In Passaic County, he won nearly 78% of the vote.
His mother, Ann DuHaime, served as the Mayor of Bloomingdale. He is the brother of Debbie DuHaime, a New York traffic reporter who can be heard four times an hour during WABC's Curtis & Cuby show and the John Gambling Show. Debbie got her start in broadcasting while at William Paterson College in Wayne, New Jersey, where she reported news for the school's radio station. She has also hosted a cable news show on OBC TV in Nutley, New jersey and even interned for legendary talk show host Rush Limbaugh at WABC.
DuHaime graduated from Rutgers University in 1995 with a B.A. in Journalism and Political science. He was also a four-year skater on the Rutgers Ice Hockey team where he served as a captain for championship teams his junior and senior seasons.
He is married to Dore Carroll, a former reporter for The Star-Ledger, New Jersey's largest daily newspaper. In 2005, she was part of a team of reporters who won the Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of scandals that contributed toward the resignation of Governor James E. McGreevey. They reside in Virginia and New Jersey with their daughter.
[edit] Early career
DuHaime started in politics as a volunteer on his father's campaigns for Freeholder and U.S. Senate, and worked as an intern in the New Jersey State Senate Majority office in Trenton.
In 1997, he became the Campaign Manager for Anthony R. Bucco, a Republican State Assemblyman from Morris County who was challenging an incumbent Democratic State Senator in New Jersey's 25th Legislative District. Bucco defeated Peter Mancuso, a former Mayor of Morris Township and a former New Jersey Republican State Committee Finance Chairman, in the Republican primary by a 56%-44% margin. In the General Election, Bucco defeated incumbent State Sen. Gordon MacInnes by a 55%-44% margin. Bucco won despite being heavily outspent in both races, and remains the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democratic State Senator in New Jersey since 1991.
As the Vice-President of Political Communications in 1998 for Campbell & Pusateri, Ltd., a national Republican consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia, DuHaime designed paid media and mail strategies for races throughout the country, the most noteworthy of which was the open seat congressional race in Pennsylvania's 10th District, where Democrats outnumbered Republicans. DuHaime's client, businessman Don Sherwood, assembled "a grass roots organization of 1,800 volunteers and propounding an agenda that combined small business to cut taxes" (Almanac of American Politics 2000) and won an eight-candidate field in the Republican primary with 43% of the vote. Scranton Mayor Jamse Connors finished second with 23%. In the General Election, Sherwood defeated Patrick Casey, the son of popular former Governor Robert Casey, by 515 votes, 49%-48%.
Recognized for his ability and success, Campaigns & Elections Magazine named DuHaime a “Rising Star in American Politics” at the age of 24 in 1998, and he has taught seminars on political communication and grassroots campaigning to candidates and operatives in New Jersey and Washington. DuHaime has also spoken on grassroots politics at Harvard and Rutgers.
In 1999, DuHaime returned to New Jersey to work in the District Office of Rep. Bob Franks, a former Republican State Chairman who was in his fourth term in the House. He also served as Executive Director of New Jersey's New Century, a political action committee chaired by Congressman Franks.
[edit] 2000 campaign
Democratic U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg was retiring after three terms and Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman was running to succeed him. But in September 1999, Whitman unexpectedly dropped out of the race and four candidates, including Bob Franks, sought the Republican Senate nomination.
DuHaime became Franks' Deputy Campaign Manager. Franks won the Republican nomination after an intensive grass roots campaign, directed by DuHaime, that included several stunning upsets in pre-primary conventions for the endorsements of county organizations. Franks nearly won the General Election, even though the Democratic candidate, former Goldman Sachs Chairman Jon S. Corzine, spent nearly $80 million (a twelve to one spending edge) to win the seat in a state that Al Gore won by sixteen percentage points.
A Quinnipiac University poll released the day before the 2000 election showed Franks leading Corzine, 45%-43%.
[edit] Political consultant
DuHaime owned his own political consulting firm from 2001 to 2003. DuHaime Communications, Inc. of Hoboken, New Jersey won an impressive 88% of its races for federal, state, county and local office. His clients included Thomas H. Kean, Jr., the son of the former Governor of New Jersey, who won election to his first public office in 2001 as a candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly in a Special Election. DuHaime was also the consultant for Kean's first State Senate race two years later. Another client was Bill Baroni, who unseated an incumbent Democratic Assemblyman in 2003, the only GOP challenger to win that year.
DuHaime served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee in 2002, helping to rid the Republic of U.S. Senator Bob Torricelli. The state party utilized innovative GOTV tactics that resulted in increased turnout in GOP strongholds that, for the first time in years, outpaced the turnout in Democratic areas.
[edit] Praise from former clients and party leaders
On the day that Giuliani announced DuHaime's appointment as the Executive Director of his Presidential Campaign Exploratory Committee, five of DuHaime's former clients, and three Republican County Chairmen, offered praise of Giuiliani's new campaign chief on the PoliticsNJ.com website.
Former Rep. Bob Franks (R-NJ): "Mike DuHaime possesses immense political talents and an unparalleled political instincts. He is among the best campaign managers I have ever seen."
State Sen. Tony Bucco (R-Morris): "Mike Duhaime is a brillant strategist. The Mayor is a lot closer to the White House now that Duhaime is on board."
State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Union): "Mike DuHaime has a tireless work ethic and a winning track record. He possesses a unique ability to develop innovative campaign tactics from the local to national level that makes him one of the best operatives in the country."
Assemblyman Bill Baroni (R-Mercer, a McCain supporter: "Mike DuHaime is one of the best people with whom I've ever worked in politics. His belief in grass roots, door to door politics, is a message for all republicans. Mayor Giuliani is blessed to have him."
Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Morris): "Picking up a person of Mike DuHaime's abilities is a real coup for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential ambitions. Mike possesses exceptional personal and political skills. He definitely lends strength to the Giuliani campaign."
Sussex County GOP Chairman Richard Zeoli: "Mike DuHaime is an incredibly talented campaign manager, and most importantly, he is a good person who never forgot where he started, and never lost touch with the people he used to work with. I've learned a great deal from him. It's a good day for Rudy Giuliani and a great day for New Jersey."
Cape May County GOP Chairman David Von Savage: "Mike has proven time and again his skill sets which are extraordinary. He's all business, no ego and results oriented. Likely 2008 presidential candidate Giuliani will be well served by Mike assuming this major leadership role."
Passaic County GOP Chairman Scott Rumana, the Mayor of Wayne, New Jersey: "We are extremely proud of Mike's accomplishments. Mike comes from a family which has always been committed to serving the people and certainly committed to promoting Republican ideals. Mike has proven to be an outstanding leader, with terrific political insight, who will be a major asset to the Giuliani campaign."
From the New York Times:
Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman: "Any campaign that is fortunate enough to get Mike DuHaime, particularly in the role they are putting him in, is in my opinion one that is serious and is one that will in my opinion be rewarded." From the New York Post: "Mike DuHaime is a huge talent - politically smart, excellent manager, exceptional at grassroots and experienced at building and managing a hundred-million dollar budget."
Giuliani Advisor Anthony Carbonetti: “I don’t have to tell you the credibility he has in the field. Being the R.N.C. political director, his tentacles reach out across the country."
From the New York Daily News:
Former New Hampshire Republican State Chairman Tom Rath, a backer of Mitt Romney: "This is a very good get for the Giuliani campaign."
