Scott Howell (political consultant)

Herbert Weston Scott Howell III is an American conservative political consultant, whose recent clients include Meg Whitman[1] and Rudy Giuliani.[2]

Personal

Married in 1994, he and his wife Julie reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and have two children.

Career

In a 2006 interview, Howell discussed his early career in some detail. Recruited by Lee Atwater to work for the RNC after his 1988 work for presidential candidate Bob Dole, Howell spent four years as a campaign operative before moving to Texas in 1992 to work for Karl Rove, then running a direct-mail firm. In 1993, Howell started his own political consulting firm, which has since grown into Scott Howell and Company.[3]

He has run successful United States Senate campaigns for Republicans such as:

Failed clients have included:

Recent or current clients (2010) include:

Notable campaigns

2002 Georgia Senate Race

In 2002, Howell's client Saxby Chambliss defeated incumbent Senator Max Cleland.[4] Supporters of Cleland blamed a Chambliss TV ad featuring the likenesses of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, while criticizing Cleland's votes against homeland security measures.[5] The ad, which Cleland supporters claimed questioned the senator's patriotism,[6] was removed after protests from prominent politicians including Republicans like John McCain and Chuck Hagel.[7][8] Chambliss supporters claimed the ad didn't question Cleland's patriotism, but rather his judgment.[6][9] Although these ads are frequently mentioned as examples of work by Scott Howell, Howell has repeatedly denied that he produced this particular ad.[3][10]

2006 Tennessee Senate Race

In October 2006, Howell was revealed as the producer, with Terry Nelson, of the "Harold, Call Me" attack ad used against democratic Tennessee Senatorial candidate Rep. Harold Ford Jr. in which a white woman said that she had met Ford at a Playboy party. The ad concludes with the woman speaking to the camera and saying to Ford "Call me."[11]

Coverage of the controversy characterized Howell as a "protégé" of Karl Rove.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Whitman's big win came at a price: $76 per vote" CaliforniaWatch (June 10, 2010)
  2. ↑ "The Buzz: Giuliani hires team behind ‘Harold, call me’ ads," "Kansas City Star," August 24, 2007 http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/246784.html
  3. 1 2 3 Cris Cillizza, "Insider Interview: Scott Howell -- GOP Imagemaker," Washington Post, February 13, 2006 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2006/02/insider_interview_scott_howell.html
  4. ↑ Max Blumenthal, "Hitler in Virginia," "The Nation" online ed., October 26, 2005 http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/blumenthal
  5. ↑ Chambliss Ad (Cleland), YouTube, August 25, 2006
  6. 1 2 Slate.com: The Democrats' favorite victim
  7. ↑ The Atlantic: The Daily Dish: Quote for the Day. November 12, 2008.
  8. ↑ The Orlando Sentinel: Ex-senator Boosts Kerry, Battles Critics. June 13, 2004
  9. ↑ Coulter, Ann (December 31, 2008). "Teaching Democrats New Tricks". Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  10. ↑ Grant Perry, "Rudy - Call Me," Yahoo News - opinion column, August 25, 2007
  11. ↑ CBS News/AP, "Rove protégé Behind Racy Tennessee Ad," October 26, 2006
  12. ↑ David Miller, "Pure Horserace: Rove's Mixed Legacy: Bush's Political Guru Rewrote The Electoral Playbook, But Couldn't Implement Policies," CBS News August 13, 2007 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/13/politics/purehorserace/main3162644.shtml

External links

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