Earlier today we noted that Presidential upstart Michele Bachmann had hard-nosed Colorado GOP operative Guy Short as a member of her inner circle. We wanted to take a deeper look at what his role in the campaign means for Bachmann's chances in Colorado and the primary writ large.
For the last 18 months or so, Short has been a trusted member of "Team Bachmann," where he has been an advisor in Bachmann's Congressional office, as well as a fundraising consultant through his company, C&M Strategies. The Roll Call article we linked to earlier today said that various Republican operatives who have followed Bachmann's career mentioned Short as Bachmann's most trusted political advisor.
Short has a long and storied history in Colorado's politics, most recently with his role as a campaign manager and Chief of Staff to former Colorado Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. Before that he was known for his role as a lobbyist for right-to-work legislation and the aggressive tactics he employed in pursuing that goal. But Short's most notable trait has been his ability to raise gobs of cash for his candidates from the grassroots.
Musgrave raised eye-popping sums in part because Short leveraged Musgrave's profile on social issues to rope in a national base of support. Running Bachman's Political Action Committee (PAC), MichelePAC, Short has brought the same fundraising success and ability to maximize a national donor base, with Bachmann potentially the only candidate that can give Romney a run for his money on the donated dollars front. As the top fundraiser of any US House candidate in 2010, Bachmann is poised to become one of the top fundraisers of the primary field.
Beyond the fundraising front, Short's role in Bachmann's inner circle also means that she won't be likely to shy away from hard hitting tactics or hesitate to contrast with Romney and others on social issues, which we saw yesterday with her statement on Romney's refusal to sign the Susan B. Anthony List's anti-abortion pledge. That is not good news for Rick Santorum, as it will likely mean his niche in the field as the social conservative will quickly be eclipsed by Bachmann. Coupled with Bachmann's hiring of long-time operative Ed Rollins, it is a significant sign that Bachmann is in it to win it, no matter what it takes to win.
Thirdly, we think Short's role means that Bachmann's campaign won't be a TV only campaign, but instead will be very much a ground-up, grassroots operation, focused on tapping the energy of the base to drive the campaign. Her announcement video hinted at this, with it being more of an attempt to fire up her existing supporters, rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
Short's experience in grassroots campaigns and Bachmann's undeniable appeal to grassroot activists will make her a serious player in the kick-off state of Iowa. Not only does Bachmann's home state of Minnesota share a media market with Iowa, but Bachmann was born in Waterloo, Iowa, giving her a key local connection to the state. As Iowa caucus goers tend to lean socially conservative and Bachmann has the Iowa social conservative superstar, Congressman Steve King, as a close ally, what materializes is a Bachmann that is the odds on favorite to win the Hawkeye State — chances that a guy named Short only improves.
This grassroots energy will be key to her campaign, especially in caucus states like Colorado and Iowa, as caucuses are all about organizing and grassroots fervor. While Romney may succeed in earning the support of a plurality of all registered Republicans, Bachmann is poised to do much better among those who turn out to caucus, which is generally an all together different sample than registered voters.
With an advisor like Guy Short, Michele Bachmann is primed to do well in Colorado's Presidential nominating contest and will be a force to reckon with in every state. Campaigns are often portrayed in the media as being about the candidate and their positions, while under-reporting the essential personnel that can have the biggest impact on strategy and messaging — the operatives. We at the Peak will continue to report and inform our readers about the names not on the ballot, and how those folks will impact their candidates' campaigns in Colorado.
(Photo from Rocky Mountain News)
(no pun intended) that cost Musgrave her seat? Because he made her a crusader for anti gay marriage vs. everything else? Not a smart move on Bachmann’s part.
Likewise, it seems every big CO name is lining up behind Romney. Why? Rick Perry, Rick Perry, Rick Perry!
So she hired a “Guy” that was essentially the ruination of an R in a VERY safe R District. If his tactics are as they have been in the past I wish Ms. Bachmann all the luck in the world. She is going to need it. She would have been better off leaving sleaze like this raising money.
And what is with the George Hamilton look…lay off the tanning lotions and the whitening strips.
Brothers Hotaling? Get the trifecta of nutbags who can’t win outside the Springs and Douglas Co.
The Hotaling brothers/Guy Short/Dudley Brown douchebag contingent can win primaries, but they suck at general elections. So Short will be good for Bachmann in the primary, but deadly if she makes it to the general.
Bachmann has occasionally spent money out of her office account for things closely tied to her political activities. But as with the rally, it is not clear whether she has violated any rules.
For instance, in June 2010, Bachmann added to her Congressional payroll a “senior advisor” named Guy Short, whose last Congressional job had been chief of staff to ex-Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), who lost her re-election bid in 2008.
According to Congressional pay records, Bachmann paid Short $5,000 for the month.
On June 3, 2010, Short established C&M Strategies in Colorado. Records on file with the Colorado secretary of state list Short as the “registered agent” of the firm; the incorporator was Colorado certified public accountant Barry Arrington.
In July, Short dropped off Bachmann’s payroll, but Bachmann’s campaign began paying C&M Strategies for fundraising consulting services.
That month, Arrington filed papers with the Federal Election Commission creating Bachmann’s leadership PAC, called Many Individual Conservatives Helping Elect Leaders Everywhere, which by September was also paying C&M Strategies for fundraising consulting services. Since then, MICHELEPAC and the campaign committee have paid C&M Strategies about $150,000 for fundraising consulting, and Short has never again appeared on Bachmann’s Congressional payroll.
Asked about Short’s duties in the Congressional office, Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben said in an email, “With six years of hill experience as a Chief of Staff, Guy Short worked with every member of the Congresswoman’s staff to ensure that they worked as effectively as possible to serve the constituents of Minnesota’s sixth district.”
Several other Bachmann staffers, including Communications Director David Dziok, former Chief of Staff Ron Carey, former “constituent service officer” Jack Tomczak and former Chief of Staff Andy Parrish all received regular checks from her campaign while serving on her Congressional payroll as well – which is permissible as long as the employees make a clear separation between the time they spend working on the campaign and the hours they are working for the Congressional office.
one helluva time winning statewide in Minnesota, much less nationwide. It’s not that she’s bad personally, but she surrounds herself with idiots like this
Keep hiding behind your moniker and whine, moan and call names to the people who’ve been busting their butts for conservatives (not just any RINO whom the Establishment says can win).
I don’t share the view of westernreserve. While Guy Short and his associates have lost their share, they have won more than their share too. In politics, everyone wins and loses. And in any event, their track record of winning primaries (which is the issue here and now) is pretty darn good. Love them or hate them, you cannot argue with the fact that they succeed more than they do not.
the real talents are those who can win over a majority of conservative AND independent voters.