Ed Gillespie

Ed Gillespie is one of the country’s top communications strategists with a long record of success in business, politics, and government. A long-trusted staple of the Republican Party, he is a witty and candid speaker who combines personal experience at the highest-level of government with his intimate knowledge of behind-the-scenes Washington. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Gillespie utilizes entertaining and informative presentations to give audiences the benefit of his expertise in politics, healthcare, energy, and finance.

A Pillar of the Republican Party. Gillespie began his political career as a telephone solicitor for the Republican National Committee (RNC) and as an aide for House Majority Leader Dick Armey. Gillespie later worked as the policy and communications director for the House Republican Conference, where he was a principal drafter of the Contract with America, the 1994 campaign platform on which Republicans gained control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

In 1996, he became director of communications and congressional affairs for the RNC under Haley Barbour. From 1999–2008, Gillespie served as a political strategist, press secretary, or senior communications advisor to several prominent Republican politicians. He ran Elizabeth Dole’s 2002 Senate campaign, the winningest senate campaign in North Carolina history. He was selected as chairman of the RNC in 2003, serving in that role through the 2004 elections that saw President Bush win re-election and Republicans retain control of the House and Senate. This made Gillespie the first GOP chairman in 80 years to preside over his party’s winning the White House, House, and Senate. His aggressive outreach to African-American and Hispanic voters was a highlight of his tenure. He later served as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from 2006–2007.

At the beginning of 2010, Gillespie was named chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee, which helps elect government officials at all levels. He took the position after successfully serving as chairman of Virginia Governor Bob Mcdonnell’s campaign in 2009, which has been described as a model for republican victories. In his first year there, Republicans gained more than 700 seats in state legislatures—the most gained by either party in a single election ever.

On the Frontlines of History. Gillespie is one of a small number of Americans to have had offices in both the West Wing and the Capitol. He served as counselor to the president during the last 18 months of the Bush Administration, where he helped handle a series of historic events like the 2007 surge of troops in Iraq and the response to the 2008 fiscal crisis. Gillespie had also led the Supreme Court confirmation efforts of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.

An Acclaimed Author and More. Gillespie edited the book version of Contract with America, which reached number two on the New York Times’ best-seller list, and he is the author of Winning Right: Campaign Politics and Conservative Policies. He is also the founder of Ed Gillespie Strategies and a co-founder (with Haley Barbour) of Policy Impact Communications and (with Jack Quinn and Al Gore) of Quinn Gillespie & Associates. Additionally, he is a founding board member of Resurgent Republic.