British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has turned to the veteran Washington political strategist who has groomed Republicans for years for presidential debates as he prepares for his first televised clash of the general election campaign.
Brett O’Donnell brings a wealth of debate prep experience working with George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney, earning a reputation as the “candidate whisperer.”
Tuesday’s clash will be the first time in British election history that the two main candidates will go head-to-head without the presence of smaller party leaders.
Johnson comes into the showdown, having honed his appeal after weeks of televised campaign appearances and debates during the Conservative leadership contest. He will also be buoyed by polls that suggest he has a double-digit lead over Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
The two leaders face-off on TV with Corbyn’s supporters hoping it will be a key chance to close the gap. His aides have briefed journalists that the Labour leader will aim to appear calm and authoritative in comparison with what they see as a blustering prime minister with a weak grasp of policy detail.
According to the U.K.’s the Times newspaper, the match-up sees Johnson return to a debate guru who helped with his performances during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign.
Johnson was initially skeptical of O’Donnell’s role, according to an account of the referendum battle written by journalist Tim Shipman, preferring to leaf through newspapers during one of his first prep sessions.
“Initially Boris wasn’t as focused as he needed to be,” Mr O’Donnell said in the book, All Out War. “Then Boris realized he needed to get serious and start working. He turned it on. Boris went and did his homework and really flicked on the switch.”
Before entering politics, O’Donnell was the director of debate at Liberty University, where his teams won eighteen national championships in intercollegiate debate.
He also worked as speechwriter for Fox News’s Sean Hannity and as speech preparation coach at the 2004 and 2008 Republican National Conventions.
Tuesday’s debate is the first in a string of televised election clashes. Four party leaders — including the Scottish Nationalist Party and the Liberal Democrats — are expected to field questions on a BBC show later this week.
A seven-way debate is scheduled for the end of the month, although it is unclear if Johnson and Corbyn will take part or send deputies.
However, the two are due to participate in a second head-to-head debate in the final week of campaigning ahead of the Dec. 12 election.
