Chuck Thies, 44, is a D.C.-based political and advocacy consultant who has worked on 11 District campaigns.
How did you get into this business?
I started as a special events and conference management specialist for nonprofits and other organizations. In 1997, one of my best friends was running for city council in Brooklyn. He had been working as a prosecutor in Kings County. He called me and asked me to manage his campaign. We came within 107 votes of winning the race. No one expected us to be even slightly competitive.
What was the first D.C. campaign you won?
Phil Mendelson in 2002. We won the D.C. medical marijuana [referendum] in 1998. But [former Rep.] Bob Barr introduced a rider on the budget that prevented the D.C. government from counting the votes.
What is your best advice for a new politician?
It varies depending on whose votes they want. The best advice is to be sincere and hardworking and accept that it’s a long road to success, and if you’re in the business simply to get elected, you’re in the business for the wrong reason. If you’re in the business to help constituents and improve quality of life, then, if you’re patient and hardworking, you’ll be successful.
What was your favorite campaign to work on?
Howard Dean in 2004.
What was your reaction to ‘the scream?’
Over-hyped, inconsequential but indicative of the way the media treats campaigns and candidates.
What do you do between campaigns?
I work in advocacy. There’s always a campaign somewhere. There’s always an election cycle somewhere.
Mayor Adrian Fenty has raised $2 million for his reelection. How much is too much?
From a public relations standpoint, you can raise too much money, particularly if you’re a candidate with a populist and grass roots background. From a tactician point of view, you can never raise too much.
