The Republican National Committee has announced a new fundraising team that has deep roots in the GOP and even includes the Bush-era head of the RNC’s finance shop, Elliott Broidy.
Peppered with veterans of the Bush White House and the presidential campaigns of Bush, Sen. John McCain, and President Trump, the “RNC’s Finance Leadership Team” is poised to bolster fundraising for the party as it heads into the 2018 midterm elections and readies for the president’s reelection in 2020.
Early reporting focused on the pick of Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen as a national deputy chairman. Having somebody so close to Trump as a top RNC fundraiser is key to linking the party with the president’s supporters.
But finance insiders said the pick of Broidy was a sign that RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and RNC Finance Chairman Steve Wynn are also eager to reach deep into the Republican Party for help and support.
“Elliott Broidy’s help will be a shot in the arm for the party’s fundraising efforts and the RNC is lucky to have someone who ran the finance operation back to help Republicans expand their majority,” said one insider.
In her announcement, McDaniel said, “I am delighted to announce the addition of these longtime friends of the party and supporters of this administration to our finance leadership team.”
Elliott Broidy is returning to help the Republican National Committee’s fundraising operation.
Wynn said the goal is holding control of Congress, and even adding seats.
The team:
Elliott Broidy, National Deputy Chairman
Mr. Broidy is Chairman and CEO of Broidy Capital Management. He served as a National Vice Chairman of the Trump Victory Campaign during the 2016 election cycle and Vice Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. He has previously held the position of RNC Finance Chairman, and during the Bush Administration he served on the Homeland Security Advisory Council and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Michael Cohen, National Deputy Chairman
Mr. Cohen is currently the personal attorney to President Donald J. Trump. He served for more than a decade as Executive Vice President Special Counsel to President Trump at the Trump Organization and has sat on the boards of multiple Trump organizations, including Trump Productions, the Eric Trump Foundation, and the Miss Universe Organization. In addition to raising millions of dollars for his campaign, Mr. Cohen has been an active spokesperson and advisor for the President during his interest in seeking office since 2011.
Louis DeJoy, National Deputy Chairman
Mr. DeJoy is the President of LDJ Global Strategies. He was the CEO of New Breed Logistics until its sale to XPO Logistics in 2014, where he served as CEO of XPO’s Supply Chain Division until December 2015. Mr. DeJoy has held various finance roles over the past 15 years, including Presidential Trustee and North Carolina State Chair for Trump Victory.
Brian Ballard, Regional Vice-Chairman
Mr. Ballard served as the Chair of Trump Victory in Florida, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, and as a member of the Finance Committee for the Presidential Transition. He has vast experience in campaigns at both the state and national levels—serving the presidential campaigns of both John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. He is currently the President of the political advocacy group Ballard Partners.
Bob Grand, Regional Vice-Chairman
Mr. Grand has been a longtime friend of and served in many political roles in Indiana for Vice President Mike Pence. He also served as Indiana Finance Chairman for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2000 and 2004 and was most recently on the Trump Pence Finance team. He currently practices law in Indiana and DC. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Wabash College and on the Board of Visitors for the Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Gordon Sondland, Regional Vice-Chairman
Mr. Sondland is the Founder and Chairman of Aspen Lodging Group and co-founder of Aspen Capital. Sondland also serves as President of the Sondland/Durant Charitable Foundation. In 2007, President Bush appointed him to serve as a member of the Commission on White House Fellows. He previously served on the National Finance Committees of the McCain and Romney presidential campaigns, as well as a Senior Republican advisor to Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski.
Geoff Verhoff, Regional Vice-Chairman
Geoff Verhoff is a Senior Policy Advisor at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Since 2005 he has advised clients on a wide range of legislative and regulatory matters at the federal, state, and international levels. Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Verhoff worked for Sen. William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Following that, he joined the RNC’s finance team, leaving for Akin Gump after President George W. Bush’s successful re-election campaign.
Ron Weiser, Regional Vice-Chairman
Mr. Weiser currently serves as the Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. He was Ambassador to the Slovak Republic during the Bush Administration. He served as Michigan’s Finance Chair for President Bush in 2000, and as the National Co-Chair for the McCain campaign in 2008. He has held the position of National Finance Chair for the RNC and was a National Vice Chairman of the Trump Victory campaign and a Vice Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee and Transition.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
