Jeff Larson is an American political consultant and entrepreneur who was CEO of the Minneapolis St. Paul 2008 Host Committee, which organized the 2008 Republican National Convention. [1] He worked on Reince Priebus's successful campaign to become RNC Chairman and in 2011 became RNC Chief of Staff. In March 2013, he became Senior Advisor to Priebus and the Chief of Staff position went to Mike Shields.
In 1999, Larson co-founded and became a partner, with fellow Republicans Tony Feather and Tom Synhorst, in a consortium of media consultancy companies, Feather Larson & Synhorst - DCI. The company was actively involved in supporting George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential primaries and received $21.3 million from the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004. [2] Larson specializes in tele-fundraising and voter contact programs. [3] According to the New York Times , Larson's firm has been tied to the onslaught of negative robocalls about Senator Barack Obama on behalf of Senator John McCain. [4] Larson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune , however, that FLS Connect is not involved in nationwide robo-calls attacking Obama, although his firm has been hired to make live calls in Minnesota on behalf of McCain. [5]
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, FLS Connect received between $1 million and $2 million in federally backed small business loans from The Central Trust Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. [6] [7]
Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, and Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska. Obama became the first African American to be elected to the presidency. This was the first election since 1952 in which neither the incumbent president nor vice president was on the ballot, as well as the first election since 1928 in which neither ran for the nomination.
Michael Stephen Steele is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2009 until 2011; he was the first African-American to hold either office.
The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party's convention fell on Labor Day, the last day of the popular Minnesota State Fair, though because of Hurricane Gustav, this day was mostly a call for action to help victims and formal, required activities; most of the politicking and partying did not start until Tuesday, the second scheduled day.
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee under U.S. Senator John McCain.
The following is a timeline of major events leading up to and immediately following the United States presidential election of 2008. The election was the 56th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008, but its significant events and background date back to about 2002. The Democratic Party nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, defeated the Republican Party's nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona.
The 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain, the longtime senior U.S. Senator from Arizona, was launched with an informal announcement on February 28, 2007, during a live taping of the Late Show with David Letterman, and formally launched at an event on April 25, 2007. His second candidacy for the Presidency of the United States, he had previously run for his party's nomination in the 2000 primaries and was considered as a potential running mate for his party's nominee, then-Governor George W. Bush of Texas. After winning a majority of delegates in the Republican primaries of 2008, on August 29, leading up to the convention, McCain selected Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate for Vice President. Five days later, at the 2008 Republican National Convention, McCain was formally selected as the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 2008 presidential election.
The 2008 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 2008 presidential election.
United States President Barack Obama, a member of the Democratic Party, was endorsed or supported by some members of the Republican Party and by some political figures holding conservative views in the 2008 election. Although the vast majority of Obama's support came from liberal constituencies, some conservatives identified in him shared priorities or other positive attributes. As in any election, voters can and sometimes do cross party lines to vote for the other party's nominee. Republican and conservative Obama supporters were often referred to as "Obama Republicans", "Obamacans" or "Obamacons".
On March 4, 2008, Senator John McCain of Arizona won the 2008 nomination by the Republican Party for President of the United States, and became the presumptive nominee of the party. McCain held an event with Alaska governor Sarah Palin, revealing her as his vice presidential running mate on August 29, 2008, a date which coincided both with McCain's 72nd birthday and the Palins' 20th wedding anniversary, at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, the day after Barack Obama's acceptance speech. If elected, she would have been the first vice president from Alaska and outside the mainland United States, and the first female vice president, but the feat would later be accomplished by Kamala Harris in 2020. The McCain–Palin ticket ultimately lost to the Obama–Biden ticket in the 2008 presidential election, and Palin returned to the governorship following the campaign but later resigned the following year.
Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for president of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, on August 23, leading up to the convention, the campaign announced that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware would be the vice presidential nominee. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, Barack Obama was formally selected as the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in 2008. He was the first African American in history to be nominated on a major party ticket. On November 4, 2008, Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, making him the president-elect and the first African American elected president.
Tucker Bounds is a public relations professional, who has been active in Republican politics. He served as a spokesperson for the McCain 2008 presidential campaign. Bounds also served as the Deputy Campaign Manager, Communications, for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's 2010 gubernatorial campaign in California. He is currently a Vice President of Communications at Facebook, in Menlo Park, California. He is also the co-founder of Sidewire, a political news analysis platform.
Tony Feather is a Missouri-based American political consultant for the Republican National Committee and Republican candidates and campaign who specializes in direct voter contact. Feather is a co-founder, with fellow Republican Jeff Larson of FLSConnect, the leading Republican direct voter contact company in America.
The 2008 United States presidential election in Alaska took place on November 4, 2008, as part of the nationwide presidential election held throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose three electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 2008 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus is an American politician, attorney, and naval officer who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011 to 2017 and as White House chief of staff during the first six months of Donald Trump's first presidency.
The Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) is a political event held in the Southern United States before each presidential election. The event is attended by Republican Party activists, elected officials, and candidates for office. It has featured every major Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan, and is best known for its presidential straw poll, which receives national media attention. In 2011, the event was dubbed the Republican Leadership Conference before restoring its original name for 2012.
Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice President of the United States was publicly announced by then-presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain on August 29, 2008. As part of the McCain presidential campaign, Palin, then the incumbent Governor of Alaska, was officially nominated by acclamation at the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 3. The McCain–Palin ticket lost the 2008 presidential election on November 4 to the Barack Obama–Joe Biden ticket.
Katherine Marie Walsh is an American Republican political operative who served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Implementation in the Donald Trump administration. She also worked with the Trump-aligned 501(c)(4) advocacy organization America First Policies.
Solomon Yue Jr. is an American Republican Party activist and businessperson. He is the founder and vice chairman and CEO of Republicans Overseas and a Republican national committeeman from Oregon Republican Party.