Ed Gillespie
Edward Walter Gillespie (born August 1, 1961) is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the President from 2007 to 2009 during the Presidency of George W. Bush. In 2012 Gillespie was a senior member of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign.
Ed Gillespie | |
|---|---|
| Counselor to the President | |
| In office July 5, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Dan Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Pete Rouse (2011) |
| Chair of the Virginia Republican Party | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – June 13, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Kate Obenshain |
| Succeeded by | John Hager |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office July 25, 2003 – January 20, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Marc Racicot |
| Succeeded by | Ken Mehlman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Walter Gillespie August 1, 1961 Mount Holly, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1984–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 1984) |
| Spouse | Cathy Gillespie |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Catholic University (BA) |
Gillespie founded the bipartisan lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates with Jack Quinn, and founded Ed Gillespie Strategies.
Gillespie ran in the 2014 United States Senate election in Virginia. Gillespie narrowly lost to incumbent Mark Warner by a margin of 0.8%. Gillespie ran for Governor of Virginia in the 2017 election. After winning the Republican primary, he was defeated in the general election by Democratic nominee Ralph Northam; Gillespie received 1.17 million votes (45%) to Northam's 1.40 million (54%) in the election.
In 2020, Gillespie was hired by AT&T to serve as senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs. Previously, he served as co-chairman of Sard Verbinnen & Co.'s public affairs practice.