Ken Mehlman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mehlman in 2021 | |
| Chair of theRepublican National Committee | |
| In office January 19, 2005 – January 19, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Gillespie |
| Succeeded by | Mike Duncan (National Chair) Mel Martínez (General Chair) |
| White House Director of Political Affairs | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – May 23, 2003 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Minyon Moore |
| Succeeded by | Matt Schlapp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenneth Brian Mehlman (1966-08-21)August 21, 1966 (age 59) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Franklin and Marshall College (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Kenneth Brian Mehlman (born August 21, 1966) is an Americansocial entrepreneur and businessman. He serves as a member, global head of public affairs, and co-head of KKR global impact at investment firmKohlberg Kravis Roberts. He oversees the firm's responsible investment efforts, leading the firm's Environmental Social Governance programs. Prior to joining KKR, Mehlman spent a year as an attorney and partner at law firmAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. In January 2017, Mehlman announced that he would act as chairman of theChan Zuckerberg Initiative Policy Advisory Board.[1]
Mehlman held several national posts in theRepublican Party and theGeorge W. Bush administration. In 2000, he was appointed director of the White House Office of Political Affairs. Mehlman managedBush's 2004 re-election campaign, and was 62nd Chairman of theRepublican National Committee from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, Bush appointed Mehlman to a five-year term on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.[2]
In 2010, Mehlmancame out asgay in an interview with journalistMarc Ambinder, which made him one of the few prominent openly gay figures in the Republican Party.[3] He told Ambinder that he was aware that the Republican Party emphasized an anti-gay agenda but felt that he could not "go against the party consensus" when he held leadership positions.[4] After coming out, Mehlman advocated for the recognition ofsame-sex marriage.[5]
Mehlman was born inBaltimore, Maryland. He is one of two sons born to Judith and Arthur Mehlman. His father was director of MuniMae and a former partner atKPMG, for which he was the head of the firm's auditing department in theBaltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.[6] Mehlman's brother, Bruce, works as alobbyist at Mehlman Consulting.[7][8]
Mehlman received his undergraduate degree in 1988 fromFranklin and Marshall College inLancaster, Pennsylvania, where he became a member ofPhi Kappa Tau's Xi chapter. He received hisJ.D. fromHarvard Law School in 1991, where he was a classmate of future PresidentBarack Obama.
Mehlman practicedenvironmental law atAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld inWashington, D.C. from 1991 to 1994, when he becamelegislative director to RepresentativeLamar S. Smith ofTexas's 21st congressional district. Mehlman served as Smith's legislative director from 1994 to 1996, and then aschief of staff to RepresentativeKay Granger ofTexas's 12th congressional district from 1996 to 1999.[9][10]
Mehlman served as field director for the2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush. When Bush became president, Mehlman became director of theWhite House Office of Political Affairs. He managed the Bush re-election campaign in 2004. In January 2005, theAmerican Association of Political Consultants gave Mehlman the "Campaign Manager of the Year" award for his management of the Bush/Cheney presidential ticket.[11]
Mehlman joinedKohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co in 2008. As of 2021, he continues to be KKR's Global Head of Public Affairs and co-head of KKR Global Impact, helping assess and improve the companies in which KKR invests by engaging stakeholders & leveraging geopolitical & public policy trends. Mehlman also oversees the firm's global external affairs, including corporate marketing, regulatory affairs & public policy, and communications. Mehlman leads KKR'sEnvironmental Social Governance (ESG) programs for the firm and its portfolio companies.[12]
In addition to his role atKKR, Mehlman is a trustee of New York'sMount Sinai Hospital,Franklin & Marshall College, and Teach for America.[13] He is a member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations, serves as chairman of theAmerican Investment Council (previously the Private Equity Growth Capital Council), and is co-Chairman of the American Enterprise Institute's National Council. He is also a trustee and board member ofSponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO).[14][15] Mehlman was appointed to the board of directors of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board in June, 2016.[16]
On January 10, 2017,Mark Zuckerberg announced onFacebook that Mehlman andDavid Plouffe would be joining the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Mehlman will chair the philanthropy's public policy advisory board, which he stated in his official Facebook post will consist of "a diverse group of advisors and experts."[17][18][1]
On March 4, 2021, Mehlman was elected to the board of directors of theUnited Negro College Fund (UNCF).[19]
Mehlman was Bush's choice to replaceEd Gillespie as the chair of theRepublican National Committee and was elected to the post on January 19, 2005. Mehlman announced after the November 2006 general election that he would not seek re-election to another term as Republican National Chairman. One of his top deputies, RNC political DirectorMichael DuHaime, announced in December 2006 that he would become campaign manager forRudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign.
Mehlman addressed theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) a full year before Bush addressed thecivil rights organization.[20] In his address to the NAACP on July 14, 2005, inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, Mehlman apologized for his party's failure to reach out to the black community in the aftermath of theCivil Rights Act of 1964, stating, "Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization... I am here as Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong."[21][22]
Although Mehlman's speech seemed to suggest a new approach towards the African-American community, most have considered the approach to be unsuccessful, with several polls indicating that Republicans have not improved in terms of African-American approval. AWashington Post poll shows that Bush's approval rating among African Americans fell to two percent at one point,[23] and a report card issued by the NAACP gave "F's" to a majority of Republicans in the109th Congress.[24]
As the head of the RNC, Mehlman played a key role, along withKarl Rove, in executing the Republican Party's long-term, yet ultimately unsuccessful, plan for electoral dominance. This is discussed at length inPeter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger's book,One Party Country.[25] Mehlman voluntarily stepped down as chairman of the RNC at the end of 2006.[26] He was succeeded byMike Duncan andMel Martinez.
In 2016, Mehlman was a vocal opponent ofDonald Trump's in the primary and general election, and he publicly vowed to vote forHillary Clinton.[27][28]
A Democratic analysis of phone records introduced at the 2005 criminal trial ofJames Tobin, the Northeast political director for the RNC in 2002, shows that Mehlman made 115 outgoing calls – mostly to the same number in the White House office of political affairs – between September 17 and November 22, 2002, when the office of political affairs was headed by Mehlman. Two dozen calls were made from 9:28 a.m. the day before the election through 2:17 a.m. on the night after the voting, a three-day period. Virtually all the calls to the White House went to the same phone number. In April 2006, Mehlman issued a statement on the matter, noting that his deputy for the Northeast states routinely discussed election business withRNC officials, and categorically stated that "none of my conversations nor the conversations of my staff, involved discussion of the phone-jamming incident."[29][30] Tobin was convicted on December 15, 2005 "for his part in a plot to jam the Democratic Party's phones on Election Day 2002"; however, this conviction was later overturned by a federal appeals court and Tobin was acquitted on all charges.
In August 2010, Mehlmanrevealed that he isgay. Prior to this revelation, rumors about Mehlman'ssexual orientation had circulated since at least 2004.[31] In May 2006, Mehlman denied he was gay, telling theNew York Daily News: "I'm not gay, but those stories did a number on my dating life for six months."[32] On November 8, 2006, comedianBill Maher made an appearance onLarry King Live, during which he referred to Mehlman as acloseted gay man. The incident became controversial because CNN edited out Maher's comments in later taped editions and removed the reference to Mehlman's sexual orientation from the transcript of the show. The day after Maher's comments, Mehlman announced he would step down as chairman of the RNC (although reports said that his resignation had been expected for some time).[33]
Almost four years later, in an article inThe Atlantic, Mehlman stated that he is in fact gay, and that he planned to be an advocate for legalizingsame-sex marriage. According to theNew York Times, Mehlman's "announcement makes him apparently the most prominent Republican official to come out."[34] This disclosure followed years of him avoiding and denying inquiries about his sexual orientation. During his RNC chairmanship, Mehlman supported certain positions of the Republican Party, including opposition to same-sex marriage. Mehlman stated he could not have gone against party consensus, but acknowledged that, had he come out of the closet earlier, he might have been able to impact Republican efforts to pass state initiatives and referendums banning same-sex marriage.[4]
Marc Ambinder, who interviewed Mehlman and wroteThe Atlantic article, said that Mehlman's roles with the RNC and the Bush campaign "coincided with the Republican Party's attempts to exploit anti-gay prejudices and cement the allegiance of social conservatives".[4] A few commentators, such asCenk Uygur andMichael Rogers, criticized Mehlman onThe Ed Show, for having remained closeted about his sexuality while active in politics. Rogers has long advocated for the forcedouting of closeted gay politicians who vote or advocate against LGBT interests.[35]
Some segments of the LGBT community expressed support for Mehlman.Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award-winning writer ofMilk, said, "Ken represents an incredible coup for the American Foundation for Equal Rights ... As a victorious former presidential campaign manager and head of the Republican Party, Ken has the proven experience and expertise to help us communicate with people across each of the 50 states."[4] Stephen Petrow, former president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, wrote in a Huffington Post column, "... the 43-year old Mehlman found the courage to be honest about his identity with family, friends, former colleagues and current colleagues [who have] been wonderful and supportive."[36]Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe said in a public statement, "We hope the fact that Ken Mehlman has reached this level of honesty will now encourage other political leaders to reject divisive anti-gay campaign tactics..."[37]
In June 2011, Mehlman lobbied Republican members of the New York state legislature to support the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York and reached out to conservative donors and operatives.[38]
Mehlman often spoke with undecided GOP senators, including three of the four who eventually voted in favor of the bill.[38] Mehlman, who gained the support of many gay-rights backers, discussed the political and ideological reasons why lawmakers should vote for the bill. He said, "Letting two adults who love each other get married strengthens and promotes families."[39] Mehlman told GOP senators that legalizing same-sex marriage aligned with Republican interests and principles. He emphasized that polls showed a significant shift toward voter support of same-sex marriage.[39] Four Republican senators voted for theMarriage Equality Act.[38]
Several gay rights leaders and bloggers recognized Mehlman's role.[40][41] Mehlman was honored inOut Magazine's 2011's Out100 list partially because of his work on the campaign.[42] Mehlman has been active in Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington State, helping to raise almost $3 million for these campaigns between August 2010 (when he came out) and March 2012.[43] He continued to campaign for same-sex marriage, beforeUnited States v. Windsor, the 2013United States Supreme Court decision which held that same-sex marriage is constitutional, by aiming to show GOP leaders why same-sex marriage "is consistent with Republican and conservative principles", and speaking on that topic throughout the country.[44]
In January 2013, also beforeUnited States v. Windsor, Mehlman spoke with political activist David Kochel[who?] in Iowa about how supporting same-sex marriage is a conservative value. He stated that, "I'm a conservative because I believe in more freedom and I believe in less government. I think that we are endowed by our Creator, not by politicians, not by government, not by bureaucrats, with inalienable rights, including the pursuit of happiness. If you believe that, what could be more central to the pursuit of happiness than choosing the person that you love, that you have the right to marry?"[45]
In February 2013, Mehlman helped organize anamicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court in the case ofCalifornia Proposition 8 signed by dozens of prominent socially moderate Republicans, includingJon Huntsman, Jr.,Meg Whitman,Ken Duberstein,Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and others, explaining that they supported a Constitutional right to same-sex marriage.[46] According to theNew York Times, Ken Mehlman spent "months in quiet conversations with fellow Republicans to gather signatures for the brief." "We are trying to say to the court that we are judicial and political conservatives, and it is consistent with our values and philosophy for you to overturn Proposition 8," said Ken Mehlman according to the New York Times report.[47]
In November 2013, Mehlman launched a non-profit organization called Project Right Side[48] focused on convincing more Republicans to support marriage equality. The organization also conducts research and analysis in an effort to improve political conditions for LGBTQ issues. He stated that "Conservatives don't need to change core convictions to embrace the growing support for equal rights for gay Americans. It is sufficient to recognize the inherent conservatism in citizens' desire to marry, to be judged on their work, and not to be singled out for higher taxes or bullying at school. These objectives can be achieved while also protecting religious liberty, as demonstrated by states enacting civil marriage with exemptions for religious institutions."[49]
In February 2014, Mehlman was a keynote speaker[50] at the first campus-wideHarvard LGBTQ conference on the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots where he was interviewed byBaruch Shemtov. He spoke during the closing remarks of the conference, stating "there's nothing more powerful than coming out and being who you are."[51]
Mehlman supported the repeal of the "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy introduced duringPresidentBill Clinton's tenure. In 2010, Mehlman lobbied ten U.S. Senators to repeal the policy.[38]
Mehlman has also worked on LGBTQ non-discrimination issues. He actively helped Congressional leaders pass theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the Senate in 2013.[52][53] In July 2019, Mehlman filed an amicus brief, joined by close to three dozen other Republican leaders, arguing in support of the rights of LGBT people in the workplace.[54] The brief argued that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly prohibits discrimination against gay men, lesbians and transgender people in the workplace due to language in the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.[55] In addition, Mehlman wrote an op-ed forThe New York Times outlining his reasons for believing that the fight for gay rights upholds the Republican values of economic freedom and personal liberty. In the piece, Mehlman writes that firing an employee because of their sexual orientation orgender identity is "... unethical and un-American, and the Supreme Court has the opportunity to read the clear language of Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act] and affirm that it is illegal."[56]
Mehlman isJewish[57] and lives inNew York City.[4]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | White House Director of Political Affairs 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican National Committee 2005–2007 | Succeeded byas National Chair of the Republican National Committee |
| Succeeded byas General Chair of the Republican National Committee | ||
